It's Buddy Parenting All The Way!

'Buddy Parenting' - the GenX term. 

Yes. 

I say it is a GenX term, because it is like a new slang, familiarizing the youth and the new parents of the nation with a concept which has gradually made a place for itself and hogged the limelight into the rhetoric mindset of the quintessential Indian. 

I believe that the ideology has been co-existing with the Indian mantras of parenting, albeit hidden, latent. Just like a seed planted into the earth, the idea of befriending one's child sprouted and bloomed into a flower which was greeted with open arms on the Indian soil. 

From being a daughter to my parents who have been my friends before being my guardians, by being my first mentors and confidantes, to being a parent to my daughter, as a friend, philosopher, mentor and guide, I have come a long way as an individual. 

Taking cue from the parenting style of my parents, which I like to call "friendly parenting", coupled with the attributes of discipline and courteousness, I too have evolved as a parent and embraced the parenting style which the world calls as 'buddy parenting'. 

Even as a teacher, the importance which I lay upon an interactive classroom environment is paramount. 

It is the same essence of interactivity which I attempt to imbibe in the environment at home. For, I have understood that it is interaction which leads to the well-developed personality of a child as opposed to blatant instruction. 

~~~ 

I would like to put forth episodes and anecdotes from our journey as a mother-daughter duo which would aid you in seeing the scenario from my perspective. 

Picture a three-year-old toddler standing at the threshold of stepping into the ocean of wisdom and knowledge with open arms. 

Albeit, like a tiny chick hesitant enough to spread its wings to embrace the infinitive sky. 

As we all know, innocent minds are most impressionistic. Incidentally, there was a playschool just opposite to our house. However, it was not the one which my daughter had been admitted to. 

There was a three-year-old boy attending that playschool who used to whine his way out of his hesitation to be rendered away from his parents, even if it were for a span of two hours. 

I felt the same hesitation and nervousness creeping into and gripping my child's limbs, on her first day of school. However unlike those parents forcing their child into the premises of the school, aided by incessant crying by the boy, I gave her the same example of that baby bird which soars high into the sky and masters the skill of taking flight. I reassured her of her teachers being motherly to her, and her school being her second home. 

Moreover, she was delighted to learn that I would always be by her side to patiently listen to her adventures as a new student. Sharing those experiences of each new day was a routine, fun exploration, and never did I see that hesitation overshadowing my child's exuberance! :) 

~~~ 

Picture a child attending primary school now. What accompanies the experience of being enrolled into a school which follows the conventional timing of eight in the morn to two in the noon is the routine of observing summer and winter vacations in a time period, termed as the academic year. 

From reviewing the daily notes in the School Diary, regarding the homework reminders, or the notes of appreciation, or the notifications of an upcoming Parent-Teacher Meeting, or even when there were occasional silly mistakes marked in red in an assignment, by the teacher for my child to observe, correct and improve on her own, like a kid stumbling repeatedly before she learnt to walk, to working together as a team on innumerable school projects - an appreciative 'V.Good' on which would enliven both our faces with smiles, we have come a long way as each other's support. 

Even without a 'V.Good' at times, it was the experience which she gained and the effort that we both put in as a team, which made her excel in all future conduct! :) 

~~~ 

Picture now, an adolescent facing emotional, mental and physical imbalance owing to the onset of puberty. Well, I have always been vocal about how important it is to embrace bodily changes, both as a teacher to my students and as a mother to my daughter. 

The vocal expression is evident as a blogger as well! 

After all, when your designation at school is that of a 'Biology Teacher', the dreaded S-word, M-word and the P-word make their way into your annual lesson plan in the Teacher's Diary, don't they? 

Even otherwise, it was my responsibility as a mother to acquaint my daughter with the hormones causing havoc inside her. After all, it is her body, and she deserves to explore the differences which were being caused in her behavior, owing to reasons which she was unable to understand. 

The vocabulary was not dreaded anymore, at home, as dreaded it is on the social front. 

We keep believing and reiterating that Periods are not Taboo! :) 

~~~ 

Picture now, a fifteen-year-old facing a fork in the road - the most crucial divergence to the path less frequented. The choice of streams, the array of careers to choose from. Not abiding by the imposition of the parent's wish on the child diktat, my mantra was to keep it subtle and simple, by helping my child channel her focus towards a singular discipline. 

Chalking out the fields of interest, weighing them by the positives and supposed negatives of each, and successfully avoiding the tradeoff between the fascination of an engrossing subject and forced pursuit of a compulsive specialization for a child, is what has led my child on the path to achieve her dreams! :) 

~~~

Kellogg's Chocos helps in creating ‘ख़ुशी के पल’ between parent and child, so much so that they become pals! :) 

This philosophy is articulated as ‘खुल जाए बचपन’. ‘खुल जाए बचपन’ is about being unfettered and fearless. 

‘खुल जाए बचपन’ is about empowerment, not being authoritative and thus letting kids be kids. 

‘खुल जाए बचपन’ is symbolic of ‘unlocking’ the way childhood should be. 

These and many more ‘bonding moments’ make learning fun and create a happy and secure childhood. 

 ~~~ 

~~~

P.S.: The Photo Collage utilized in the post is a personal creation, crafted especially for this campaign, and is the copyright of the blog. 

This post has been written as a part of 'खुल जाए बचपन' Contest by Kellogg's Chocos in association with IndiBlogger.

You can vote for it here.