Not another parenting advice!

I am mother to two little monsters. Now before you bite my head off for calling my boys monsters, be aware that they are my little monsters only because I am their mommy monster. Does that make sense? I thought not.

Nevertheless, let us  assume I am calling them munchkins instead of monsters. Now that, that's done with, let me proceed to the matter at hand.

A question that I keep pondering over is how to bring up my little ones. Trust me, I browsed (more like fell asleep on) numerous books on parenting, patiently heard whatever kind and at times nosy neighbours had to say, I even went ahead and sought advice from experts in this field (I am ofcourse referring to our all knowing relatives here.)

To be honest, even though initially, for a few months I did follow as many suggestions as possible, it was not long before I had convinced myself that I was failing miserably. To a very great extent I blamed myself for being a horrible mother, but that was until I realised a simple fact.

Just as any other child, my child is unique. If that was true then I too am a unique mother. Once this point registered in my otherwise glib mind, I understood that the only thing I should feel guilty about was trying to raise my child as others wanted me to. I take liberty to share my understanding on this point with you all through this blog.

At the cost of sounding contradictory to my suggestion of not taking advice, I am going to share some pointers here.

• You know your child best, thus, you get to decide how to take care of your child. Trust no one but yourself as far as your child is concerned.
• Listen to everyone's suggestions (as my mother keeps pointing out… beta we need to maintain relationships you see!!)... Listen to them, but no need to do as they say. Once you are done listening, go back to trusting your instincts (refer previous point).
• Even infants/toddlers communicate with you using their body language. Attune yourself to that.
• Explore along with your child rather than experiment on your child. Give them an opportunity to express their views/wants on a point and take that as a lead on how to go about a situation.
• Let the child in you come out. Become their play pal, their partner in all things naughty and fun. Get them to trust you as much as learning to trust them.
• Don't listen to me, I am just another busybody giving unwanted guidelines. Refer point one if you are confused.

As parents you have a deep connection with your child. You are more attuned to their needs than anyone else. It is fine to consult books or seek guidance from others, but in the end we should rely mostly on your instincts when it comes to the upbringing of your child. There would be many who criticize your parenting skills. There would be many who wait for you to fail. It is time to ignore them all. It is time to cherish your child and your parenthood rather than waste time worrying about what anyone else has to say. On this note I take your leave. Ciao.

PS: I heard that my neighbour's uncle's milkman's neice has had a daughter. There are so many parenting tips I have to give her.