Preeti Jalan 
Since time immemorial (very old, ancient) PARENTING is the most beautiful gift, bestowed to human beings by almighty.
With the lapse of time, the concept, approach and ethics have dramatically changed, much for, apart from CHALLENGES, where levels have increased.
PRE-TIMES – Challenges then remained simplified with the elementary lifestyle of people, the farmers then were going to the farm and their better halves stayed back taking care of home, the CHILD was then born and brought up in a very non-fragile atmosphere making him/her strong and sturdy without the parents having to put in extra efforts. Every functioning was smooth without much show and flashiness, despite that not very healthy food nor any particularity of time frame was there, but whatever little was fed to the children was without any additives and preservatives, they were good and pure and in a happy care-free ambiance, neither Parenting nor the Childhood was a stress for anybody. As their kids grew, just a year or 2 plus, they were almost self-feeding with whatever available, crawling and playing in the mud, and as they grew further, the village school was available where they procured their education, came back from School free like a bird, playing and dancing amidst the farms and the rough roads. No worries wooed their mind, or their parents as the environment was much warm and secure.
Can we feel the same today? From Boarding to Landing of Bus, to a thousand things between… For the working women – their resort to maids must be having the toughest times within their minds, hoping the kids be fine, reached home well, eaten well, gone for extra class and so on.
The same story then also existed with the Middle class and the Palatial life, the only difference then was the women were not working, they were fully in-charge of the home-front. Though they relived of much stresses of life, but their say was not of much consideration, whatever said or decided by the Male head was the final verdict. Whatever a male thought for the kids was the sole decision, as for female Child, she was either killed before she could even open her eyes or even if she survived, life was torturous.
Today though times have relevantly changed, with everybody having a right to speak. Daughters are no longer slaughtered. Both Boys and Girls are given equal preference, in-fact girls have more say. But the stress & quality of life, competitive culture, high-tech world has taken a toll in everybody’s life.
