are many tough tasks in this world aren''t they?”
Yes said Pili - like cooking, swimming, teaching children, gymnastics, building relationships, and many more. These are all tough tasks & life is all about LEARNING, all the time!
Sunita was enjoying the conversation. What is the toughest thing on earth if you can think of??
Pili said - well, as of now, for me, the toughest thing is raising my 3year old child. It is quite a task being a parent!
O yes! Talk about it, Said Sunita. I am going through this tough phase myself. It is not easy.
There are thousands of such mothers who feel confused, frustrated or even tired with this highly complex and tedious job of bringing up a child or maybe children!!
When we go to school, the teachers who teach us, have to take a FORMAL TRAINING in teaching, in able to teach even a Junior K.G. child; because teaching is a COMPLEX activity, a not-very-easy JOB!
Think further – what is parenting then?? Doesn’t parenting also involve teaching?! Yes it does!! And how many hours – just 2-3 hours a day like a teacher? NO!! Many more hours! Atleast 12hours a day! For several years!
So what is the solution?
The solution is to get TRAINED. Trained for PARENTING!!
The aim of almost all parents is to make their child happy and to give their child a happy, fruitful future. We are going to learn how exactly to do that.
“I want my child to be SMART, INTELLIGENT, PHYSICALLY FIT, SOCIAL, AHEAD IN STUDIES & SPORTS, RELIGIOUS, KIND HEARTED,” etc.
We have Atleast ONE or more of the above stated GOALS for our child.
Overall development of child means working on 5 main areas
1. Physical – a strong, healthy body!
It is a myth that a child can crawl only after 6-8months. Your child can crawl within the first week of birth! Yes, it is true. We make a mistake of tying up the child with a cloth and making him/her lie on his back. Imagine that you are in a hospital, you are tied up like your child and kept on your back, and will you be able to move? Not!
What will you do lying that way for hours?? Get bored! You will eventually go to SLEEP out of boredom. It’s the same with a newborn.
Try this – 8 days after birth, do not tie your child, leave his hands and legs loose and put him on his stomach and watch your beautiful child CRAWL!
Although he will crawl a few steps but a few steps daily will lead to him running and jumping later! Similarly, there are many exercises that at different age levels help attain great health results for him or her. Remember, all this should be done now, when your child is still growing!
2. Emotional – a strong healthy bond!
A normal child develops ears at 5 months in the womb! If you and your husband begin talking to your child since 5months of pregnancy, your child will not only hear you, but will also understand what you are telling him/her.
When the baby will be born, he will recognize his mother and father immediately from their voices! This will also ensure a Great Bond, a special bond between you and your child!
3. Intellectual – a strong, healthy brain!
How do we acquire knowledge from the world?
Via our 5 senses – touch, smell, taste, auditory and visual senses
So, a very important way to become more intelligent is to strengthen these 5 senses.
Example of touch: hold your child, hug your child, and hold his finger as much as you can. Make sure the touch is a good experience for the child.
Also, daily – make the child touch 8 different fabrics & surfaces – like cotton, nylon, carpet, wall, one, etc. bring 8 new fabrics/materials every week.
This strengthens the touch sense of your child. Similarly we can strengthen all other senses.
4. Social – strong, healthy relationships!
The more your child meets new people, the more s/he will become social. What is the importance of being social?
To be social is to be able to mix with other people of different kinds, to approach them, talk to them, to take initiates, share opinions and express ideas freely.
A social person has an advantage in business or job because s/he can build healthy contacts, can maintain good family relationships, can seek help faster than a non-social person and social people are found to be able to buster stress better than non-social persons. In troubled times, or old age, a social person feels less lonely than a non-social person.
Participate equally in playing with him/her and his/her friends; interact with more parents and
find him/her more friends!
5. Spiritual - a strong, healthy soul!
What is spirituality? Spirituality is being in harmony with Nature, with God’s creation, with God or being Humanitarian & Benevolent. We become spiritual when we learn Morals, Values which are taught to us by our Caregivers.
E.g. – to learn to share food, our belongings and LOVE!
E.g. – to learn to respect all living beings – whether humans, animals, insects & plants; to learn to respect elders and also those younger to us.