Today’s children have it all easy, we often say. They have got a more comfortable lifestyle, and tech advancements make learning easier- what’s there to complain about, we often wonder. Right?
But have we ever paused to think that there is more to the picture than what you see? The kind of exposure they get today throws the competition they face out wide. With online classes coming into the picture, and new internships being taken up, the pressure to be perfect is more than ever before, and this generation of digitally-savvy children is not quite sure how to handle it. They are smarter than us, no doubt, but are they adept at handling their emotional and social skills, we often wonder.
We spoke to Sameer Arora, the Vice Principal of Shiv Nadar School, Gurugram, who has15+ years of experience in the education field. He has a thing or two to tell parents about how to have critical discussions with their kids before it’s too late. We talk about education and the pressure it is bringing on children. We talk about important topics like failure, being average and the corrupt education systems.
How To Find Out If Your Child Is A Victim Of Pressure?
Especially, check out the part at 1:00:00 in the below video where we talk about the signs that indicate our child might be a victim of pressure. From his years of experience as an educator and counsellor, he identifies what parents need to observe in their children, that are sure shot red flags of something that’s wrong in their lives.
To summarise a few of what Sameer mentions in the video:
- Withdrawal attitude
- Lack of appetite
- Too much dependence on technology
- Nervousness
He rightly points out that these symptoms are of more importance than a drop in the academic performance of children which tends to scare parents more. As Indian parents, we are all a little obsessed with the marks and grain system that makes us worry about the few marks up and down that we think define our child.
He says it is the parent’s responsibility to observe these signs and raise them with the school counsellor and teachers at the earliest, to help them save the children from the perils of pressure. “Don’t force your child to open up with you and explain the problem”, he says. The key is to give them space while letting them know that you are always there for them.
Watch this video and don’t forget to share it with a fellow parent.
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