Balancing parenting with long working hours is one of the biggest challenges faced by modern families. With increasing professional demands, many parents find themselves caught between work commitments and quality time with their children. The struggle often leads to guilt, stress, and a sense of not doing enough.
Children thrive on connection, attention, and guidance. Long hours away from home can sometimes create emotional distance, especially during their formative years. However, it’s not always about the quantity of time but the quality. Simple routines like shared meals, bedtime stories, or weekend activities can create strong emotional bonds. Recently, entrepreneur Namita Thapar spoke about this in a social media post.
“Say NO to 70 hour weeks or if you want that life say NO to being a parent! I rest my case,” Namita Thapar, says in a long post on LinkedIn.
The Executive Director at Emcure Pharmaceuticals Limited has penned a long post on the professional networking platform highlighting two important hot topics of discussion: Netflix’s Adolescence and 70 hours a week work trend.
The mom to two sons- aged 19 and 14- writes, “Kids are fragile. They idolise their parents. If they feel they are not living up to the parents expectations & that their parents are “ ashamed of them”, they have massive pent up negativity. This combined with bullying by peers can explode either through 1) kid taking it out on themselves- hating themselves, developing low self esteem & mental health issues or 2) kid taking it out on others.”
Then she cites Adolescence series and writes, “In the show, Jamie idolized his dad. His dad wanted to toughen him up by exposing him to football & boxing. Jamie sucked at both. Jamie felt that his father looked away as his father was ashamed. His father never communicated & clarified that that wasn’t true.”
After this she narrated her own childhood and how her parents had “great intent but their actions led to years of low self esteem & emotional eating.” ” I recovered, got stronger. Not everyone does,” she adds.
“Confidence is the best gift you can give your child”
“So what’s the solution ? The “self driven child” book suggests that every parent should let the child make their own decisions & learn on their own, have their own journeys. I agree. Detach. Stop trying to fix things you feel they lack or could do better at..But over communicate ….over communicate ….over communicate how proud you are of them & how you are always there for them… the “I’m proud of you” part being most important,” writes Namita.
“The minute you see signs of low confidence, course correct, get professional help,” she adds.
Building confidence in kids starts with genuine encouragement and unconditional support. Celebrate their efforts, not just outcomes, so they learn that mistakes are part of growth. Give them age-appropriate responsibilities. Listen to their ideas, validate their feelings, and avoid harsh criticism. Help them set small, achievable goals and cheer them on when they try something new. Let them see you handle challenges with resilience—it sets a strong example. Most importantly, remind them regularly that they are capable, valued, and loved just as they are. Confidence grows when children feel safe, seen, and supported.
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