Author: Lina Ashar
Publisher: Random House India
Pages: 304
Price: Rs 299
Genre: Non Fiction / Parenting
Rating: 10/10
Format: Paperback
‘Who do you think you’re Kidding?’ happened to me at the right time. I am a mother to an 18 month old toddler and almost-obsessed about creating right environment and providing enough opportunities to our son. Learning, education, parenting techniques, discipline, etc., are the buzz words that rule my thoughts and rock my world these days. Every parent would agree that parenting in this day and age is far more challenging than it was for the previous generation.
I am a book person. When I seek knowledge beyond the scope of
Google, I pick up a book. I feel there is a dearth of good parenting books in
India. There are several books from foreign authors but we need books that
address issues and concerns specific to our country.
In ‘Who do you think you’re Kidding?’, the author, Lina
Ashar, enunciates several concerns and challenges of new age parenting and
offers solutions from her experience as an educationist and a mother. Children
today have to deal with excess of everything – exposure to various media,
information, competition, consumerism, to name a few. They need support and
guidance from their parents to deal with them. And for that, parents themselves
need to break out of their traditional approach to parenting and move with the
times.
Here are a few takeaways from the book:
- The kids of today are being bombarded with information through TV, Internet, Radio or Outdoor. There is no getting away. With technology influencing every facet of life and education, a child cannot live in a vacuum. It is imperative to teach children to use technology with prudence and responsibility.
- It is important to develop a child’s self-esteem, which in turn depends on the kind of messages they receive from others about themselves, especially parents.
- Intense competition is taking over the joys of childhood. Children should not be made to bear the burden of their parents’ unfulfilled ambitions. They should be allowed to choose their own path with support and encouragement.
- A parent or teacher should incorporate a child’s interest area to make learning interesting and fun.
- Whatever be our parenting styles, we should be aware / conscious about its implications on our child.
- Role of a father or a mother in the life of a son or / and a daughter; and how we as a father or a mother can improve our relationship with our child. The book also cautions about the pitfalls of gender stereotyping.
- Understanding the differences in raising a son vis-à-vis raising a daughter equips you in helping them realise their potential and encouraging them to try different things. It is not the same as gender stereotyping.
Many more such issues as challenges of early years, the
beginning of learning, left brain vs. right brain, transition years (tweens and
teens), exam anxiety, career choices, etc, etc. have been packed into 300
pages.
This paragraph (quoted from the book) best defines what the
author attempts to achieve:
"Increasing levels of
competition, reducing paradigms of space and time, evolving sources of
information and entertainment, changing moral, social, and religious values is
leaving us with an unknown future. The dilemma that every parent and teacher
faces today – ‘How do I use the tools I have to prepare children for a future
that I don’t know anything about? How do I prepare them to resolve issues that
have not yet risen? What is parenting in this age of digital revolution and
globalization?' These are the questions I seek to answer in this book."
There are no hi-fi fundas or tangential jargons in this
easy-to-read book. Every parent will find resonance of their concerns in this
book. The book is peppered with witty yet relevant illustrations to support the
points, and very relatable examples.
A few words of wisdom from the author (quoted from the book):
“The advice I give
parents is to keep opening windows of opportunities for their children – sport,
musical instruments, theatre, dance, everything – and allowing them to decide
what they like and want to pursue.”
It is certainly a must-read book for new age parents!
Here’s an interview of the
author which will give you more perspective on the book.
Review Book courtesy: Random House India
Image Source: Random House India
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