The joy of being a parent is something that cannot be explained but needs to be experienced. But it is also something that seriously requires your time, financial, physical and emotional commitment. My article in Femina lists down some of the ways in which you can manage your energies as a parent!
Being a perfect parent is a myth. Yet this is a constant endeavour as parents. To begin with, the decision to be a parent entails enormous responsibilities. As prospective parents, you need to give serious thought to the time, financial, physical and emotional commitment. Yet sometimes too many thoughts, ifs and buts, am I capable, and can we afford, does not work either. The joy of being a parent is something that cannot be explained but need to be experienced. You can never be prepared enough when your bundle of joy arrives and turns your world upside down.
With young children, you need to be high energy super-parents. You have to multitask, and be there for them and somehow magically manage your work, find time for yourself, your relationship and your social life. Young children depend on you for their physical needs and emotional support. It is worth investing in getting a perfect time management routine in place, with both parents chipping in.
Despite this juggling, often parents need some help and support. Enrolling the grandparents and friends or outsourcing help is usually a win-win formula. It can give you, as a parent, some free time for each other, to gather your sometimes chaotic and fast-paced life. This allows you to be fully available as parents, where you are more fun to be with rather than be stressed and in an angry mood.
When you are with your children, give them your 100 per cent attention. By attending office calls during family time, you are unconsciously sending the message that they are less important to you, while ironically, you are working for your family. The best parts of your childhood are not those expensive gifts your parents gave you; it is the time you spent together, the times you laughed and played together. Wouldn’t you want to provide the same to your children?\
If your life is more organised and disciplined, your children learn by example. Co-create the rules and boundaries together, enrolling the children in the process. Define the consequences of breaking the rules. It need not be severe. Missing the weekend out or washing the dishes perhaps. And follow through with it. Playing board games or doing a barbeque together is excellent family bonding exercises.
Your children learn from you. Empower them with ethical values like mutual respect and empathy. Teach them through example, by living it yourself. Engage them in social discussions and increasing their awareness. Allow them to make their mistakes and learn from it, nurturing them into mature young adults ready to transform a better tomorrow, a better world.