Worried your child is getting out of control? Afraid he/she is falling in the wrong company? His/her school can help you with such problems.
With a rise in the number of cases about youngsters involved in accidents, caused by rash driving, bullying and abusing, accessing obscene content on the internet, and other such problems, city schools are feeling the need for an intervention between parents and children. Many schools are conducting ‘good parenting’ workshops, issuing circulars, discussing effective parenting in meetings, open houses, etc.
Swami Vivekanand International School, in Borivli and Kandivli, has issued circulars to parents of all its students advising them to keep their children away from reality shows, like Bigg Boss, computer games, cars and expensive gadgets, monitor their internet activity and pull them off social networking sites.
“Today, the equation between a parent and child has changed a lot. We find that children have stopped respecting their parents, and even parents are unable to handle their children. Parents need counselling as well. We are advising them to spend quality time with their children, watch over their internet use, and most importantly, not beat them,” said Yogesh Patel, school director.
Most of the schools are asking parents not to pamper their children by giving them expensive gifts such as iPods, mobile phones, Playstations, etc. Perin Bagli, principal of Activity High School, Peddar Road, said, “We have been holding talks with parents during open house and PTA meetings on keeping a tab on their children’s expenditure. Children get separate rooms, and parents don’t interfere in their business to give them privacy. Students seem to be dominating their parents.”
Similarly, Pawar Public School, Kandivli, held a parents’ meeting recently to discuss children’s behaviour in school, and gave tips on how it could be improved. Amita Katyal, principal, said, “Teachers, because of their experience and training, know how children think. We have regular sessions where teachers pass on relevant knowledge to the parents. Children are raised both in schools and homes; a parent should be able to replicate the schools’ teachings.”
Schools that have attached preschools are also holding such workshops for parents of toddlers. Lalitha Hariharan, principal of Rizvi’s Springfield School, Bandra, said, “Because we live in nuclear families parents do not always have elders to advise them on how to look after their little ones. We are conducting workshops to give tips on good parenting. Children learn by example, and unless parents are setting a good example, they might get wrong ideas. We ask parents to be consistent in the instructions they give children, to not bribe them with rewards, and teach them to be punctual.”
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