Positive parenting – a key to develop healthy society, experts

Rawalpindi : Children need safe and positive learning environment and parents are their children’s first teachers who must know that children are not born knowing the rules so parents must be sympathetic towards children as developing and maintaining friendship allows children to grow.

Social interaction with children provides advances in social skills, emotional intelligence and cognitive development. With positive parenting children would be more confident and intelligent having self esteem and creative abilities. Parents should talk and actively listen to them and encourage them to ask questions.

Dean of Paediatrics Department at Rawalpindi Medical University Professor Dr. Rai Muhammad Asghar expressed this while talking to ‘The News’ on Wednesday on positive parenting.

He said positive parenting is very important topic because it is related to our children who are our real asset and our future and as well future of our nation. Positive parenting is dealing with our children with love, affection, empathy and kindness rather than punitive, abusive or insulting behaviour, he said.

He said the Paediatrics Department of Rawalpindi Medical University at Benazir Bhutto Hospital has conducted a workshop on ‘Promoting Positive Parenting in Pakistan’ in collaboration with International Society for Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect (ISPCAN), Pakistan Paediatrics Association, PAHCHAAN (Protection and Help of Children against Abuse and Neglect) and Child Health Department University of Lahore.

The Pre-conference workshop, a part of 24th Biennial International Conference was conducted with the objectives of assessment of current parenting concepts, assessment of cultural pattern and needs for positive parenting and formulation of a strategy for a positive parenting program in Pakistan.

The course director of the workshop was Professor Rai Asghar while co-directors were Dr. Muhammad Tufail and Dr. Naeem Zafar. The chief speakers at the workshop were Ms Jenny Gray from UK and Professor Bernard Gerbaka from Lebanon, the past presidents of International Society for Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect.

Among the participants were highly professional paediatricians, psychiatrists, paramedical staff and medical students from various hospitals of twin cities of

Islamabad and Rawalpindi along with a good number of parents.

Professor Rai said the chief speakers emphasized that positive parenting is very important for the development of a healthy society and it is the basic and utmost right of a child. Participants were informed that parent’s behaviour reflect in their children’s behaviour.

He said during the workshop, an interactive session was organized along with a group discussion to gather ideas to formulate an effective strategy for positive parenting in Pakistan according to our norms and culture.

All participants actively participated in the interactive session and queries were adequately answered by the international experts, he said.

He said the workshop was concluded on the note that people from all walks of

life should play a role in positive parenting including paediatricians, gynaecologist, psychiatrists, social worker, political figures, media celebrities, religious scholars, teachers, and influential persons form local community and last but not the least parents themselves.