Parents are the kid’s best ever company. But these days, parents are running towards the employment to cope up the situations. Is there any disadvantages of both parents working? How to overcome those? You will get to know answers in this article.
Financial balance is most important to rule out the family without any obstacles. Parents are rushing themselves into busy lives. They have plenty of money to spend for their children with no quality time left to spend for them.
This article discusses the impacts of working parents on child development. It presents the tip to raise the children of working parents.
Challenges that working Parents Face:
When both the parents work, it is difficult to balance the work, relationships, and home life altogether. Here are the few challenges that working parents often face:
1. Making Time To Talk:
Working parents often find it difficult to spend quality time with the kids and among themselves. They often fail to keep the children emotionally attached.
2. Dealing with sick child:
This is one of the child care issues for working parents. Family emergencies are most common if you have kids. Kids may fell sick when they are at school, being both the parents working, it is essential for one of the parent to leave the office to take care of the child.
There is a need of a third person to take care of the child until the parents come home.
3. No time to relax:
It takes some time to transition from the work environment to home environment. It is a challenging task to turn off the work after reaching home. When you are at home all the time may went along in discussing the well being of the kid throughout the day.
4. No time for the self:
With work and family on their shoulder, working parents find rare time for themselves. If you want to get rid of anger and depression, it is mandatory to schedule some time for the self.
5. Cooking Dinner:
If both the parents do not reach the home until 6 Pm, cooking meals is a troublesome. Your kid may be waiting for you at the day care center or at the home under the supervision of neighbors.
Effects Of Working Parents On Child Development:
Parents employment may have long term effects on their child development. Here are a few negative effects of working parents on child development:
1. Decreased cognitive performance:
Especially children with working mothers are known to encounter low scores of cognitive and behavioral scores. Mother plays a very prominent role in the development of child during the early stages of his life.
Various activities associated with the learning are known to be declined at greater rates. This impacts the employment of the child in the adulthood.
2. Impact on social and emotional development:
Lack of parents’ presence make the kid to feel alone and depressed. It will show a greater degree of impact on his social and emotional development.
Child may find difficulty in making the new friends and in dealing with the emotions like anxiety, depression, etc., Parental bonding helps the kids to feel socially and mentally secure. Parent-child relationship is the best tool to analyze the mental, physical, social, and emotional health of the child.
3. Children move out of parent’s supervision:
This is one of the biggest impacts of working parents on child development. Children of uninvolved parents may develop abnormal and cruel behavior in their adulthood. This is because the kids are not monitored or not paid attention at. If the uncontrolled child grows into adulthood, it is a tough task to keep him in the right path. Parent’s supervision is very important to ensure that the kids are on the right track of the life.
4. Emotional bond detachment:
Mothers who return to the work soon after their delivery may become emotionally detached from their newborn. Working mothers rarely feed the baby which is the best communication bond between the newborn and the mother.
Emotionally detached children are slow in learning the new things when compared to other babies.
5. Impacts the academic performance of the kids:
This is one of the disadvantages of both parents working. Children who have working parents often come across poor grades. When both the parents are working, they rarely find time to help their child in doing homework and in clarifying their doubts. This makes the child to feel it difficult to study and child may be at risk of ending up his life as a school drop out.
6. Lack of attachment with their parents:
It is very hard for the children to lead the boring life till their parents arrive home. Parents may not have quality time to spend with their children after reaching the school. Some parents may feel restless while some others engage in front of laptops.
It is time to understand that the parental attachment is the basic need of the children in the adulthood.
7. A victim of anxiety and depression
Children who rarely enjoy the company of their parents are less developed verbally, physically and mentally. These kind of children are more susceptible to being affected by the anxiety and depression.
8. Risk of ADHD:
Children whose parents are working, are less interactive socially. These children are at the risk of Attention deficit hypersensitivity disorder. ADHD children exhibit very poor performance at school, at home, or at the playground.
9. Child’s depression levels are more:
A child who is missing the playful company of the parents is at the risk of being depressed easily. Child do not find any one to share their feelings at the times of difficulties like bullying/insults at the school. This makes them feel depressed and may sometimes lead to suicide attempts in teenagers.
How to raise the kids of working parents?
Families with the two full time working parents are known to lead a better life than other families. Here are the few tip to raise the children of the working parents:
1. Plan some quality time for your children:
Working is important but, once you reach home ensure to spend time with the child playing and teaching them the activities. Make your kids understand that you are working for their career.
2. Leave your child near their grandparents:
If you are unable to reach on time to take care of your kid. It is better to leave your kid near their grandparents. Because, it is not safe to leave the kids alone at home.
If you do not have grand parents, then the choice that is left is day care centers. But, be cautious while leaving your child at the day care centers. Pack soft foods that do not cause choking hazards in the children.
3. Hire a babysitter:
If both of you have to go to the workplace. It is better to hire a babysitter who can stay at home to take care of your baby until you reach home. Your child may get an opportunity to receive undevided attention.
4. Validate your child’s feelings:
Encourage your child to share their feelings when you are not there in the home. Ensure that your kid’s felling are fulfilled and their daily routine is running smoothly.
Make sure that your kid has finished the homework before going to the bed in the night. Take care that their physical activity is not distributed.
5. Enhance Extracurricular activities:
Increased income generation by both the parents will help in focusing on the extra curricular activities that benefit their children.
Plan for a family vacation, joining your kid in a music or art class can benefit both the parents and children. Make your child busy with the hobbies so that he/she may not feel bored.
6. Stay connected even when you are in office
Stay connected with your kid whenever you find free time with the help of smart devices. Call your kid during the break times to energize your kid. Interaction with your kid also helps you stay focused through out the day.
7. Monitor your child:
Monitor the activities that your kid will do when you are not around the home. Make sure that you kid has more physical activities and less screen time. Screen time may bind the creative skills in your child. Keep track of foods that your kid will eat. Ensure to fill the pantry with the best healthy finger foods in the reach of the children.
8. Schedule the weekends:
Get ready for the weekend to have some quality time with the children. Plan to visit the near by park, grocery store with your child. Make your kid to understand that their valid wishes are of utmost preference to you.
9. Assign real responsibilities to your child:
If you have a older child, Assign the small responsibilities like watering the plants, keeping their room clean, and reward them for finishing their task successfully. Offer the rewards in the form of small allowances and keep an eye on their spending. Never allow your kid to spend money for unnecessary things.
10. Create Special Family Activities:
Plan to make the time for your kids both during the week days and at the weekends. If you have very short time, plan family breakfast and dinner. Arrange some board games in the evening.
Avoid talking over the phone regarding the work once you reach home. Reduce the screen time.
11. Limit distractions at the work place:
This tip will help the parents to balance the work and life effectively and spend quality time with the children on reaching home.
Limiting the distractions at the workplace will help you to finish the work on time and avoid the prolonged discussions after reaching the home. Keep yourself focused at the work place. Avoid the gossips, unnecessary surfing over the internet. Keep yourself more productive during the work hours and talk to your co workers during the break times.
In conclusion, as both the parents employment is essential these days, parents should take the steps to balance work and personal life. It is the responsibility of the parents to ensure nourishing environment for their children by offering the quality time.
