May 25, 2014

I stopped Blogging!

I stopped Blogging! It has been a long time since I visited my own page or wrote any blog.  Today I stopped to think on this.  I quite realised how soon we get consumed in the world around us and the changes it brings. Do we allocate time to do things we like? How often do we remember the hobbies of our childhood, be it to write or read, collect or stick or our hobbies as an adult, in my case, 'To Blog'.  It is this thought, coupled with my recent experience and my reading of one interesting article on, Social Networking's Good and Bad Impact on kids', that made me blog today.  This article on social networking, was based on a psychological study and it said that, social networking causes narcissistic & aggressive tendencies and other psychological disorders in children (including teenager).  It also brought out the positive impact of social networking. The study says, social networking can help introverts to socialize behind the safety of the gadget screen, be it smartphone or laptop or tablet. More than the good and bad impacts, what interested the most was the psychologist's guidance to parent and it is this reading that got me to think and I share my perspective here.

Children in today's world are god of gadgets.  Do they enjoy their childhood? May be!. Its the world of virtual reality, where even friends are not all real but are contacts on face book or Whats-App. Entertainments are more on You-tube and internet  games.  As parent how much do we understand our children and their childhood ways. It is here, I wonder if it may be all about our perspective. Many of us do not want to change our views and beliefs on how childhood should be and as result we differ from our children's views and tend to differ in our perspective about teens today!  


How often do you get suspicious about the internet activities of your child? So are you also one of those who try some espionage, setting codes and passwords on the system?. Alternatively, how often have you behaved as a friend to your child? How often have you tried to become a friend understanding their childhood the gadget way? Without doing that, how often have you advised your child of how childhood should be?. So,after all, who is not with an open mind to explore here, you or your child?.

In this fast changing virtual world, there is a need for a trusted friend who lives in real world.  If the well being of your child is priority and duty, then its time for a paradigm shift in parenthood.  Being a protective parent is no longer about carrot and stick approach but it goes beyond.  It is important to become a dependable friend to your child.  It is important to build the much needed trust within your child so that, your child develops the comfort to approach you and develops the open mind to listen to you. Open your mind to their world to open their mind to your experience and your views of good and bad, right and wrong.  Today's parenting is about upgrading to the virtual world, guided by values, beliefs and life experiences towards becoming a role model and guide to the younger generation who are growing in a more challenging world of their own.