Interview With Deepa Gandhi
An award-winning blogger and writer in many fields like parenting, health, and travel. She shares her experiences as a mom and as a nutritionist at ‘Kreativemommy’ one of the top Indian blogs. She has published four Ebooks and loves creating content in the form of short videos and blog posts on social media channels and her blog. She stays in Bangalore with her husband and 2 daughters.
This week, we interviewed Deepa Gandhi and her views on ‘Pandemic Parenting‘
Q. What do you think are some of the most significant difficulties faced by families as a result of the pandemic?
Pandemic changed lives forever. There have been so many ups and downs in the last year. The Pandemic affected many people not only physically and mentally but also financially. Many of my friends had to close down their businesses and ventures. Also, many daily wage and migrant workers have lost their jobs due to the lockdown. Few lost their loved ones and are not sure how to cope up with the loss.
Q. How did you and your family members cope with the stress of quarantine and social distancing?
For us, it’s surely been a challenging year due to lockdown. When it started last year, my elder one was in 12th grade and her exams and college admissions got affected. Other than that, online classes were something new and little stressful initially but kids got used to it. Of course, there was constant stress and anxiety due to the pandemic but as parents, we made sure to keep a positive approach. As kids pick up on their parents’ stress pretty fast, we tried spending some quality time together by playing games, reading books, and just talking. Other than this, yoga and healthy eating habits helped us.
Q. How frequently do you assist your child with their schoolwork and how does your child react to it?
As my daughters are older, I don’t assist them now. But for the younger one, my husband and I sometimes help her if she needs help with understanding some concepts. Also, due to online classes these days, she needs little extra help otherwise she does everything on her own.
Q. What does your child enjoy the most/least about online classes? What are your opinions on this new digital learning era?
The shift from normal classes to online classes has been a little challenging for kids especially younger kids. My daughter likes them at least she can meet her friends and teachers through them. But she doesn’t like the fact that she has to sit in front of a screen for so many hours every day and it’s not easy to stay focused and motivated.
I feel online classes are here to stay especially looking at the current situation. Although it’s challenging to make young kids sit and attend classes at least they have access to education. Also, thanks to online classes, kids are engaged for some time, and learning is happening slowly.
I feel online classes are here to stay especially looking at the current situation. Although it’s challenging to make young kids sit and attend classes at least they have access to education. Also, thanks to online classes, kids are engaged for some time, and learning is happening slowly. The pandemic is not going away soon so online classes are the best looking at the current situation.
Q. How are you keeping your kids busy and making sure they stick to their healthy routine?
My daughters are of course busy with school and college classes. Other than that they help with household chores, read books and listen to music, etc. I make sure that they both stick to the healthy routine by leading an example. I work out daily and make sure to cook healthy. I feel kids learn better by watching. So, make sure you set a good example for yourself.
Q. What has been the best/worst part for you during this pandemic?
I feel the best part is that we all got to spend some quality time together as a family. Otherwise, everyone is so busy these days that it’s hard to spend some quality time together. So, due to the pandemic, we learned the importance of family time and the value of staying healthy and happy.
The worst part has been of course, not able to meet the extended family and friends. Also, the news of loved ones succumbing to this dreaded virus.
Q. How does your child feel about what is happening around him/her? Do you think their understanding of what is happening is having an impact on how they feel?
As my daughters are older now, they do understand what is happening or how one virus led to the current situation we are in. But, they do feel anxious at times especially due to not going to a regular school and about the fact that no one knows when this will be over. Also, they have not been able to meet their friends or go out for a long time. So, the pandemic has surely affected them and we just wish that all this is over soon.
Q. Has parenting been a difficult or easy experience for you during these trying times? What does your regular routine look like?
Parenting in pandemic was surely a challenge. Handling kids, their online classes, managing my work, and household chores were too much initially but slowly we all got used to it. Kids became much more independent and learned some new skills during this period. I start my day by waking up kids for school, making breakfast for them, and doing yoga before starting my work. I take a break in between to cook and then we all eat lunch together once the online classes for kids are over. Evenings are for some family time and helping kids with their school work if they need help.
Q. What advice would you like to share with all the moms/dads out there?
My advice to parents out there would be that although it’s a challenging time for everyone, it’s not going to last forever. These challenges are the perfect time for you to improve your resilience and show more adaptive skills. Your kids are going to follow and learn these tricks from you.
My advice to parents out there would be that although it’s a challenging time for everyone, it’s not going to last forever. These challenges are the perfect time for you to improve your resilience and show more adaptive skills. Your kids are going to follow and learn these tricks from you.
Also, don’t try to be a perfect parent, do not expect perfection from your kids. This is not a time to expect your kids to do everything as you want them to. Let them take a break, enjoy small things and try not to nag them unnecessarily.
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