Sunday, December 21, 2008

Extreme Parenting

Read a wonderful book a couple of months ago - May Contain Nuts. A must read for all parents I think - a novel set in England about extreme parenting. Though some of it was TOO EXTREME to be realistic, I paused often to recognise similar patterns of thought I had. It was also a good laugh...

Going back to that article by Dr. Vijay Nagaswami, he says that children provide a new opportunity for parents to clue into their own lives emotionally. He sees parenting as a growth experience. I agree.  

What do I find most difficult about parenting? I think it is the loss of mental space. The constant demands are not just physically tiring but they crowd in on me. I would have spent a couple of hours playing with M on the beach and then read her book about the rooster and the sun for the  1485678th time and would sit down to have a cup of tea when something urgent would call my attention. By the time I am back the tea is cold. The need to be always on call is the most exhausting part for me. There are times when I just want to be left alone and those times are difficult to come by. 

For the record I should probably also say that M is by far the best thing that has happened in my life. I simply cannot imagine life without her. Cribbing about parenting does not mean it is not joyous. I am just trying to work my way through these conflicting feelings and thoughts. I often wonder how other parents manage. What resources, abilities or attitudes do they have that I lack? Am I making this out to be more difficult than it is? Is it just a personality-thing: may be there are calmer souls who handle this with great ease. 

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