Having children undoubtedly gives us immense pleasure, but it also gives a chance to become a selfless person. Parenting is all about loving the kids unconditionally, giving them a part of wisdom, experiences, wealth, affection, moral support one has earned in years and don’t expect a single favor for doing everything one can. It is a scope for us to become a better individual. All of us may have different parenting styles, but what we do is to give this world a worthy citizen, a great Human being!
A big word to start with- Parenting! We all know what it is but I am trying here to express my takes on “How is it?”
When two people mutually start thinking on the same wavelength, this happens. Well, in some cases it occurs accidentally too. Here in our country, it indeed takes place due to an accident called marriage! ? People usually have different ideas regarding parenting. The origin and the type of ideas depend upon the gender of the person and the vigor may vary because of the background of the person having those as we are used to live in ‘Classes’. But as I am talking about the Indian society since I am most acquainted to it, the concept remains more or less the same.
This whole series of articles I am dedicating to the contemporary society.
Today, there are many conceptions or misconceptions prevailing about the correct mode of thinking about children, right attitude of bringing up a kid or we can say the perfect module for a customized “Child to Grown up program!” I have seen people designing their children.
But, let me not take you all directly to the product first. So, join me for the excursion here.
We are different people brought up in different environments, having different mindsets and having different responsive thinking patterns but the most amazing thing about this parenthood is that it harmonizes the thinking patterns for almost all the people who are opting for it. Let me be simple, if you are an expecting woman, you are going to behave like millions of other women having the same status. I am not talking about the symptoms you are developing physically but it is about your psychology. How carefree the girl would have been, the day she is confirmed pregnant, she turns into something else. Not only the girl but people around her also feel themselves ‘Pregnant’- though not carrying the baby but feeling as charged and laden as the would be mother herself!
According to my observations, in India, the word parenting doesn’t only apply to the man and the woman but to the whole community involved so we will talk about all of them. The girl, now woman starts expecting attention from everyone especially from the husband!
The husband himself is worried and burdened foreseeing the upcoming responsibilities so, not giving proper attention or sometimes contra positively, giving extra attention! The woman is freaking out from inside due to physical changes and because of delving into the unknown. Both, man and woman need and try to understand the situation but the infectious Indian thing has bitten the other family members, relatives and neighbors too. So, they keep on attacking with loads of emotions, advice, suggestions and mainly the variety of food items! That is really worth taking a look towards, the food for a fair baby (though the parents be as dark as tan), the food for a fat baby (ignoring the malnourished parents), the food for an intelligent baby (the dumbest the parents could be) and the most (un)scientific food for having a baby boy!… (We actually need to patent this one!) In short, the woman is kept full with the food you can’t sometimes imagine of. ?
There are few more beyond belief theories that exist here about this pregnancy thing and that originates from the society limiting here to the people you know. I am unable to understand till date that how could anyone predict about the gender of would be born child just by observing the belly size or the butt size of the woman! It is really a question more difficult for me than to understand the rocket science. I hope this happens only in India! There are number of such things but not going for those.
Now, if I have to make a serious note about the actual parents; the woman, I can say she starts caring for the child selflessly.
The most fragile time it is for her as she is losing control over her body and yet she has to keep her mind balanced. But it is also the time when Nature is working on her to make her the strongest amongst all the living beings on this planet. Nothing on Earth is as strong as a mother. And this a woman starts feeling for the child from the day she conceives.
The power felt within is unexplainable. But again as the strength of an earthen pot depends not only on the type of earth used but also on the treatment it gets, equally the vitality of an expecting woman depends upon the people she is surrounded by and the personal capabilities of the woman herself. And about the men, as many of us may have experienced that most of the Indian men are men of few words, here are few words for the expecting man- he starts planning from the day he gets the news.
I think the man becomes somewhat insecure also but as a manly virtue, he never expresses his fears for the future. He is as scared and nervous as he was at the time of his first job interview. Here, like the woman he also is being processed by Nature. And post processing, he gets his stability, maturity (don’t mind, it takes this longer in a man’s case!) and a fighting spirit to stand any damn competition (the first competition he is ready to face with the child for ‘his woman’, quite naturally!)
Thus, the whole society including, family, friends, neighbors and many more gets ready holding previous experiences, trying new experiments and bundles of wishes and hopes for this parenting thing from the day one! Will catch you in the next episode till then read some awesome ideas on how important job parenting is!
