Now this guy really developed some short cuts to ease his life, but towards the end it didn’t work. Shortcuts when it comes to Parenting never work.

These are my 5 reasons  why Parenting is not a short term plan?

They say once a parent always a parent. While the initial few years of raising a kid are toughest, there is no escaping from this role for the rest of your life. Trust me my parents are the only one who still treat me like a kid and on whom I can still download all my miseries and look for support. I owe everything that I am today to my parents and my family. It is their upbringing, their morals and values that I imbibe today. As I am getting older, I take decisions in life based on their teachings and am grateful that they have taught me so well.

Bribing kids

We are always super busy and try and compensate time with promising them toys or other stuff. This is a huge mistake, as you are not only teaching them that your presence is exchangeable for materialistic things. Just imagine what your future holds for you, when you will have all the time in the world for them and they will give back what you did to them.

Getting them used to eat along with the TV

This is something which most parents find a solution, as most kids are fussy at some stage or the other. Recently, there was a video doing the rounds where this mom has taped a mobile on her forehead and is feeding an infant. That kind of took it to a different level. I too as a parent have made this mistake and it has taken me almost a 6-month disconnection of my TV connections to get my kids back to eating well. The disadvantages of this are;

• They become couch potatoes and while watching TV their brain is not sending them proper signals, so tend to eat more than their capacity. Their digestion will also suffer.
• They will associate food and TV all the time and it can create huge problem if you’re travelling and there is not TV
• Too much TV, even if they are watching cartoons, also makes them behave and act like them.

So while it may be tough in the beginning, but any habit to form takes a bit of time and, in the long run, you will have happier, healthier children :).

Feeding them junk when you’re out

Another shortcut most of us take when we are dining out with kids. obviously, they want their burgers and pizzas when they are eating out as a part of the association they have with the good times all thanks to great marketing strategies from the likes of Mac Donalds and Pizza hut. Feeding them junk food is no good at any time, that we all know in the back of our heads but tend to just ease it when we are out. It might get tough initially as the kids throw tantrums, but slowly if you’re stern they will fall in line.

Doing their projects and homework

My parents hardly ever bothered about my homework. I would also go to them, only if I got stuck somewhere. Today, however, we are over involved in our kid’s education. Also, schools tend to burden us with projects which are not age appropriate and then as parents we have to step in and do it for them. I remember I had to create an entire 3 dimensional Lion’s den for my son when he was in Nursery. Then there are parents who want their kid to excel even in the projects so they hire professional help/freelancers to do it for them. Now I don’t understand the utility of it and I have chosen to make my kids responsible for their own projects. Even in they do an average job, they are learning responsibility and sharpening their abilities rather than getting it outsourced even at this age.

Fighting their battles

It has almost the same logic as above. We have to give up helicopter parenting and let them fend for themselves. This will prepare them for life and your stepping in for every small thing will only make them dependent on you for everything in life. Having said that though there might be situations where you should exercise your judgement and take their side if they go out of hand. So be aware but don’t hover over them.

Signing Off,

Yours Truly,