Parenting: Liability or responsibility?

ADRIANA SANDRINE RATTAN WITH WOMEN IN MIND

The best kind of parent you can be is to lead by example – Drew Barrymore

I HAVE written several pieces on parenting in the past but I am forced to go at it again as I continue to see this very important responsibility being treated with little or no significance by those privileged to sit in the parenting ship.

Some of our clients at the International Women’s Resource Network (IWRN) often admit to throwing their hands into the air and their inability to effectively nurture their children who spent nine months within before experiencing the outside world. Our intervention has been and would continue to be engaging in frank and open discussions with both parent and child to confront the issues head on.

Many parents continue to ignore and/or bury their heads in the sand pretending that problems will disappear or make inconsequential excuses for same.

I have said before that I am not a biological parent, but proudly raised my stepson from age eight like my own, a task which I admit was not easy but one that I embraced and approached with love and care.

From the IWRN’s interactions with parents coupled with heinous incidents against children that are reported, it seems that many adults fail to understand that children are developing humans and not objects; this is the first change that is required if we are committed to renewing our vows towards parenting.

Unfortunately, many of the ills that impact the lives of children are committed by those closest to them in many instances their parents.

Some of the many faces of parenting are experiencing negative cracks, in the schools for example, the approach used to discipline children leaves much to be desired on the sides of both teachers and parents in some instances. One of the best facets of a child is their memory and therefore, as adults, we must at all times exercise extreme caution in what is said and/or done to them.

Whilst there is no finite method of approach in positively nurturing a child, the quote at the beginning of this article is self-explanatory. Embrace your parental journey by being cognizant of the things you engage in; avoid utterances of derogatory remarks to your children as well as referring to them by defamatory names; always acknowledge your child’s accomplishments, something they warmly welcome.

Children yearn for lots of love and affection, but whilst showering that love, parents must ever be mindful to administer discipline when required; it’s unhealthy to love blindly as the nurturing outcomes may be unpleasant depending on circumstances.

Parents must be sufficiently mature and responsible to treat with any issues of wrongdoing that may land at their doorsteps as no child is perfect. Understand the difference between abuse and discipline. If you’re deeply hurt by their action, take a deep breath before becoming physical towards them. Remember children are innocent and our responsibility would always be to shape and guide their journey to adulthood.

Adriana Sandrine Rattan is a communications and branding consultant, author, empowerment builder and president of the International Women’s Resource Network (IWRN) Contact: thecorporatesuitett@gmail.com or intlwomensresourcenetwork@gmail.com; https://www.facebook.com/IW.

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"Parenting: Liability or responsibility?"

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