Sometimes, it strikes me that: ”Wow, I have a year and a half-daughter”. With all the exams and qualifications we all go through in our life (school, university, work,…), you would think that there is an equivalent parenting qualification/assessment system — surprisingly there isn’t.
More or less you are expected to wing it and learn from day-to-day experience. How come this methodology that is currently applied (and generally accepted) for something as critical as child bearing and child raising is not applied in other aspects of our life such as education ?
A small example:
15 minutes & 4 failed attempts later & my dad was barely able to group my hair. u would think a year and a half later he would now know how.
— Lea Itani (@leaitani) February 23, 2012
Our educational system and society structure instill in us a need to work hard, qualify, go through assessment tests,.. We choose school paths based on sciences, math, literature as a preamble for what we hope to do in college (sciences, arts, …). We are tested every step of the way in school and in university. Moreover, to move from school to university or to a masters program we need to go through assessment tests (SAT, GMAT, GRE,…). All through that process, members of society follow up with you and your parents to make sure you are on the right track, that you are achieving things as you move forward, and frequently guilting you when you don’t do well. None of that process applies when you have children. You would think that with all of the qualifications and tests you go through all of your life, there would be some equivalent for parenting. There are essential skills that I know I lack from the simple day-to-day processes and taking care of a baby girl to the more existential of how to create a nurturing environment that would serve her well as she grows older. Below are some thoughts that go through her head when I wing it.
So how come our society and educational system don’t have a parenting readiness / improvement track like is applied to school or university ?
Other examples:
parenting responsibility to b taken away from dad: applying sunscreen. I look mummified, and have sunscreen in my right eye & my mouth.
— Lea Itani (@leaitani) June 12, 2011
dad tends to exaggerate baby basics (combination of amateurism & playfulness). simple drink of water leads to soaked clothes.should I worry?
— Lea Itani (@leaitani) May 6, 2011
Allah ykhallilak yeha ya Ayman!… May you be always remain on her side. Tarek
Thank you very much Tarek ! Working on it
I haven’t seen you in a while and I do hope that all is well.
Thank you for stopping by !