Top Five Parenting Challenges

Parenting has become a daunting task. Due to the pandemic, challenges in parenting keep resurfacing. It has added more pressure to the unpleasant situation we’re already in. 

Thankfully, there’s still hope, and the first step is to identify and be aware of these parenting challenges.

In this episode, I would like to share with you the top five parenting challenges I’ve observed and experienced. And as we look at them one by one, let me also share what you can do about it. Challenges are constant, but being mindful, hopeful, and willing to take action is all we need to turn these challenges around.

Lack Of Time

This is one of the biggest challenges parents face today. With all the responsibilities we have, sometimes 24 hours is not even enough. And it has been causing stress especially at this time of pandemic. But honestly, I just go back to my favorite phrase - it is, what it is. And the next thing we can do is, ask yourself what you can do next? Since we can’t control time, what can we control?

In this situation, we can ask for help and we can plan ahead of time. That alleviates the stress of having too much to do. Asking help from others makes it easier to manage tasks or responsibilities. Same with planning, when you plan ahead of time you are better prepared for the tasks you have coming.

Imbalanced Life

For me, balance is a myth, it doesn’t exist. But I do believe in integration. It’s about integrating my dreams, family, and health on a day to day basis. It's about integration and not balancing out.

 I practice integration by what I identify as creating four buckets. These are the four major goals we have in life. The first bucket is pleasure, this is all about family, relationships, fun, and recreation. The second bucket is career. The third is purpose, this is all about your purpose in life, how you can make an impact. And the fourth bucket is liberation, which is about self actualization

The goal is to Integrate all of these in our day to day lives. It doesn’t have to be equally distributed among the four, but it’s all about having time for all four of them.

Excessive Use Of Gadgets And Stimulating Toys

In today's world, kids are exposed to too much technology, and gadgets and stimulating toys play a big role in their upbringing. As parents, we are responsible for what they can have and cannot have, we can make the choice for them. And the best thing we can do is not to introduce or buy these unnecessary things for them.

However, another option we can do is to set healthy boundaries. Set limits, and be firm about it. Also, we can be creative. We can play board games with them, do some painting, or anything that can occupy their time. Too much screen time is unhealthy, and our role as parents is to make sure our kids are practicing healthy habits especially at this time of pandemic.

Aggressive Behaviour

This is actually related to the excessive use of gadgets and stimulating toys. The overload of screen time leads to our nervous system and senses heightened. The overload of violent movies, shows, and games make them both kids and adults prone to  aggressive behaviour. 

The energy it emits is absorbed by us, thus it can contribute to aggressive thoughts and behaviour. Children are very susceptible to this, their years growing up are vital to who they can become in the future. And it is important that we are present to guide them during their growing years.

Failure To Model Behavior That Teaches Fundamental Morals And Values

This, I believe, plays a huge role in the challenges of parenting. Nowadays, we are too busy with so many things that we find ourselves neglecting this very important learning for our kids. Morals and behaviours are the foundation for being a good person. However, living in a fast paced world disables us from practicing this and modeling it to our children.

We should be conscious of how we want our children to grow up. We must practice the right morals and values every time we have a chance, to inculcate kindness, empathy, honesty, and all the other values. When we are able to model this to them, it becomes a natural thing. Growing up, they will become better individuals, and possibly good leaders someday. 

Bottomline

Parenting is challenging. These are just a few of the challenges we face, especially during a difficult time like Covid. Fortunately, these are challenges that can be managed too. 

Through conscious parenting, we will be able to address all these challenges. The power to raise moral and ethical kids lies in how we rear them today. And identifying these challenges is the first step towards transformation.