SKParenting Sizzlers with Swati Verma

SKParenting Sizzlers with Swati Verma

Name: Swati Verma

Designation: Author (Published Academic Author)

Blog name: The Priviledged Parent

Parent to: Abhitha Shrivastav, 3-year-old

Family details: Mine is a nuclear family, just I, my husband and our daughter. I am a middle child and fit the description of the middle child syndrome word by word.

Background (what your usual life is like, in brief): I have eight years of experience in academic publishing and currently I am working on my new CBSE series for the K8 segment. I love writing stories for kids and that’s how I entered into academic publishing. I try to deal with issues kids face in their life, such as bullying, cyber bullying, partial poverty, child abuse, body image issues in a subtle manner to ensure that the kids understand and learn how to face the challenges and cope up with them. I have a little daughter who has inspired and motivated me to write better. My husband is a wonderful man and has helped me stay focused and taught me to value my dreams as much as I care for others’ happiness.

SKP Q1. What top five values do you feel most compelled to instill in your kids?

Swati: a) I want my child to be comfortable with who she is and how God has made her. I want her to be confident about herself and not bother about who thinks what about her.

b) I want her to be kind enough to understand and feel the pain of others. At the same time, I want her to learn when to first think about herself and not let people around her take advantage of her.

c) I want her to be honest, first and foremost to herself and then to people around her. I strongly believe that lying to oneself is the most harmful thing to do because we start believing those lies. I try my best to teach my daughter that there is absolutely no reason to lie.

d) I want her to be fearless. Her name means ‘Fearless’ because the moment we are afraid of something, or someone we try to hide things, lie or run away from responsibilities. I want her to accept her mistakes and work on them instead of getting scared of anyone.

e) I want her to understand that at the end of the day what matters is her own happiness and if she is doing something that makes her happy, she does not need to worry about others’ opinion.

SKP Q: Why these five values?

Swati: Because it took me years to learn these. I was always a pushover, always worried about others’ opinion and it affected me in worst possible ways.

SKP Q2: What is your greatest area of weakness as a parent?

Swati: As a parent, I still get over competitive. I want my daughter to do well and sometimes I push her a little too much. Thankfully my husband is always there to keep a check on me. I remember when she could not perform on stage with other kids, I was so upset that I could not even fake a smile. Later I felt ashamed of myself and I am working hard not to force anything on my child.

SKP Q3: What is your greatest area of strength as a parent?

Swati: I am emotional and I have always been able to see through a child’s mind and heart ever since I was a teacher. I always knew what my students were thinking and how I could motivate them. This has helped me with my daughter as well. I know what I have to tell her and when.

SKP Q4: What do you love about being a parent?

Swati: The hugs and kisses. My daughter is an expressive child just the way I was. She would hug me and kiss me and tell me that she loves me a lot. Being a parent is a big challenge, a child tests your patience every moment and just when you feel everything is falling apart, your baby would come to you, look at you with so much love in his/ her eyes and you will realise that your child is worth all the challenges you are facing.

SKP Q5: How well do your spouse and you work as a team in our parenting?

Swati: I would be lying if I would say that we have never faced any issues as parents. We are very different as parents but the fact that we want the best for our child has made parenting interesting for us. My husband is extremely helpful and understanding, way more than me. He is always there to help me out even when I lose patience. Not sure how he manages to stay cool and calm all the time right from the start. While I take part of the regular tasks, my husband ensures that I am always happy. He makes sure that I have all the support I need even before I ask for it. He is an adorable dad who spends hours talking to our daughter and playing dolls with her.

Swati Verma’s Review on Aurius and SmartyKidsParenting website:

Aurius is an inspiration and it is fun to watch him. The tips and tricks are extremely useful to make learning fun for my child. Also, I liked how candid the website is. It is honest and talks about real issues we face as parents.