Q. Do you think the parents use TV as a means to keep children busy while they take care of other things?
I want to expand this question beyond the use of TV since there are other issues in communities where this medium is not present that still get in the way of who does the watching over of children – and how it seems to me that parents are busier, and more stressed and often just trying to cope. We should not be surprised that pa- rents - especially mothers since they continue to bear the largest burden of childcare and household work – look for alternative strategies that will allow them to get on with their multiple tasks and concerns. The point, then, is to what extent do parents have social support systems around them that all-ow for different types of assistance, including child care to take place, in a timely and appropriate manner. Like many families here in Pakistan, I grew up with an extended family – even if not everyone was living in our home. My father (the single parent) had my grandmother (who lived with us) as well as various aunts and uncles and other family friends that he could depend upon for a whole range of issues, including for the care of his three children. We also visited my mother and our step-father and new brothers every month growing up.
Many young families don’t have such support systems around them while they are raising children and this is increasing as urbanization continues. In my view, this (the area of parent support systems) is one of the most difficult and challenging areas we in the field of ECD need to think about and work with families on for the coming years. This is particularly true for single parent households (most of which are headed by women) who are isolated or live far from their extended family or others living in difficult circumstances (poverty or otherwise). The pressures are often overwhelming and can spill over to the home environment – and therefore to the children and the care provided to them. We are all humans, we all get tired, we all get cranky, and we all have a lot of stress in our lives – no one can be the perfect parent all the time, especially when you are worrying about everything from the economic survival to children’s development. Every parent needs reassurances and assistance – emotional, practical, as well as financial at times. The thing I worry about most is not T.V., but rather seeing what (new) kinds of support systems are around or can be created. This means human support systems that help guide, provide mentoring to adults and to children, and can ensure loving and secure care for children – at all stages and ages of their dev- elopment. I am convinced that more and more we need to create and then sustain support systems for families that go beyond government or NGO assistance and support – they must emerge in and out of communities where there is mutual need and interest in the improvement of well-being for all members – from the youngest infant to the oldest member.
