Parenting pricks poke, you ponder,
preachy, privy, what's app, PT what?
Alliterations aren't rhyming words. Parenting isn't much different. What begins with a similar sound doesn't necessarily end with one. You might have read all the parenting advice books in the world, but if there is one thing life throws at you when you are least expecting is a parenting challenge. Our little bundles of joy surprising us with questions not so little. School, friends, extra curriculars, homework, play dates, sleepovers. It's a busy career on it's own. We sail through it, discovering life's little secrets along the way.
Then comes a day every few months called PTC. Call it parent-teacher conference, convulsion, concussion or combustion, whatever that C stands for, you see! A simple exercise to know the general progress of your kids in the school. Mind you, that is where they spend the most productive hours of a day. But for most parents it becomes the day of judgement. Nervous souls waiting in line to get that whip of admonishment or stamp of approval. Counting our sins when we let our children watch another half hour of tv so we could finish our work. Damn!! I should've made them revise those dictation words. Hope the teacher doesn't complain about spelling mistakes.
We can't really claim ignorance, can we? Not with What's app group messages pinging every second, from the moment kids get down the school bus till they get back on it the next day. Nothing wrong with it, we had always picked up 'phone a friend' option when we needed help with our kid's difficult homework. A what's app group just made it easier. Only, it's defeating the very purpose of homework. Our kids don't want to make any effort to recall what's being taught in class because they know mom can easily get the answers in a what's app group! The teachers don't have to worry about absentees because they too will submit homework on time thanks to what's app. Here it is, we've made the job easier for teachers and our little ones while successfully adding more jitters to our brains. Helicopter parenting sounds passé, let's call this drone parenting!
I've been facing this moral dilemma, if we may call it so. While I know it is possible to access this (lack of) information, but should I be the one trying to sort this out for my child?
ReplyDeleteThere have been occasions where I learn the information, but give my child the opportunity/time to come out with it by themselves. Yes, a few helpful nudges are needed. I zoom right down to the class in question & ask was there anything interesting or if there was any activity that was done, is there anything that needs to be done for the next day.
Still no excuses, it does appear to be helicopter/drone parenting, the urge to make sure the child doesn't miss anything. But I hope this encourages my child to recollect their own tasks and perhaps will imbibe an attitude to look into their needs without the parent literally having to spell out the tasks and do it too!
Hard to resist an easy way out for anyone, including kids. Agree, that's a good method, keep the information and nudge kids into giving it to you on their own. But, they are smart too, many times I hear this "Mama, why don't you check in what's app group?"
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