Children need more emotion than multivitamins and gifts, says psychologist Srihari
KARIMNAGAR: Eminent psychologist Srihari Tirunagari has said that the child needs for more emotion than calcium and multivitamins and other special gifts provided by their parents.
“It’s very easy to become a father and a mother but it’s really difficult to become a good parent”. Most of the parents are either not aware or lack competence in catering to the emotional needs of their children”, he said.
Mr Srihari was speaking to the parents of Advita International School in Bhagathnagar of Karimnagar town at a counseling programme called “Swa-Vikasm” (a self-evolution programme for parents) on Saturday (February 4, 2023). He appreciated the Advita school management for realizing the need for the conduct of counseling sessions for the effective parenting to ensure their wards a secure childhood.
“Young parents, without providing children the necessary emotional support, expect them to excel in the face of competition just because they provide them with material comforts. When this does not work, the reaction phase sets in with parents beating the child, or displaying emotional outbursts, or the father blaming the mother. The change is visible when this is addressed through counselling at an early stage,” he stated.
In earlier years, when a child exhibited deviant behaviour in school, he was scared of being ticked off or asked to bring the parents to school. But now it is not so, he mentioned. Lack of familial bonding, discord between the husband and wife, ego issues, lack of values among family members, are seen as factors that deeply affect the psyche of the child that he exhibits the same behaviour in school, he maintained.
Stating that the student spends only 25 per cent of their time in the school and rest of the time at home, he said the parents have to act as counsellors to their child. Increasing pressure of studies, the need to excel and reduction in interaction with parents’ leads to pent-up anger, this comes out as an outburst at any occasion, he said and added that the “they do not know how to control their anger, and hence they direct it at anyone who comes their way”. Aggressive behaviour is often transferred to the children from parents, he pointed out.
On this occasion, the psychologist had conducted interactive session with the parents and organised counseling sessions to clarify their doubts. School chairman S Komuraiah, director S Anudeep and principal Bharathi and others were also present.
