How to cope with the life of working parents during COVID-19?

It is not hard to say that COVID -19 had an adverse effect upon all the working classes of people other than the medical practitioner. Working women have to spare few hours additionally from their working hours to take care of the kids. Attending online classes and private tutions with their child has disarrayed their schedule. It is not just working women’s, working male’s parent’s life has also been affected due to this pandemic situation.

 

 

How COVID-19 has adversely affected the lives of working parents?

1. Shutting down of school: Since, schools, during the pandemic situation, have been shut down, the parents have to make arrangements from their work schedule to take care of their kids.
2. Tuition: Parents have to be with their kids during online classes and even after the classes to help them with their homework.
3. Work from home: Most of the parents are working from home to take care of the kids but due to their hectic schedule, most of them fail to meet the deadline.
4. Conference Calls: Many managers feel it unprofessional when they hear the sounds of kids or any other during their interaction with the clients. Parents cannot do anything about it as they cannot lock their children in the room.
   

 

In which ways the working parents benefit from the COVID-19 pandemic situation?

1. Spending time with the kids: COVID-19 pandemic has allowed parents to spend time with the kids which had helped them to build a strong relationship with each other.
2. Great psychological impact: The more the parents invest their time in their children, the more they understand each other.
   

What can be working parents do to schedule their time effectively in a pandemic situation?

1. Stay Organized: Place all your supplies in a properly organized manner so that it becomes easier to get things up when we need them without wasting time.
2. Delegation of Work: It will help to maintain accountability in the family and will help the kids to become more responsive to situations. We must involve our kids in our household activity which will inculcate the life-skills in them.
3. Avoid Multi-Tasking: Schedule your task in a way that you can give 100% attention to the work you do at present. It helps you to avoid mistakes and finish the task effectively.
4. Time Management: After doing everything the parents should have some me time which can help them to relax. It will boost your energy level and energize your spirit mind and body.
5. Spend quality time with your kids: The time we spend with our kids should be spent discussing the work-life, it should be spent listening to their kids, answer their queries, concerns, and engaging in other development activities., etc.
   

 

Most Importantly we should not forget that we are humans, good times and bad times will come in our life, don’t let anything stress our minds and spoil our mental state of mind. The biological clock and the career clock are in total conflict with each other.

Parenting is just like riding the motorcycle where both the wheels should have the appropriate air pressure to go on a long drive. If we look into the figures, then yes many have lost their jobs or anyone mostly the women have to quit their job for their kids. In this situation, I would like to suggest not to procrastinate things up due to working in a high-pressure job and calmly handle the situation as the cycle of life rotates and favors the one who survives.

The power of enlightenment

How is it that those individuals who had lived their life as a monk or a priest are so happy and so influential?

If we turn back the pages of history we will find the names of many saints who have enlightened the world with their contributions and I would like to list out some personalities from it to justify my topic. Gautama Buddha, the prince who chose to lead the life of a monk, Acharya Vishnugupt Chanakya, the writer of the book named Arthashastra which still influences modern politics and government, and Sai Baba, lead the life of a beggar, served the needy and enlightened them, Swami Vivekananda, who traveled across the globe and delivered motivational speeches of wisdom and philosophy, Sri Adi Yogi Sankaracharya, who traveled across India to spread his knowledge of enlightenment to others, and many more. All of them have chosen to lead a secluded life for serving the needy and enlightening the world through their vast knowledge and wisdom. It is because of these exceptional qualities they could reach out to the poor.

What makes this personality so special?

Few important points that make them special are listed as follows:

1. Leading the life of chastity and Servitude.
2. Ability to influence and lead.
3. Reach out to the needy.
4. Knowledge and wisdom.
5. Had a clear purpose and a vision.

Why do physical and material needs don’t tempt them for once?

I want to define it by an example of one of Swami Vivekananda's recorded speeches in America when he was asked did the feeling of eroticism never once crossed his mind? He replied that it was faith and strong determination that has always kept him focused on his goals that no such feelings ever crossed his mind.

Do they have a purpose in life?

Yes, they do have a purpose in life that is what motivated them in the life of solitude and servitude. All of them were wise enough to become strong political leaders and has so much influence upon the common people but they chose servitude overpower.

What can we conclude through their life?

we can conclude that we do not have to be supernatural beings to bring a change. All we have to do is just do our part in our capacity. We can take the example of animal life. They never get carried away by their emotion or get too much attached to their material possession, they just keep flowing along with the stream. If a storm destroys the nest of a bird, the bird starts constructing it again after the storm settles down. They never did anything considering what they want to do instead they did what they love to do. They have been so much strict with their discipline that they reached a certain point that is beyond any competition and personal pleasures of life. That is the phase in our life when we can come out of our materialistic feelings and physical requirements and speak through our soul. The difference between an influential spokesman and an influential monk is that the concept of ‘I brought the change’ does not bother them what matters to them is ‘change has begun.’

Is Motivation a tool to success?

 Motivation is the first step to achieve our goals in real life. It does 20% of the activity we do to seek our goals. Well, then what is it that helps us from procrastinating ourselves. What is it that can become the key to success? The answer is simple, it is self-discipline. Have you ever realized why is it that often we get tempted by a powerful motivational speaker and take up a stern decision, prepare a tough routine but after few intervals, we give up? We doubt our potential and set a limit which makes the task impossible.

 

The change will come if we discipline ourselves. Once we set a chart to discipline ourselves, there is no alternative to the word ‘No’. It is a technique of saying ‘no’ to our weakness, boredom, dissatisfaction, and impossibility. If we are unable to keep a healthy diet, fix it, if we are unable to run 3 km a day, practice it regularly, if we are unhappy about something, make a way to happiness, if we are unsatisfied, find a way to get yourself satisfied. 

I would like to highlight some common reason; we use as an excuse to ourselves instead of striving to become better:

1. I was born in such an environment where no one supports me?
2. It is not meant for someone like us?
3. I was not born this way.
4. I did not get the chance to do it.
5. My parents set a terrible example.

  

Those are some negative justifications to give, to bar ourselves from doing something. Well, then what is it that can transform our life. It is years of consistent effort and practice. Instead of following your passion invest in it. If we are on a diet and the company offers us a lavish dinner which is tempting, we are still left with two alternatives either to stuff the plate with food and gain some extra calorie or to continue with the diet and have some salad and fit yourselves on the same pair of slim-fit jeans. What do you get if you compromise with your taste and miss out on the lavish banquet? We get the satisfaction that even after getting tempted by such a ravishing meal, we managed to keep up the diet.

Self-discipline opens up the doors to knowledge and stability to deal with things. It is the most important trait of a leader, as the leader is the one to whom the entire team looks up. People will never listen to someone, who does not follow the rules set by them.

How can you have built up self-discipline?

Here are some of the insights that could help you out:

1. Know the purpose of your work: If we have a clear understanding of our goals and how our task fits within them, it will motivate you to forward to propel your goal. What are we complaining about? If it's work, then it’s what we are recruited for. 
2. Do not listen to the suggestions of someone who underestimates your potential.
3. Commitment towards your goals: After knowing the purpose of our activity we should set a plan and fully commit ourselves to the goals regardless of our physical, mental, and emotional state of mind.
4. Practice every day: We must diagnose our routine every day and built our life of action. More than 95% of the people tend to fail even after setting up a plan. That is because they lack consistency. Self-discipline is nothing more than the habit of consistency.
5. Stress-Management: Being bothered about small things and getting stressed easily is a terrible thing for self-discipline. The ‘why me’ mentality is what will demean your commitment.

Did Mahatma Gandhi seek motivation to march in the streets for freedom or Mr. Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose to form a national army in a foreign country? It is their determination and sense of responsibility that motivated them. Discipline acts as a bridge between determination and accomplishments. If motivation is the key, then discipline is the fuel to run the engine.

Let me know your views in the comment section below.

The success trip

Every successful journey is a dilemma of individual perspective and determinations. Time produces alternatives and opportunities which creates the route to our destiny. To understand the route map to success, we have to understand that the structure of the road. It is mostly curvilinear and has many turns. It always starts with hopes, supports, and enthusiasm but in the latter part of the stage, we have to pass through the dark room filled with complaints and anxieties. In the practical world, there is no comfortable ride without sacrifice and compromise, we will always get a lot of traffic in its way.

The journey to success passes through many adversities. If this road is easy to travel, then everyone would be rich and successful but the truth is that it happens only in stories, movies, and in the fantasy world. 

A complete success journey depends upon various targets we set in our life. Pursue your dreams but do not let them swallow you. We should never forget that everyone is not meant to follow a particular stream. We all are different and special in our skills and imagination. We often see successful people around us and consider themselves lucky. But, we often ignore their hours of hard work, knowledge, and determination.

We often misjudge the concept of failure with achievements. Grades, failures, and mishaps are a means of forecasting the weather which alarms us to get ourselves accustomed to it. Certifications boost our morale and motivate us to proceed further in life. In other words, success is a hunt to the destination which has no end.

Initial achievements tend to ignite us with enormous zeal and confidence to compete and achieve anything in the world. Just as too much crowd or traffic increases our temper in the same way too many obstacles bring down our optimism. We must never forget that success is a paradise in disguise. Its journey differs from individual to individual. To some, it is mental peace while to others it is a medium to prove their self-esteem. The combination of success depends upon few factors important factors:

• Time
• Determination
• Adaptability
• Self-reliability
• Stress-management.
• Re-silence
• Positive Attitude.
• Stability and persistence
• Passion

The phrase ‘survival of the fittest’ deals with how well we manage to keep a balance. Proper management of rejections, failures, stress, achievements, and negative emotions are the parameters for a successful journey. Instead of staying backstage and boosting your friends, try to train your mind to face the stage and share your success story. A successful route has no concern about other's suggestions. In this journey of life, we drive our wagon. As our decision will lead us to our destiny.

It is always easy to quit and take turns but is it an alternative, an escape from reality. If we are risking to take a ride over the ‘Bermuda Triangles’, then it is obvious to face the storms. Life is a long journey where we have to face many storms, wherein our ship might wreck but we have to swim, sail and reach the shore. Manage your stress, be adaptable to the environment, chase your dreams, your road will make its way to success. Time challenges us with obstacles in the form of multiple keys, we have to find the right key and open the doors of success.

The Parenting Code

Children are the most precious gift to every parent. To preserve these natural wonders, all parents have to run the extra mile. That is when the concept of parenting comes into existence. The right equation to parenting is to follow your inner instincts of love, care and compassion. Those parents who succeed in reaching up to the expectations of the children without compromising with the moral values succeed in building a friendly connection with their child. Every parent is a role model to their child. The irony is that even after doing everything for our child, we cannot sustain the trust of our child. How can we as a parent live up to the expectation of our child? I would like to help you out with some vital points that could make you a successful parent.

1.   Getting along with each other - Every parent should spend some quality time with their kids. Researchers have proved that those kids who seek physical attention from their parents become more social-minded and fearless. They develop the attitude of experimenting and exploring new possibilities. On the other hand, the kids who do not get attention and care from their parents tend to be self-centered, egoistic, fearful, and are likely to suffer mental health issues like depression and anxiety.

      

                                                                       

2.   Listening to the kids– Parents should try to listen to their kids instead of imposing their thoughts upon them. Kids who share friendly contact with their parents tend to be more social-minded and resolvent. Every parent should be attentive to their child's queries, concern, and behavioral changes. This would give them a sense of security and mental peace.

 

3.   Center of attraction – Kids who are pampered and brought up as a center of attraction feel that everything in this world happens because of them. They become selfish and lose their interactive capabilities. Children should be given proper exposure and a parent to accompany them for an outing. A parent who teaches their kids how to communicate with everyone and develop the art of sharing which changes them to be a social-minded and great human-being in future.

4.   Guidance and support - Proper guidance and support is not about fulfilling our dreams through our children instead of allowing them to learn and build their skills in different co-curricular activities. Parents often mistake their responsibilities by comparing them with returns. Parenting is not a trade to furnish a product and sell it in the market. It should be done to help the child to make the right choice and fly high in the future.

 

It is very easy to blame the children for their poor grades but the hardest fact is to realize that parents are also a part of it and is accountable for all the good and bad things happening with their children. No one is born a genius but they turn out to be a role model in the future only when they are properly addressed. Parents should never forget that as a parent they can give birth to a child and inculcate some good values within them but they cannot own them as every child has the right to see the world through their lenses and explore their dreams independently. Nurture your child not only as your kid but also as a boon to society by inculcating good values and ethics. Parenting is a journey of patience and self-reliance. The right equation to parenting depends upon the individual perspective of every parent whether they want to fix things up for your child or to give them proper guidance to deal with it. Children are a priceless gift that is designed for posterity. 

Let me know your ideas about this topic in the comment section below