What is Parenting?

Giving birth to a baby, providing good education, a good career and provision of other day to day facilities. It can be extended to their marriage. Is this all a parenting? if not, than what is parenting? What is known as good up bringing? How the responsibility of this does different from that of school?

When first time I faced these wonderful questions, I have tried to find the replies of it from my childhood. From the lives of my uncles, neighbours and parents of my school mates. To understand this great word, I requested my mother and elder sister to share some of our childhood stories. I visited some schools and learn some fine things from the teachers, especially from the primary teachers.

I got expansion to this definition. I have searched some literature and seek the understanding of my colleagues and brothers. In the last not the least I asked some questions to my angel daughters of age five and six.

I learned that parenting is a system of giving responsible citizens to the nation and human to world at large. A responsibility to shape your creation beautifully and an ideal for others. I am sharing what I learnt from all the above time investment. The parenting is

1. To provide the basic needs of life viz. good food, good shelter, good clothes and a hygienic environment.

2. To provide a good school education. Teaching the difference between education and literacy. Understanding the life and living.

3. To develop the right habits. The use of gifted right to respond.

4. To be the role model of your child. Live as you wish to see your child in future.

5. To demonstrate values, morals and ethics. The power of giving and sharing.

6. To develop right paradigms, attitude and metaphours. Creating good belief system

7. To provide a right thinking process and teaching power of words. Be emotionally strong.

8. To teach the history as good lessons, a development process and gratitude towards our ancestors.

9. To teach them importance of asking right question and teach them how to ask those questions.

10. To nurture them with the love, appreciation, encouragement and develop them with passion.

11. To be the bridge between their present and their future. Be helpful and unhelpful as needed by time and events.

12. To share a quality time with them. Providing attention at the right time.

13. To help them in understanding relations and their contribution in shaping their life. The responsibility of a good neighbour.

14. To give them leverage in understanding religion, the way and importance of worship, its relationship with spirituality, humanity and growth of life.

15. To develop good rituals and understanding of culture.

16. To teach them value of time, money and communication. Their role and importance. Their use and abuse.

17. To teach them to be aware and to be on the track of self improvement always. Understanding the nature and its laws. The law of change. The golden rule of "what you saw that you reap."

18. To develop a high self esteem.

The list can never be exclusive but is an inclusive one. The points enumerated above are the foundation of a good human society. A bliss life of your loved ones.

When the parenting becomes an oath to be responsible for all the acts of your child and grow them as above, it will be winning, winning together.