This past week, I was witness to an extremely sad zoom class - the kids were supposed to be in a discussion group - no teacher. Elementary level kids. Child A got annoyed at Child B and yelled non stop for three to four minutes to the point that the Child B was in tears and turned off their video only to be bullied about that action also, by Child A!
I am a parent. Neither Child A nor Child B is mine. I was shocked, speechless and shaking by the end of this - FOR the kids.
How stressful is the life of Child A at home that they think it’s normal to yell like that? The words, the anger..!
How badly did this affect Child B that they started to cry on camera and had to shut the video off?
How is this normal?
Anger is valid. Even in children. Everyone is frustrated. But, it is equally important to teach ourselves and our kids that lashing out at your friends, siblings, etc is not okay. And when things get emotional or pushes anyone to tears, maybe it’s time to step back. Maybe we have overstepped a line here..?
Is there no kindness left inside us that we cannot reach inwards to tap into? Show it to people who might be struggling?
How is it fair that we yell and scream just because we are angry? How is it okay that we turn into bullies simply because we know that the other person cannot reach into the screen to touch us physically?!
This isn’t something that should be taught only at school... this should begin at home.
Parents cannot/should not yell down to kids... would it be so difficult to kneel down to eye level and treat them with the same respect that you expect from them?
If we won’t practice this, how can we expect our little ones to know how it’s done? They will only follow what they SEE... not what they are told.
As grown-ups, as parents - please let’s remember that this lockdown is equally frustrating (if not more) for the little ones. This is uncharted territory for all of us. There is no rule book. No one person is an expert at handling this.
But a little bit of kindness will go a long way. And ALL of us have kindness within us. There is no rule book... use it liberally... with your kids, with your spouse, with your parents, with your pets, with your friends and ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS with yourself.
Be kind. Breathe.
🙏🏽🙏🏽
| Sweta Shah Sakhpara is a pranic energy therapist and a pranic psychotherapist. She also teaches mindfulness and meditation to kids, adults and families. When she is not doing any of the above, she actively practices being a mindful parent to two kids. |
Having learned and practiced pranic healing for ~fifteen years, Sweta has been blessed with the trust of many clients for ailments as simple as a headache to complex ones like Tourette’s syndrome, from depression and anxiety to finding ways to embrace the idea of a new normal with a child being diagnosed on the spectrum. You could read more about her HERE.
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