Recently, my mother informed me about my cousin
getting a job at a BPO. The cousin, who has daughter of about seven years,
wanted to get make into the job market because she feared her two year break
would make her unemployable. The cousin’s work time is from 5.30 pm till 1.30
am and I suspect she works in the administration department of this company.
She will have the weekends off, which tallies well with her kid’s and husband’s
weekend offs.
Although I am happy for my cousin, I can’t help but
think that the child will be able to see her parents together for a fleeting
time in the morning. After that, she will be with only one parent. This
scenario is neither uncommon nor surprising in most Indian metros. However, it
makes me wonder, has family time during the week become an extinct species?
Joint families are thing of the past in Indian
society now, except in North. In most households, both parents are working and
the child, after school hours, is either looked after by grandparents, crèche
or maids. In many houses, couples bring their parents closer to their house or
apartments, as it becomes convenient for them to pick-up and drop off the child.
So, after raising their own children, the grandparents’ lives revolve around
their grandchildren.
With competitive job market and rising stress
levels, there is hardly any family time during the week (Monday-Friday). The
child is scuttled between coaching classes or extra-curricular activities post
school, the parents, either one or both, come home late at least two or three
days a week due to work demands. So, the only time the whole family – parents
and children – get to spend with each other is during weekend. Everything is
pushed to the weekend. For a story, I had to speak to some parents and I was
told to call them during weekend, as they busy during the week.
This is a bit concerning because the child unconsciously
learns that this pattern of working like mad dogs during the week and piling up
your personal life agendas during weekend is an acceptable thing. But even
during weekends are working couples really, 100 per cent free? The arrival of
all these smart phones has made life more tedious than comfortable. Professionals
are constantly checking mails, sending them, calling colleagues based on those
mails, etc.
I am not sure what is the solution to this. But the rising trend of ‘weekend family’ isn't doing any good to parents, children or grandparents.
