My last two posts on the occasion of "Father's Day" were on my Father and my Husband to acknowledge how amazing they are in playing their role as a "Father".
People often talk about equal rights, gender equality and being just.
People often talk about equal rights, gender equality and being just.
Another such term which is popular these days is Equal Parenting but I see a point of debate in it... I consciously use the term 'Neutral Parenting'...
It means Parenting is not what we have to do in isolation or not always needs to be done together.... When you are a parent you are a parent for lifetime....
You cannot have father performing certain duties on particular days and a mother performing other duties on another and both together on remaining days..
It is an art where each has his/her own style... They should play the role as required naturally without classifying it as
- a mother's job or a father's job or
- it is his turn or it is her turn...
It is just being parent.... be changing diapers or securing future of your child...
It took me a while to differentiate the transformed Fathers & Mother or shall I call the "NEW AGE PARENT from the traditional parents or shall I say the Fathers & Mothers of the gone era..
Here I have done analysis on the Neutral Parenting and NOT on the Parenting Styles which is a separate topic of research...
The core engineer that I am at heart found it better to put it in tabular form... Please note the table mentioned below is after I have done an Analysis of all the parents
- I know around me...
- From the books...
- In the movies...
- From talking to children...
- From observing in public places and hospitals...
The 20th Century Parent |
The 21st Century Parent |
|||
| Father | Mother | Father | Mother | |
| Ages 0-1 | ||||
| Breastfeeding | NO | YES | NO | YES |
| Bottle Feeding | NO | YES | YES | YES |
| Diaper Changes | NO | YES | YES | YES |
| Baby Shopping | NO | YES | YES | YES |
| Baby Talks | NO | YES | YES | YES |
| Age 2-5 | ||||
| Potty Training | NO | YES | YES | YES |
| Story Telling | YES | YES | YES | YES |
| Reading Books | NO | YES | YES | YES |
| Age 6-10 | ||||
| Creating Independent Child | NO | YES | YES | YES |
| Fundamental Building | NO | YES | YES | YES |
| Age 11-15 | ||||
| Adolescence Challenges | NO | YES | YES | YES |
| Coping up with uncertainty | NO | YES | YES | YES |
| Creating a Socially Responsible Citizen | NO | YES | YES | YES |
| Age 15+ | ||||
| Creating a Career Minded Child | NO | YES | YES | YES |
| Being a Child's friend | NO | YES | YES | YES |
| Throughout | ||||
| Hygiene care | NO | YES | YES | YES |
| Vaccinations & Appointments | NO | YES | YES | YES |
| Medical Care | NO | YES | YES | YES |
| Lifestyle Care | YES | NO | YES | YES |
| Financial Stability | YES | NO | YES | YES |
| Nutrition Care | NO | YES | YES | YES |
| Communication with the child | NO | YES | YES | YES |
| Disciplining | YES | NO | YES | YES |
| Loving and Care | NO | YES | YES | YES |
| Financial and Physical Support | YES | NO | YES | YES |
| Emotional Support | NO | YES | YES | YES |
| Morals & Values | YES | YES | YES | YES |
| Teaching and grooming | YES | YES | YES | YES |
| School Commitments | NO | YES | YES | YES |
| Attending Performances & Meetings | NO | YES | YES | YES |
| Physical Upbringing | NO | YES | YES | YES |
| Talent growth | NO | YES | YES | YES |
Even though the percentage of the parents involved in Neutral Parenting is small in comparison to the Traditional Parenting... the percentage is increasing gradually...
It kind of made me realise that I am fortunate enough to have a partner who practices and encourages Neutral Parenting...
