Child rearing is one subject that continues to invite divided opinions. Do children need a room of their own? And just what age is appropriate for them to move into their own room? Not surprisingly, the opinion of parents wary.
“The reason I do not allow them to have their room is because they just turn on the television and do their own thing,” says Smitha Prakki, a banker adding, “You just have no idea as to what is happening behind closed doors.”
STOP BEING A CONTROL FREAK
The fear of losing control over their children’s lives is one of the main reasons for parents to be wary of allotting a separate room for growing children. “I detest that word ‘control’.
Why do we think that we have to take control of their lives,” asks Sudhir Ramkishore, a chartered accountant and father of two adding “The moot point is that children need to be given their space and privacy without constant monitoring.” Revathi Ramanan, a housewife agrees.
“Parents should stop being control freaks, you know. It just does not work out that way.” Some parents however have a middle-of-the-road approach.
“For one, I do not endorse the view of knocking on the doors of your kids’ room and all that but all the same, there needs to be a certain freedom and independence which I think is essential,” says Sushma Venugopal, a teacher and a mother of two pre-teens.
DRAWING THE LINE
The fear of isolation, distraction and lack of an emotional connection with their children is another factor that drives parents to being overly protective about their children. “The bottom line is just where do you draw the line between discussing your child’s daily regime and to just leave them alone for some time sans monitoring,” says Samatha Ramamurthy, a housewife adding “we do not bring up our children like they do in the west.”
There are many cultural differences that play a part in the upbringing of a child. “Culture, yes, but I think the norms of child-rearing differ from family to family,”says Mounika Choudhary, a housewife adding “It is just very personal and also reflective of the social standing, vocation, lifestyle apart from the attitude of the couple.”
THE AGE OF INTERNET
In this day and age, a child’s access to high-tech gizmos and social networking sites seems to be another cause of concern. “My kids are just hooked to the computer in their room. How often can you check on them? Sometimes I feel they are just growing up too fast and you cannot help it,” rues Santosh Kumar, a marketing executive.
For some couples however, there is no conflict whatsoever. “We live in a two-bedroom apartment with my parents. So there is no question of having a separate room for our kids,” laughs Hanumanth Rao, a BPO employee.