WOW Parenting is a Pune-based parental training & assistance company offering online tutorials by experts that enable first-time parents to tackle parenting related problems.

'It takes a village to raise a child'. Today, we are in the age of nuclear families. The time has long gone when we lived in communities, where there were other women who supported each other. Children were happier because of the freedom and company they got to explore. In the era of both parents are working to make both ends meet, the negative consequences are suffered by the child as well as the parents. This was not the case previously with joint families where in the child had not only their parents but other family members to take care of them. Today, in the new social structure of nuclear families, we see rising anxiety among the parents. When parents are anxious about their own lives, how will they bring up a confident child? Parenting is in a CRISIS!

Without daily guidance millennial parents are evolving their own methods of parenting. Those methods are frequently opposite of the traditional parenting methods. New concepts like treating children like friends have come up. Parents want to nurture their child with utmost care. However, lack of time and resources on better parenting skills often leave them stressed and frustrated. Moreover, cut throat competition, demands greater and longer working hours. Even parents are found to be doing office work at home. It is almost as if parents are living like school going kids. They too get homework. When parents do not have enough time for themselves, how will they give time for their kids? In the absence of quality time, how will the kids grow up to be emotionally and socially stable? Parenting is in a CRISIS!

In joint families, the kids have exposure to many 'role models'. Today, their role

models are either actor/models or cartoon characters and not a family member. Therefore, value systems are becoming weak. The signs are ominous. Old age homes are increasing. Living in a joint family provides enrichment to your life. For the kids, it provides huge stability. However, sometimes for economic prosperity, sometimes for lack of adjustment, sometimes for lack of opportunities, sometimes for other practical purposes, joint families are becoming rare. Absence of worthwhile role models is creating huge generation gaps. This leads to breakdown in communication. This leads of wrong decisions and wrong perceptions. This leads to vulnerable kids. Parenting is in a CRISIS!

One should take extreme care while raising a child in these modern times, as that sets the mindset and behavioural pattern for the next generation

Albert Einstein said, “It’s not that I’m so smart, it’s just that I stay with problems longer”. Today, we live in a disposable age where no one likes to stay with ‘anything’ long enough. Commitments, dedication, perseverance are in short supply. Without long term vision, how do we raise a child? When a child is growing up, he/she requires a lot more than just materialistic things. One sees a lot of cases where teenagers are found doing things that they should not be doing like use of abusive substances. Technology has become more of a distraction. It is resulting in addiction, anxiety, obesity and other health issues. It is not entirely the fault of the parents, as they feel they deserve rest and a little social life too. That’s when they use technology to 'keep the children busy'. This results in very low patience levels for kids. That is why they ‘cannot stay with anything long enough’. This leads to series of crisis in their life. Parents have no idea how to deal with this. That is why we say, Parenting is in a CRISIS!

Children have always competed for their parents’ attention, but this generation is experiencing something strange. Previously, children had to deal with parents being away for work. Parental proximity was rare. Today, children contend with parents who are physically tantalizingly close, yet mentally else where. Parents want to influence their child’s behaviour and future success, but they fail to give undivided attention. Focusing your attention on your child boosts their self-esteem and they learn to value themselves as individuals. This helps them later in life when they may face situations challenging their self-confidence. Knowing your child well will always keep the communication line open and this way, your child will always confide in you when he/she will be in a situation wherein they will need your support and guidance. But because today’s generation is very easily hooked on phone, we are on the verge of producing the most distracted generation. Having a baby is a really joyful occasion for parents, the challenge is everything that follows. One should take extreme care while raising a child in these modern times, as that sets the mindset and behavioural pattern for the next generation. Earlier becoming a parent was easy. Being a parent was easier. Nowadays, becoming a parent is easy. Being a parent is becoming more and more difficult. Parenting is in a CRISIS!