19 December 2014

Child care- an issue neglected by parents in the current corporate age.

She walks with her head bowed down from the bus stop... all forlorn and alone...into a sterile home. She is all alone again...just as all the days before. This is mostly the scenario of a child’s life in today’s world. It is a busy busy world isn’t it? People seem to be very enthusiastic about creating families... so what happens to all that enthusiasm once the children are born? A child knows, understands and feels much more in depth than anyone else and they are the ones who become the silent sufferers of this current corporate age.
 
Nowadays most jobs require people to work nearly twelve hours a day. Where exactly does a child fit in here? Most parents in today’s age do not have a deep understanding or knowledge about the depth of responsibility that goes along with having a child. Worn out from a whole day's work, all that the parents seem able to do is hit the bed. Children are often juggled between various nannies and day care centers and grandparents from quite an early age.  They are not allowed to even form an attachment with a particular person. Their need for stability and permanence is great in their lives yet they are denied of these most important things. In most metropolitan cities you see the children being left on their own, sometimes even seeing their parents only on weekends. Having at least one parent home has become impossible as now the trends have seen women becoming more career oriented than family wise while the man still continues to be career oriented.

 
In a hurry to climb up the socioeconomic ladder, today’s parents do not realize the importance of being there for all those important moments in a child’s growing years. From the time the child utters its first word to the first time it learns to walk...all these are turning points in both the parent’s and child’s life. Nothing can ever compensate for a parents absence in their child’s life. A child is exposed to a lot of vulnerabilities and dangers without proper guidance from an adult. Being left alone the whole day in the house is not exactly the poster of child safety. Careless attitude of people who are supposed to take care of him/her also makes the situation worse. A child needs to know unconditional love, care and generosity from people around them, especially in their growing years. This not being available leads to growth and psychological development. Parents also try to over compensate their absence with money thereby causing further problems. These children are also more vulnerable to social and peer pressures. Children are suffering from an unprecedented rise in various psychological problems with depression topping the list.

 
Being alone would affect anybody’s mental health so just imagine the effect it will have on a child... a child who at that age should be playing happily with various people and be extremely active. Now due to no guiding sensible influence the children are content to sit in front of the television thereby adding another problem of obesity on their already full plate. They are also more likely to get addicted to intoxicating drinks and drugs with the huge available resources and no supervision. Staying with grandparents might be the most feasible options but how much of it is good? The grandparents are already old and tired...no match for an energetic child. There are a lot of restrictions that go along with having the child stay at the grandparents. It is also physically and mentally taxing to the old people who sometimes require peace and quiet.

 
All in all it is very detrimental for a child to be neglected. We have to come up with practical solutions to solve this before it is too late. There should be a proper understanding among people who wish to be parents about the huge responsibility they are undertaking. They should be prepared to sacrifice their time and also sometimes their work so that they can be together as a family. The corporate companies should also meet the parents halfway. They should ensure that the parents get enough leave to be with their child or at least provide flexible hours of work for a year.

 
To conclude... there isn’t really an excuse for not having time for them. You love them; you make time and give them the tools to function as responsible people.

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