Modern-Day Parenting Challenges

Modern-day parenting has somewhat become a circus act; balancing life’s priorities, juggling personal, family and career obligations all combined with an ever-changing world. Truth be told, parenting has drastically changed from what it used to be in the times of our forefathers. Then, the fathers used to go for work and provide the basics for the family while the mothers remained behind to look after the household and raise the children.

Parenting today is quite the opposite of what it used to be and there isn’t a gender designated to the upbringing of the children. Social pressures of producing healthy, well-behaved children have made parenting a daunting experience, to say the least. Lifestyle changes bring in new demands of ‘what should’ and ‘what shouldn’t’ when it comes to parenting. Parents are constantly bombarded with unsolicited advice from society ‘experts,’ the internet, grandparents on how to raise successful individuals. 

Below are 3 well-researched challenges that the modern parent face and a few tips on how to overcome these issues:

INFILTRATION OF TECHNOLOGY

The internet era has greatly revolutionized the way the world works. It’s hard to believe how our people in the ’70s and ’80s are managed without tech devices such as laptops and mobile phones. The ability to pinpoint the location of your child at the touch of a button makes life so easy for a parent. Technology has made parenting seamless, however, several negative aspects have risen as a result and children have bitten the short hand of the stick. TVs, computers and mobile phones mean that children have an immense amount of all sorts of information. This often means that parents are limited in their ability to know what their children are coming into contact with. They look for ways to on how to monitor Snapchat, Facebook or other popular social media apps that kids are using.

This inability to supervise has led to the loss of parental authority and exposed children to cyberbullying. Parents, therefore, need to take an active role in educating their children on what to consume online and how to be good online citizens. Parental control apps such as FamiSafe is a must-have for all parents who want to shield their children from the dark side of the internet. Parental control aids the parents to monitor everything their child is doing on their social media platforms, monitor emails and other mobile functions.

DRUG ABUSE MENACE

Teenage hood is a period of experiments, testing boundaries and self-identity. Teens are bound to try their hands on soft drugs such as alcohol, cigarettes and in some states, weed. The movies and documentaries that these children watch also portray drug-use as being cool leading to children concocting savvy ways to get high. This is slowly but surely becoming a national pandemic that everyone should seek to address before it’s too late.

The issue of drug abuse is a double-edged sword that affects the parents leaving the children to suffer the consequences. Most schools take proactive approaches in sensitizing children on the negative effects of drug abuse. Parents should always be good examples to their children by not abusing drugs and being exemplary citizens.

BALANCING FAMILY AND CAREER

Parents in the 21st century are constantly faced with the dilemma of trying to focus on one thing without feeling guilty of neglecting another thing. Balancing family and professional progression becomes a hard nut to crack. Parents are forced to put in more and more hours at work in a bid to earn more money to pay for their children’s expensive schools. This means that quality time to spend with children becomes scanty and the feeling of guilt overcomes them.

Children, on the other hand, are faced with pressure to excess in academics as well as participate in an always packed after-school activity that leaves little to no time to interact with their peers and parents. Striking a balance between work and family simply needs proper planning and allocation of time. Parents should create and organize a family calendar that tries to fit in all family priorities.