Parenting

Parenting. The word says it all. Parenting is quite a tough task these days. The 'Little Masters' make the job of the grown-ups a balancing act. The kids are as whimsical as naughty and as energetic as mischievous. Their parents enjoy these naughty pranks as long as their mood is lighter. But the same pranks may irritate them, if they have lost their cool.Some parents force their kids to behave exactly the way they want. There is no compromise on it. This means T-H-I-S- is their attitude. They want their kids to be like horses proceeding forward as directed by the blinkers. They fail to understand that they are after all kids and have to be handled in their own way. These small kids don't have that much maturity as to understand the gravity of the situation. But the parents feel that, if the kids are given a specific treatment from their innocent age, then they won't behave out of the way. Such parents feel that kids are more obedient on the other side of the compound. These parents are more ambitious about their kids' future and are overtly aware of the cut-throat competition, mostly fearing and thinking on negative lines. Yes, such parents thinking is always on negative terms. But yes, its not a fool's paradise either, but, believe it or not, they do more harm than good to their little ones. And this is no swinging the lead.On the other hand, some parents allow their kids to be kids, they allow them to behave childishly. This way the kids are more relaxed, mentally. This mental relaxation helps them to concentrate, to grasp, to understand things better as mind can be focused on a particular thing, be it as easy as recognizing animals, colours or showing body parts. These parents don't complain that kids don't listen to them. Because they don't force kids into doing things of their choice or important. If any child is addicted to, suppose, video games, these parents, I have seen, don't bother to stop them from playing it. They feel 'how long will they keep playing?' At one point of time they will feel board and stop it on their own.These are two extreme examples of handling kids - one is restricting them, the other is sparing the rod. Some are extreme DOs the others severe DON'Ts. But whatever, there are not fixed guidelines that, certain things will work like jig-saws. Most of the disions have to be taken on the spur of the moment. Both the parents are right in their own ways. After all it's all out of love, ain't it?