Every child is unique and every parenting journey is different. What may work for one might not work for another. With an overwhelming amount of information available online it can be difficult to figure out what's truly relevant. Nitin Pandey, Founder & CEO Parentune, spoke to RJ Sarthak from Radio One on how he identified the challenges that parents face while raising a child which led to the foundation of Parentune. Learn more about his journey on the Startup Stories segment of Good Morning Delhi with Sarthak.

Connecting With The Parents

Nitin, while working with India’s largest preschool chain, used to do Circle Time for parents, wherein he would ask 3 simple questions - ‘What are your challenges as a parent?’, ‘How do you tackle these challenges?’ and ‘What do you miss?’. He did this for almost 4.5 years. Nitin was compelled to help parents tackle the unsolved problems, which he learned through several circle times as well as those that were never spoken of. This got him to curate Parentune, an online advice platform that offers 24x7 verified support to parents. 

Mental Health Issues In Parents

“One of the things which we realized when we were looking at solving parents' issues was that all these stats from mental health, which were coming out, had a startling number. It said that 60% of mental health cases were those of parents,” shared Nitin. 

He further talked about other parenting hurdles like the overload of information and conflicting suggestions that come from people around. “For the parent, it is just not about doing it, but it is about doing it right. Now how do you know, when you are doing it for the first-time, especially as a first time parent, that what you are doing for your child is right for your child?” 

Mental health issues faced by parents are concerning, not only because of the significant statistics but also because many people refrain from speaking about these or hesitate to seek help owing to the surrounding stigma. Be it postpartum depression, anxiety, guilt, self-doubt, or burnout, parents often choose to fight these alone because the fear of being judged holds them back. The daily grinding and sleepless nights can take a toll on one’s mental health. 

According to NIH “Children with emotional, behavioral, or physical health problems may contribute to the causes of depression in parents or may exacerbate or help to maintain it once the parent's depression has emerged”. Parentune is a platform that supports parents in making informed choices when it comes to parenting and what is right for their child, be it related to their emotional well-being, behaviour, health, or overall development. With prompt & reliable parenting support by your side, you may feel more self-assured and calm. Do share your own experiences and how you have navigated the parenting journey. 

Watch the video here.