Weekender Parents

Born to very busy parents, children today have a very different relationship with parents. Thanks to the maternity leave, moms can avail that for 3 months and later on, the taking care responsibility moves either to the girl’s parents or the guy’s parents and if both the parties cannot, comes in a third person, a paid servant!

From the 4^th month, the child is with her from morn till night. She enjoys the child’s first smile, first crawl and learns to capture that in a camera, thanks to her mistress for giving her the training! Mom and dad are busy at work and can come home only after sunset. By the time they enter, they want food to be ready. At least this way, both the parents spend sometime with the baby. Else, the lady has to cook and the guy has to help her, else it would end up in a fight!

The other option for the parents to take care of the child is the day care centers. Either parent does the drop/pick up jobs. Though the child gets adaptability to stay with strangers, the bond between mom and baby becomes difficult! For anything, mom is not near by and he/she has to wait all day long to hug her! He’s deprived of mom’s affection, the sense of someone being there for the baby always, as she can spend only a couple of hours in the evenings and mornings.

Once parents have left for work, the child searches for them, going room by room including the bathrooms! Realizes that they are not around and settles down with the maid. She feeds him and sings for him and plays with him. Once the child is 2 years old, he can now very well understand that parents will be with him as weekend-parents! The bonding becomes complicated once he starts going to school. When he comes home, he is welcomed by the maid and either the kid watches the television with dramatic scenes or settles with a computer game as all the playgrounds have been sold as flats, they are compelled to stay at home! Flats have small corridors too and they cannot play freely. He needs someone at home to receive him, help him with studies, play with him and no maid can replace a mom! Girls are very sensitive and they need mom at home when they come back! If that doesn’t happen, these thoughts make their mind and they become lonely and adamant children and cannot socialize easily.

School going children know their needs will be fulfilled by parents when they take them out! So, they ask for expensive toys, computer games, junk food and parents get them all these as a replacement of their time! Even the birthdays are celebrated lavishly and eventually, these children know they get what they ask for and become spoilt! Parents feel guilty for not being at home and are worried what would happen if they scold or beat the child for any tantrums!

These days, kids are very sharp and they can understand things faster! Even at 6 months of age, my friend’s son cannot allow his mom to keep a baby toy on her lap! He has become so possessive of his mom! If a baby boy does this, needless to say about a girl’s plight in missing her mom!

We, parents should understand that we can catch up on work later in life, but we cannot catch up on our child’s life!