Traditional or Modern: Cultural Diffusion Marks a New Era of Parenting

206

Child rearing has changed incredibly over the years. It is safe to say that parenting has evolved with the changing times; for better or for worse.

Parents are now becoming more liberal. Parents encourage their children to be outgoing, independent, and social. For parents who are still holding onto the rules they followed as children, they tend to protect their own children by enforcing curfews and keeping a tab on how much fun they are having.

There are advantages and disadvantages of both techniques. Today we often hear that time is money, implying that individuals for the most part are more work oriented and are centered on practicalities. Staying occupied is viewed as an achievement and is acknowledged without understanding its outcomes.

Young boys today are seen hanging out with their drivers and tattling with their cooks. This uneducated circle hurts their outlook as well as crushes their personality. Today due to inadequate parental guidance, children are mostly guided through other mediums like television and the internet.

Young girls, who were once expected to know all house related chores, are now occupied with things like eating out, shopping and attending day-long salon appointments. Other things found in the behavior of boys are also noticeable. You see many young children smoking but you can do little about it today. In previous times when you saw an elder passing by, you would hide or throw away your cigarette, in the fear of being caught. However, today most children are oblivious to this etiquette.

A drastic increase in children’s pocket money can also show how parenting has changed over time. Traditional parents would give their children comparatively lesser pocket money where as parents of the modern generation love to spoil their children and provide them with everything they wish for.

Changes in the way birthday parties are celebrated certainly show how much parents have also changed in their ways over time. Initially, a typical birthday party would have aunts, uncles and their kids come over. Traditional or Modern, there would be a feast and a birthday cake with a cartoon character on it would be cut.

Birthdays have evolved greatly moving from the Traditional or Modern party to the post modern parties at Fast food chains with magic shows and a mascot dances with fully themed hi-teas and providing costumes for all the guests. The guest list has similarly been expanded in cooperating the birthday kid’s school friends, family friends and office colleagues.

As far as adolescents are concerned, traditionalist parents would have a more rough and tough attitude where as modern parents are more sensitive towards their child’s initial stages of childhood.

Parents are not respected the same way as they respected their parents. This is clearly visible from the kind of language used in communication that takes place in the household. Both the parents and the children have a busy routine, with parents busy at the office and the kids busy with their tuitions, football practices. Whereas, Traditionalist parents used to spend more time with their children and concentrated on giving their children quality time.

It’s hard to judge which type of parenting is better or effective when it comes to raising children: they both have their their pros and cons. A question arises with these new ways of parenting that might make joyful experiences, but are they really helping their children become better human beings? It all comes down to this. If you can manage to bring in all the right morals and principles, it is not important whether you are a modern parent or a Traditional or Modern one, you will do justice to raising healthy adults in society.

Comments
Loading...