There are many aspects in parenting that need to be handle with lots of care. One such key feature being the ability to ensure that children extract their maximum potential from life. And so, being a parent is an extremely demanding task that requires both time and patience. In simple words, “Parenting” is not an easy task. Thus, here is presenting a few facts which will hopefully help explain “why” being a parent to a child is an “Herculean” task fraught with difficulties.
a. The level of difficulty in “Parenting” rises as the child grows:
The evolution of a child generally occurs in a variety of stages. So, as the child grows older the difficulties that a parent face also increases. For example, managing an infant or toddler is much less complex as compared to handling a teenager. This is because the demands made by the child at different stages in his/her life vary. Thus, the challenges posed to “Parenting” at different stages in the life of a child are as follows:
1. Infancy: (1 month to 1 year)
Probably, the most easiest phase of “Parenting” because the demands put forth by a child are minimal. So, for example during this stage all that the child needs is to be fed at the right time, as well as requires a change of diapers from time-to-time. In other words, the needs of a child during this period are extremely “primal” in nature, and so parents are not pushed to the limits.
2. Toddler: (1 year to 3 years)
“Cute” is the ideal word to describe a stage in a child growth known as “Toddler”. It is from this phase that the real challenge in “Parenting” sets in, during which a child slowly beginning to develop a mind of his/her own. It is therefore during this period that we see parents having to take more efforts to complete basic tasks such as feeding a child. At this point in time the parents may also be compelled to use tactics such as “force feeding” and “baby talking” to elicit a proper response from the toddler.
3. Childhood: (4 years to 12 years)
This is a stage in a child’s life that forms an extremely important and challenging feature of “Parenting”. It is during this period that the child has developed much more as an individual. And so, it becomes important that parents now begin to develop a mode of communication with their child. It is also at this stage that parents need to work on character on their child, which would last a lifetime. Hence, this phase in the evolution of child must be handled extremely sensitively by the parents.
4. Teenage Years: (13 years to 19 years)
“The most turbulent” would be the best way to describe this period in “Parenting” known as Teenage Years. This is due to the fact that at this stage a child has already developed a “mind” that his independent. It is also at this stage that a child begins to behave “rebelliously”, which poses a real challenge to parents. Furthermore, issues such as “mood swings” and “erratic behavior” are few other obstacles that parents are likely to face during this stage.
b. The challenge of finding an ideal school for a child in “Parenting”:
Providing for ideal education is an extremely important component of “Parenting”. This is because it is good education that enables a child to have successful future. Especially in country like India (possessing large population) where competition for admission is stiff it really does become a challenge for parents to select the best form of education for their children. It is then hunting for the perfect education for kids which ensures that parents have not only sleepless nights but also less time socializing.
c. The challenge of bringing up a girl child a key component of “Parenting”:
The biggest challenge in “Parenting” all around the globe however is the raising of a girl child. Ever since the beginning of the 21st century, women all around the world have slowly but surely begun to directly compete with men in all spheres of life. However, this gradual rise in woman empowerment has also led to an increase in a number of violent crimes such as rapes against women. It is because of the existence of such horrific crimes against women that it has become important for a parent to talk about the dangers of interacting with a complete stranger openly with the girl child. It has also become essential for parents to explain to the female child in details what “inappropriate touch” really means without any reservations. Furthermore, informing the girl child at the right age about the dangers that lurk behind what appears like a “vibrant nightlife has also become very necessary.
And so, it is simply because a child (be it a boy or girl) through his/her growing up years pose a number of serious challenges to parents, which eventually makes “Parenting” a no child’s play.
