Due to the present-day exposure for parents and children, parenting has become a challenge like never before. When you are unable to fulfil your child’s ongoing demands, the pampered parenting guilt overbears you and you find yourself not good enough.
Likewise, setting the rules and staying firm lays you in the dilemma of being an over-strict parent.
What’s going to work for your child? There needs to be a certain balance as to what demarcates a pampered parenting with effective parenting; righteous and insightful parenting.
Parenting a child; or in other words, a brand-new human on the face of the earth is a tremendous responsibility. Not so easy as it seems; but also, not so tedious as it had been made in a contemporary world. There are endless podcasts, videos, classes and tutorials dictating how you should be parenting your child. Rather, it is a unique journey with ground rules that apply to everyone.
It's pivotal to understand that parenting is not just the love and affection you share with your child; it's beyond that. It's more about rightfully preparing your child for a world he or she will be going to witness tomorrow.
How empowered are we making him today to face the harsh realities of a ruthless world? Well, the explanation pounds that until they are staying with us, we should provide our kids with all the comfort and pampering.
But here is the catch. As per Research Gate publication, “Sometimes parents’ good intentions backfire and result in pampering children. Ineffective parenting strategies lead to pampered child syndrome (PCS). The parents who pamper their children do not realise that they have been pampering until they experience negative consequences. It becomes challenging when children easily adopt a pampered lifestyle. Pampered children exhibit adjustment problems and become over-demanding and feel entitled. This generates negative feelings towards such children. Ultimately, nobody likes them. Therefore, parents need to understand their roles and responsibilities in their children’s lives and adopt adequate measures while parenting.”
When nature entrusts you with the responsibility of being a parent, it also bestows you with the intellect and wisdom to carry forth that role beautifully. Identify the genuine and non-genuine demands, learn to demarcate between pampering and discipline, as well as set the layout on core principles and root values that will apply to every member of the family so that implementing the parenting guidelines is welcomed by kids and not enforced upon them.
It is also essential to incorporate their contribution in day-to-day life and household chores instead of serving them everything on a platter. Instead of fetching that bread by yourself from a nearby shop ask your 10-year-old sometimes to get that for you. This instils a sense of confidence and street smartness.
The chores that might seem daunting such as doing the dishes, vacuuming the carpet, folding the laundry, or tidying up the house, get them up and doing instead of letting them scroll their screens endlessly instead of doing it all by yourself ending up freaking out all the time.
These little involvements help shape their personality and develop a keen insight into what goes around when they step out of their comfort zone and are ready to embrace a whole world on their own. And as a parent, you find yourself gratified enough to envision the harvest of balanced parenting coming your way!
Oman Observer is now on the WhatsApp channel. Click here