Parenting Challenges in Today’s Society

Have you ever wondered how different are the challenges faced by today’s parents than the yesteryears’?

Let’s step back, take a pause, and ponder.

Haven’t we always felt that our parents had had it easy in raising us than what we are struggling to learn, unlearn, and grapple with right now?

Honestly, good parents of yesteryears’ were those who taught their children to be mannerly, respectful, and responsible. They were, in fact, more concerned with making their children equipped with basics and providing the essentials like food, clothing, and shelter.

Changing Parenting Styles

With parenting styles and good parenting concepts making their way into the parents’ minds these days, there is no doubt that the standards of good parenting have undergone a drastic change. The bar is raised.

On the same lines, will the challenges be more for the coming generations than what we are facing now?

Probably. The answer rests with time.

But, yes, it is only right to say that parents, be it today’s or past generations’, always find a way to manage and overcome challenges with whatever resources are available to them, and still bring up their children in the best ways possible. With the change in the social and cultural scenario of the current times, the challenges are seemingly high nowadays.

Let’s now have a look at some of the parenting challenges that today’s parents are uncannily put through.

Overdose of Information

With the Internet spanning across the world like never before, information is available in tons all around us. Sometimes, it becomes overwhelming. Parents of today are a lot more educated but they fail to handle the overload of information provided. Every second link we click on, we are provided with information on how to parent and how not to parent, parenting struggles, what kind of parenting style is good, and so on. Needless to say, we also receive parental advice from our kith and kin.

Amidst this overdose of data to process, parents fumble to find their unique way. There is no ‘one size fits all’ mantra to parenting. Such conflicting advice bombarded on parents only make them struggle even more.

In such a case, it is essential to make sure to stick to something that works for us.

Balancing Work and Family

It is a tight rope to walk, nevertheless. As much as we try to balance work and family, we tend to fall apart sometimes. The nuclear families setup of today doesn’t offer the kind of support system that the yesteryears’ parents were blessed with. Also, with both the parents working, it becomes even more challenging and stressful to walk the rope and still balance well.

But yes, parents are developing coping mechanisms with what works for them and their kids.

Giving Time to Children

Time! A simple term that conveys so much profundity.

Time management is something that any human being can only try to achieve. Nobody can become a master of it.

We parents are no different. With our plates always full in managing work and home together and striving to achieve the balance we want to, we are only left wanting for more time. And the result sometimes becomes hard-hitting when parents are unable to give the required amount of it to their children. They try to compensate for the void of time by lavishly spending on unwanted material pleasures which only leave the children wanting for more. Rather than giving their time, unchecked time on screens is allowed to hit the roof. This can only cause negative effects, both physically and mentally. The children would not understand the value of money and take everything for granted.

As much as we try to multitask, let’s make sure to spend quality time with children. After all, isn’t that what every child needs on priority? It is essential, more so, with the increasing competitiveness and exposure in today’s society.

Being Afraid to Say ‘No’

Saying ‘no’ is an art. It indeed becomes tougher when we need to say it to our children. We parents want to be gentle towards the children and be liked by them (which, again, are from the parenting standards of the new age) and tend to say ‘yes’ to their demands.

But, wait! A ‘yes’ always is not going to do any good. It is not going to help the children face failures or negatives in the larger scheme of things as they grow up and try to find a place for themselves in this world. Let them fail, but, be there to ensure they fail safely. Let them make independent decisions and face their consequences.

Sometimes a ‘no’ is necessary to avoid the sense of entitlement that many children enjoy today.

The Pressure of Comparison

In the current fast-paced world, every parent wants even their child to be as quick as possible in their learning curves. Every child is unique and he/she would take his/her own time to learn even the basics. Despite knowing it, yet, unmindful of it, parents want their kids to be toilet-trained early, to have a proper sleep routine early, to get trained on self-feeding early, to be the smartest kid of the lot, and so on.

This could probably be attributed to the pressure to compare their kids with others and wanting them to lead in everything.

In addition, the economic situation has also created a lot of pressure on parents to earn enough to meet the rising education costs. This causes a vicious cycle again in not spending enough time with their children.

All this pressure, probably, results in them feeling guilty for not doing everything perfectly. Also, too much pressure isn’t really healthy in parent-child relationships.

Hold on! Take a breath!

The only solution in hand is to relax and let the children be what they are best at – be happy, enjoy and have fun. They would definitely learn what they want to at the right age.

Like my child’s paediatrician says, “Kids know how and when to have fun. And, they also learn in the process.”

To conclude, the challenges are many and there may be even more as time passes. We need to equip ourselves for it. And, we sure can. Adaptability is indeed a survival instinct, isn’t it?