BENGALURU : Be it bonding over cups of filter coffee and video games or a debate on different football teams, the two-month-long lockdown has definitely brought children closer to their dads, especially the ones bringing up their wards all by themselves. Pre-COVID, working fathers couldn’t spend much time with their kids, while the latter were busy with school or gadgets. But being locked inside their homes for the past few months has come as a blessing to many, especially single fathers who don the role of both parents.
Just ask Basur Kiran, who spent the lockdown with his son Rohan. The social entrepreneur and single father decided to go closer to nature to spend some quality time with his 14-year-old. The duo, along with Kiran’s mother, took off to their home near Sakleshpur. Rohan and Kiran then spent their mornings gong on hikes and swimming in the Hemavathi River. “We even played traditional games like lagori together.
This is the longest time Rohan could stay this close to nature and he enjoyed every bit of it. I am glad the lockdown gave us so much time to spend with each other,” Kiran said. Agreed Rohan, who was glad he got this time off with his father, especially since he is now busy preparing for his board exams next year.
On the other hand, some
others managed to bring out the best of their father-son relationships indoors. Bharath (29), a marketing entrepreneur, and his father Sudhama (69), both residents of Banashankari, spent time indoors delving in each other’s hobbies. While both took turns making dishes for each other, Bharath even managed to get his father to join him in some Playstation games. “Whenever he tried to make my favourite dishes, he forgot one ingredient or the other. Sometimes, he would forget paneer in paneer butter masala,” Bharath said with a laugh.
Sudhama, a retired bank employee, lost his wife four years ago, and has been a doting single father since then. “Fathers should never insist their sons be their reflection, but let them grow like themselves.” The lockdown, however, wasn’t different for this duo. Explains Sudhama, “Even while enjoying time together in the same house, we ensure to follow social distancing norms with each other.”
Manika Ghosh, a professor of psychology and the president of Bangalore Psychology Forum, says in times like the lockdown, single parents can have a particularly hard time carrying on their regular lives, including work, managing the house and taking care of their children. “It’s a double whammy but it also brings in huge responsibilities on both ends. It depends on the maturity level of the father and also what he is going through,” Ghosh says.
Santhosh Kumar, a finance professional and a single father of two daughters, planned to stay with his parents in Hessaraghatta to spend some family time. He spent time painting and doing pottery with his daughters, aged 9 and 14 years. Kumar recalls a moment from lockdown, “My daughters had to attend online classes and teachers usually send e-notes. As we didn’t have access to a printer in our village, I helped my daughters manually write down their notes,” Kumar says, adding that they had fun doing the assignment together.