Can Jugaad Parenting Ensure Your Child’s Security? Definitely not!

Long term planning is essential to ensure financial security in our inflationary world! Here are some thoughts on ensuring your child is taken care of.

Parenting – one tough nut to crack or is it a walk in the park? Clichés, I know but for me parenting is something in between these two extremes. I am sure most of us find some aspect of nurturing a child easy and some not so much.

Have you taken shortcuts to get thorough the tough ones? As in this video below, have you skipped corners or done ‘Jugaad Parenting’ because you thought it was the easy way out? Just like getting the cheap roadside toy instead of the safe, quality toy in a crunch, only to see it broken within the first five minutes of play. A screaming, crying kid to pacify and another toy to buy as well!

Parenting is a time consuming and difficult job at times; anyone who says or believes otherwise is definitely not talking about the right kind of parenting. What is similar for all parents and children is empathy, honesty and rearing a happy child which is easier said than done in this world of constant pressures, competition and rude, unkind people at every step. Often we slip into the inevitable Jugaad or shortcut mode, just trying to get by.

Even though unconditional love and support is the base of sound parenting, for pretty much everything else, one does need money. Though we gladly spend money on our children, many times they set their hopes on things beyond our reach – it happens to the most financially secure of us.

In the initial years after the birth of my baby I was managing my funds with the principle of “the most urgent requirement first” and the rest of the expenses as and when they could be done. It was on a day when my son had his vaccination due and I realized that the funds were inadequate for the rather expensive imported vaccine that I truly understood the importance of sound financial planning. Having a crying, cranky feverish baby for the next three or four days was not an option for me but money management was.

Only a chance discussion with a friend who was searching for the best hostel for her exceptionally intelligent daughter led to the discussion for saving money for the child’s education and the costs involved.

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Slowly, I had also been realizing the many places where we were spending big sums of money. Vaccinations, clothes, diapers and school admissions being the most obvious ones and books, toys, outings and events, as well as birthdays and festivals are all avenues for expenses. She explained to me how they had set up a nest egg from all the money they had been gifted and regularly added to it to ensure that their daughter gets the best possible school.

A birth in a family is a reason to celebrate and the shagan we get from our elders is the best gift we receive for our little one. I have found great logic and sound judgment in this tradition which is often taken for granted by us. Rather than give similar gifts and toys to the baby, this tradition of giving money is a sound way of helping the family as well setting up a nest egg for the child’s future. Almost all relatives in the large Indian families bestow the new arrival with envelopes filled with cash and we were no exception. Quite happily we immediately started spending this money on every day purchases and some extra shopping. Alas, like most young parents, I too did not pay much heed to the advice of using these funds wisely till the discussion with my friend.

That was the day I bid goodbye to the ‘Jugaad Parenting’, especially when it comes to managing money for your child’s future expenses. As a parent, I believe that apart for instilling good values and manners, giving them a good education is the most important parental duty. Education is the fall back for our children in any eventuality and higher education later ensures they are equipped with the best possible skills for their life. In order to ensure this, planning ahead is critical, including ensuring your family’s financial security through life insurance with a reputed company, such as Exide Life.

As a brand they stand for no shortcuts and the need for a proper plan to ensure long-term financial security and happiness for each of their clients. That should be our priority too.

The reality is that there is no miracle that can promise security, without us working towards it. In this context, let’s adopt a  #NoMoreShortCuts attitude and think ahead, starting now!

Post supported by the #NoMoreShortCuts initiative

mother-daughter image via Shutterstock

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