Ms. Neetika Seth, the presenter                                           Parent's attending session

Parenting a teenager is one of the most difficult tasks, according to an assessment made by Amity Care. The assessment was made at a programme entitled “Effective Parenthood” organized by Amity Care at Bal Bharati Public School, Sector 21, Noida, U.P., on October 28, 2005.

The programme was attended by about 100 parents who poured their hearts out on the dilemma that they faced during the process of parenting their children. Most of the parents accepted that they faced difficulties due to a generation gap between them and their children.

The session started with the distribution of a questionnaire among the participating parents that contained a set of situational questions regarding how they handled their children. These questions were designed to identify three types of parents – Authoritarian, Permissive and Authoritative. Not surprisingly, almost all the parents were “Authoritative” type. Only one parent fell in the mixed category.

Based on this premise, Ms. Neetika Seth, Counseling Psychologist with Amity Care, started the presentation and made it clear at the outset that parenting comprises all the tasks involved in raising a child to become a responsible and independent citizen of the country. Parenting begins even before the child is born and continues throughout the lifetime. As the child grows to become a teenager, there is a marked change in his physical, psychological, intellectual and social outlook. It is essential to understand these changes for effective parenting.

Neetika further dealt with several intriguing areas like role of the parents, expectations of child from parents and parent-child relationships. She tried to help the parents see the world from the eyes of the teenagers. The mantras for effective parenting were also discussed during the session which included encouraging uniqueness and individuality in the child, loving him/her unconditionally and adapting to the needs of the child. Equally important is the family environment in which the child is being nursed.

Meanwhile, parents raised a myriad of questions related to confusions which they face during the process of parenting. One of the parents said she found it difficult to make her child eat home-made food as he was more into junk food. Another parent questioned how she could inculcate spirituality in her child. Questions related to the management of stress level before exams were also raised.

The session ended with the quote “Stop trying to perfect your child, but keep trying to perfect your relationship with him/her.”

Parents were seemingly pleased after the session and wished to have more of such events in the near future. One parent said that the session was an “eye opener” while another parent suggested including adolescents in such sessions organized in the future. Parents also wanted more sessions on stress management, aptitude and career mapping and academic enhancement.