The Secret Diary of The Beautiful Mind

  Indian parenting of 2010s The gap between the parents and the children shows up again, but with a twist this time. The gap isn’t from the parent’s side, it is from the side of the children. Although the parents have adapted themselves pretty well to the new technology, nevertheless, the kids have the advantage of being born into it. Now parents are the ones who are trying to find out what’s going on in the lives of their children. However, since their minds can’t take in huge amount of information, they find it impossible to catch up. The parents Just like the 90s and 2000s had the best of children, the 2010s have the best of parents. Now the parents no longer depend upon their traditional wisdom for parenting advice. They absorb whatever information they can get regarding the matter on both social media and the Internet. Thanks to the positive influence of inspirational movies, the parents are often above gender stereotypes. Far from hindering their child’s artistic abilities, they

The 90s - With liberalization kicking in with Rao and Singh partnership, life turned around quite dramatically in the 90s. Parents had more options for better jobs and more time for the family as well. TV serials, especially Ramayana and later Mahabharata helped the family be together. Mobile phones and social media were thankfully absent, allowing for proper conversations and relationships to develop. Life was a playground and you could have fun no matter whether you were staying inside the house or going outdoors. Moreover, for the first time, children could opt for a variety of western games like basketball, football, badminton, volleyball etc. Nevertheless, cricket was the staple diet. Children had loads of time to play and had adorable ways to fight with friends. Katti Batti, standing in lines during assemblies, getting scolded for mischiefs in the assembly were common. Playing pranks with fake insects, especially on teachers still elicit bouts of laughters. Fairs during festival

  In the 80s, many Indians pulled themselves out of the uncertainty of the earlier times and were living stable lives. In fact, the rise of middle class is evident in the significant developments in the intellectual sphere. The 80s marked the beginning of the rise of nuclear families in India. The average family had a father, mother, two or three children, and lots of love. Both the children and the parents were kind of heaving a sigh of relief. They no longer had to bear the pressure of joint families, but they were somehow missing them too. The parents were moral, but didn’t usually go out of the way to teach their kids a lesson. Last but not the least, within limits of decency, they allowed their kids to choose the clothes they wanted to wear and the food they wanted to eat. Father had a job that was usually good enough to take care of the household. Some of the mothers were working too, but they did so only in less time-consuming jobs like those of teachers. All in all, the parents

  The 70's were marked pronouncedly by the emergency! Not only was the economy struggling but then came sudden atmosphere of suppression and fear with the emergency.  As families worked and struggled to make ends work, a lot depended on the doles handed out by the government. Endless queues, may it be for getting milk, grocery from the ration shops or standing for tickets at the local movie theatre. With the declaration of emergency, things changed overnight. Uncertainty and fear would loom large all around. Things seemed better for a while, more punctuality at work, more efficiency in factories, but so was a sense of injustice. Children in the 70s witnessed all this, from being the helping hand in the house, from being carefree in the town to experiencing this suppressed restlessness and turmoil in the society. Their perspectives changed, from being blindly obedient to those in authority to questioning the right and wrong. Yes, it was true that one had to fight to get almost every

The 50s and 60s was an era of turmoil - recent independence, war with Pakistan. As a child of the 50s and 60s, one didn't have 2 parents, it was more like 20. Families, joint, extended, not only stayed together but worked together as well. There was no television but there was plenty of drama. As far as parenting was concerned, it was extremely strict. Keeping in mind the ever-present poverty, there was an air of miserliness all around. Kids rarely received presents of any sorts. There were strong emotional bonding in the family though. The entire family would gather over lunch and dinner. Isolation among children was unheard of. Traditional games introduced lot of useful qualities in children - patience, adjustment, focus, companionship and more.. Childhood was not all play and fun. Discipline, obedience and sincerity was expected of a child. 'To be respectful towards elders, to be honest and truthful, not be wasteful, to  control one’s greed, temptations and anger and to exer

  Emotional/Social Changes: Children in this age group might: Have more interest in platonic and serious relationships. Go through less conflict with parents. Show more independence from parents. Have a deeper capacity for caring and sharing and for developing more intimate relationships. Spend less time with parents and more time with friends. Feel a lot of sadness or depression, which can lead to poor grades at school, alcohol or drug use, unsafe sex, and other problems. Thinking and Learning: Children in this age group might: Learn more defined work habits. Show more concern about future school and work plans. Be better able to give reasons for their own choices, including about what is right or wrong Positive Parenting Tips: Following are some things you, as a parent, can do to help your teen during this time: Talk with your teen about her concerns and pay attention to any changes in her behavior. Ask her if she feels sad or depressed. Show interest in your teen’s school and ext

  Emotional/Social Changes, Children in this age group might: Show more concern about body image, looks, and clothes. Focus on themselves; going back and forth between high expectations and lack of confidence. Experience more moodiness. Show more interest in and influence by peer group. Express less affection toward parents; sometimes might seem rude or short-tempered. Feel stress from more challenging school work. Develop eating problems. Feel a lot of sadness or depression, which can lead to poor grades at school, alcohol or drug use, unsafe sexual exploration, and other problems. Thinking and Learning, Children in this age group might: Have more ability for complex thought. Be better able to express feelings through talking. Develop a stronger sense of right and wrong Following are some things you, as a parent, can do to help your child during this time: Be honest and direct with your teen when talking about sensitive subjects such as drugs, drinking, smoking, and sexuality. M