Adopt progressive parenting methods: Sisodia to parents
New Delhi: Delhi education minister Manish Sisodia on Tuesday asked parents to do away with “archaic” approaches to parenting and adopt “progressive” methods to improve the emotional well-being of children as they face newer challenges posed by Covid-19 pandemic
New Delhi: Delhi education minister Manish Sisodia on Tuesday asked parents to do away with “archaic” approaches to parenting and adopt “progressive” methods to improve the emotional well-being of children as they face newer challenges posed by Covid-19 pandemic.
During a webinar organised by the Delhi government to mark the occasion of global parents day on Tuesday to discuss the mental health of children amid the pandemic, Sisodia said, “In the times of Covid-19 crisis, a new normal has emerged and our old ways of parenting will not work. Our children who used to have many social interactions are now at home, they are unable to go to school or meet their friends. When the outside world has been a place for our children to fulfil their dreams, they have been made to sit at home because of this pandemic. In such a time, when children have been home for 1.5 years, parents have been facing new challenges in how to deal with situations at home.”
“A nation which can pull off parenting in a progressive manner, especially in times of crisis and beyond, will emerge holistically successful. In India, approaches to parenting are still very archaic. Our ways of parenting need to change, we need to adopt approaches that will deal with the challenges of our current times,” he said.
The webinar was attended by over 10,000 parents on various social media platforms.
Sisodia said that parents should involve children in activities to ease out undue stress caused by the pandemic. “Considering our children have been home for a long period of time, we can see they have been going through some changes emotionally, mentally and physically. Children are more upset, they are irritable and there is no balance or equilibrium... In such times, we as parents need to be more understanding. In fact, mindfulness practices in Happiness Classes organised by Delhi government have played a big role in easing the mental stresses in our children and parents alike,” he said.
Experts on children’s mental health, Dr Shelja Sen and Dr Amit Sen also participated in the webinar and gave suggestions on parenting in times of crisis.