Parenting then and now...

Few weeks back when my parents landed in Mumbai, I did get into this cooking spree which by now has lessened since Maa is here and we all know how obsessed we are with our mother’s food that we detest trying out otherwise.
Now one of the days when I dished out a simple item like “chapati” to Baba, he was pleasantly surprised at my culinary expertise (the reason I boast of it is because he has been sadly the only person who has relentlessly tried my cooking disasters with a smile...and sometimes they had been real d-i-s-a-s-t-e-r-s)
Baba, who is otherwise a gentleman of fewest of words really appreciated the hot round servings of the flat bread, adding on that they were even better than Maa’s! That was a huge compliment though!
Now here the point isn’t to exhibit or promote my culinary excellence but to talk about some of the key tenets of great parenting skills which my parents have showcased (and are still). My parents never believed in the idea of constant pat on the backs, which has become a precursor to good parenting lessons these days; my parents refrained from boasting about us in the company of their peers, which inevitably seeps into the nature of the new age parents even if it means their children have merely crossed the basic milestone of being toilet trained! My parents stayed away from comparisons with other kids though we too had a “Sharma Ji Ka Beta” back then!

These days we are flooded with books and online applications on parenting tips and techniques making it sound like a humongous task but back then our parents never believed in “tried and tested” suggestions or tips and still brought us up with the best of their abilities! Our parents refused us, reprimanded us, even spanked us on occasions that called for such behaviors and we were quite acceptable. But surprisingly as time is progressing children are becoming less tolerant and more aggressive; less respecting and more humiliating. Children these days look up to their parents for constant gratification of actions that could be meager! Children these days are becoming less value driven. They are not able to yield to failures as they rejoice their successes, making them withdraw completely into a shell when met with unsuccessful times!

It’s good to evolve and take parenting to a different level but at the same time we shouldn’t forget our roots. The new age parents while adapting to the new generations can always refer to their predecessors for suggestions and guidance,for this generation of parents never treated parenting as a destination but a journey, a journey full of mistakes, sometimes the hardest of times but eventual happiness that resulted in great homes and well brought up children!

Thank you Maa and Baba (Joydev Chatterjee) for letting me learn from you while I try to bring up Anshika to the best of my abilities!

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