Winds of Change

According to Psychiatrist Dr. Harish Shetty, these are the top five reasons for children changing and growing up too soon:

1. Increased electronic gadgets


2. The globalised world exposes the children to a whole world of electronics.


3. There is more stress on intellectual activities than physical activities.


4. The computer challenges the brain faster than any other physical activity.


5. Parents are more indulgent these days. They have the money to spend and the getting their children the latest gizmos.

Psychiatrist Dr. Anjali Chhabria says that there are ups and down sides of technology. While it helps in intellectual development, it really does nothing for the physical development of the child.

It is a changing world and parents and children are changing too.

A few parents tell you how they cope with their ever changing children.

Rosette Gonsalves
Housewife

My son Samuel is 12, and to be honest I am still dealing with the ever changing children and times. I cannot control change but I can control how much of these gadgets my son can use and  do just that.

I have rules for him. He cannot spend more that 30 minutes on the computer. He has to divide the rest of the time playing and studying. Yes, he over shoots his time by about 10 to 15 minutes and always has an excuse for why he did.

If I find him forming a habit of breaking his computer deadline, then I take away an enjoyment. He will not be able to play with his Gameboy for a few days. He then behaves and has t earn his privileges back.

Things have changed drastically for our kids over a decade. As a parent I am still dealing with it and coming to terms with the changes. But I still have certain rules that Samuel knows he has to follow and hopefully that will help him become a full, complete adult.

Rati Agnihotri
Actress

My son is 21 now, but this whole change happened as he was growing up. Nowadays kids as young as 14 and 15 are kids no longer. And that is the sad part.

As much as technology and globalisation shrinks the world, it also exposes our kids these days to a lot more. They lose their childhood sooner.

While they are tech savvy and have progressed as far as computers and electronics are concerned, they are losing their innocence soon. This, I believe, has to do with the competition too nowadays.

As a parent I try and keep things as simple for my children. I have accepted the way children are growing these days because there is no other way but to accept it. We cannot fight change, we have to accept it and make things as simple as we can for our children.