How to be Guilt-free while raising your Daughter in this World

How often have you come across an inquiring aunt or an eager cousin coming up to you and asking, Oh how tall your daughter has grown but she needs to lose a little weight na ? You need to take care of what she is wearing dear, it’s too risky in current times..

Here is my journey raising up Myiesha and how I turfed through it. It has certainly not been an easy one. It has brought more than a few frightening moments for me and Joey (my partner in crime).

It was Spring of 2008 when we were expecting this beautiful angel. Speculations had already started whether it will be a boy or a girl. I was praying for a baby girl , I had my fingers crossed throughout till my last push in that labor room. My prayers were answered and we had a lovely addition to our family. Myiesha !

Once you are home with your newborn in India , you have relatives rushing to visit you and a number of tips and advice follow. “Use this oil it will be good for the skin, used clothes are better for the child, eating coconut helps in lactation”, and many other other things that defeat science and doctor theories.

Tip #1

Don’t let this bog you down. I have always practiced one thing since the time I read this somewhere, Ignorance is bliss ! Sometimes the tips are useful too so learn to filter information you receive.

It’s already time and she is ready for preschool. Your WhatsApp is flooded with messages with a list of best schools around. You and your partner have already racked your brains doing our own research. In this situation every parent must have wondered, `` Is this necessary? She will be joining a preschool and the annual fee for the same is a bomb! At one point this was the annual salary I earned , Isn’t it?

Tip#2

Do your own research and take a decision to the best of your ability , don’t let peer pressure force you in decision making. You know what is best for your child.

Time is flying , your child is making new friends and then there are those friend’s parents who have their own opinions. Academics is one of the favorite topics where they most often compare forgetting encouragement. You notice just after the first school test, the group of moms waiting for the school bus to pick up their respective child are seen discussing , How was her paper? How many marks did he get in Math's? etc etc ..

Tip#3

Don’t let these things demotivate your child. Talk about your personal challenges and how you overcame those. Share inspiring stories.

Adolescence is a threshold where your child is entering a new phase of life. She is confused about many things. Puberty, relationships, career and other things. There are aunties giving all sorts of advice on what to wear?, how to sit?, why to cook?.

Tip#4

Be transparent with your child. You can’t be her friend but be a listener, be someone that she can talk to. Educate her on things she needs to know, let her not be lost finding answers.

The truth about raising daughters is this: it takes plenty of good humor, a lot of time, a huge amount of love, and the odd occasion when you have to just cling on tight and hope the road isn’t going to stay so bumpy for long.