Parenting-Understanding our Children

The 27^th of October 2018 was scheduled to be the first Parent-Teacher Meeting of the Academic Year 2018-19 at Badri High School. However, when the core team sat to ponder the strategies for this year’s PTM we all saw a prominent pattern emerge from the feedback of the past PTMs.

When parents came to school to discuss their children’s academic progress, they also shared how their children were experiencing behavioral issues. Some children displayed signs of aggression, while some parents said their wards were very influenced by the imperious social media. Some fretted over how their child was becoming an introvert while others complained of anxiety symptoms in their children. Most parents expressed helplessness as to how they could help their child get through these trying phases.

These were the very students who were struggling in academics due to their behavioural issues.

This was when the core team at BHS decided to invite a Dr. Urooj Zehra, Clinical Psychologist, Speech Therapist and Psychotherapist to conduct a session for the parents of BHS to handle the major issues we had identified in the children.

Thus, the 27^th of October became a day where the parents and teachers truly came together as partners in the progress of their children. Dr. Urooj, along with her colleague Dr. Mohammed Irfan, addressed over 400 parents assembled at the Al Jamea tus Saifiyah Auditorium early Saturday morning.

The professionals, taking cue from their study of the work of prominent psychologists and sociologists, spoke at length about the various parenting strategies and the most effective ones for the children of today. They talked about the issues children face as they step into their challenging teen years and how parents can be their support at this time. Parenting dos and don’ts were elucidated and a few activities to encourage interaction with the parents made the morning a lively one.

Dr. Urooj also touched upon how parents must behave when a new baby is to be born into the family and how the elder child must be treated to create acceptance for the new arrival.

A questionnaire was also circulated to help the parents reflect on which parenting style they are currently following and how they can make their relationship with their children a better and healthier one.

Parents appreciated the efforts of the school in anticipating the need of such a seminar and agreed on how they must as parents be open to learning in these changing times.