It’s time for parents to connect with their kids

Manav Mander

Tribune News Service

Ludhiana, March 29

It is heartbreaking to see what humanity has been going through since the outbreak of Covid-19 pandemic. Adults are still resilient to any kind of change happening around them but any drastic change in the routine of young children can push them into a confused state, affecting their development.

Need of the hour is to adopt some smart parenting ideas so that kids do not feel anxiety and keep busy throughout their day as a normal routine.

“The responsibility of parents should not just be limited to safeguarding their children from infection but also making the extended break from school a fruitful experience for them,” said Dr Prachi Bisht, Scientist (Human development and family studies) at PAU.

There are some smart parenting advices that would help to lessen the negative impact of home stay on a child’s overall development.

She said parents should make a realistic weekly timetable for young children for occupying them in academic and non-academic activities.

“This is the right time to involve your children in learning self-help skills such as contributing to small household tasks, including cleaning kitchen shelves and refrigerator, arranging their study tables, setting up their cupboards, and taking care of house plants and pets. This would also help to inculcate a ‘sense of responsibility’ in them. This will also help in reducing the screen time which most of the children engage in when they get ample free time,” she said.

The brighter side of this crisis is the opportunity to connect with your child. Especially, the working parents who live in constant guilt of not giving quality time to their child. Give a break to the nanny (but pay her for the holidays) and spent as much as time speaking, listening, laughing and understanding the needs of your child.