Fear and uncertainty has arrested the families in their homes which has made it tough for parents to maintain and ensure a positive environment in the house. And the most affected ones have been the little kids who don’t understand what a pandemic is, and why the world is going through such a bad phase. Under such circumstances, it becomes all the more important for the parent to make their children feel safe and secure at all times.

To help parents deal with uninvited anxiety and undesirable scenarios and to provide them with ways to create a healthy and positive atmosphere for their child, GIIS Noida hosted an interactive webinar on a very pertinent subject - “Positive parenting during pandemic”, where parents also participated wholeheartedly and shared their real-life experiences and suggestions. Mr. Ganesh Sharma - Principal, GIIS Noida was the key speaker and during his presentation, he discussed numerous ways and activities that can possibly be practiced to turn this stressful time into a more fulfilling one, for both the parents and their children.

Couple of recommendations provided during the webinar were as follows:

1.       Set up a fixed routine: It becomes all the more necessary today, during the pandemic, to follow a fixed routine that actually helps in maximizing the productivity of an individual. Through various examples showcasing the benefits of having a pre-fixed healthy routine, the parents were encouraged to set up a timetable of key activities to create a sense of order that reassures the child that everything is well managed and under control. Having a structure to the day gives the child and their parents time to meet their personal as well as professional goals.

2.       Address child’s fears: Children rely on their parents to feel safe, both emotionally and physically. Talking openly about the issue will help the child in understanding the criticality of the problem and take necessary steps to ensure their safety at all times. During the webinar, it was strictly recommended to not lie or hide anything worth sharing, but to talk openly with their wards and recognize their feelings to make sure that they are feeling emotionally and mentally sound.

3.       Keep them Connected: Pre-Covid times had all of us connecting and socializing with our loved ones physically. But today’s scenario doesn’t allow us to visit our loved ones or friends in person. This could pose an adverse impact on children, who may eagerly want to visit their grandparents or relatives living alone or meet their friends with whom they played and learned the whole day. Through this webinar, Mr. Ganesh Sharma, laid emphasis on the use of virtual/online means to keep the child engaged. Parents were suggested to use video calls, virtual games, etc. to help ease the anxiety their child may be going through.

4.       Encourage Positive Behaviour: a child’s behaviour is the mirror image of what their parents exhibit in the household. A child tends to pick up a habit, good or bad, from what they see happening around them. The discussions and examples presented during the webinar encouraged the parents to practice a calm temperament and keep a check on their anxiety levels for the betterment of their child. The fact that each child responds to the negative environment/circumstances in their own ways was emphasized and hence, it is was established how crucial it is for the parents to constantly reassure the child that all is well and we are soon going to be the way it was a few months back so that they don’t react in unreasonable ways.

The webinar also involved parents across segments to share their experience of managing their work and children from home and share some best practices that has worked wonders for them. Besides sharing experiences, parents suggested some great ways of involving the child at home to ensure that their personal and professionals goals are precisely met.