As the debate on same sex marriages rages in the Indian courts, it’s not just the nation but the world that watches with baited breath, on what the outcome and the aftereffects are going to be. But more than this, what is really evident is that the world is a truly diverse place, and every individual has a right to live a life of dignity and safety, experience love, and joy. What role then can we as parents play in ensuring that our children who will come in to this world a decade or two down the line, don’t have to fight for basic rights but will thrive where there is mutual respect and love?! This thought plays in my mind every time I watch or read the news these days. Moving into a role at work that focuses on diversity, equity, and inclusion has only made this a more pressing need for our family – how can we raise our child to be more inclusive?
Continue readingCategory: Parenting (Page 1 of 4)
It is said that motherhood transforms women. That isn’t merely a statement; there is a modicum of truth there as the moment we hold the little bundle of joy in our arms, its like the entire wiring in our brains changes. For example, when I was a new mother I was very interested in everything that was related to child care. After all I was in charge of lots of decisions. One such decision was vaccination and the kinds of vaccines deemed the safest and most effective. The kind of research I did, would put an earnest PhD student to shame. Which brings me to the topic I want to talk about today: vaccines that don’t have preservatives.
I’ve learned to read the signs by now. I can see how my toddler slowly falls prey to the #Influenza virus almost every alternate month. It starts with his day care lunch & snack boxes returning home unfinished. He loses his appetite. His zest. One morning he wakes up fine, and by the same evening he has a full-blown high-grade fever and we know it’s the dreaded F word – FLU.
What kills me is, when I sit down to think about it, I realize the signs were all there. Mom guilt has enveloped my brain by now. When I start to see reason, I know that by the time I could see the symptoms creeping in, it was already too late to prevent the flu. I needed to do something about it earlier. But what and how?
Continue readingAs parents there’s nothing more we want for our children than to grow up healthy and happy. Everything we do is orientated towards this goal. But of course this can be interpreted in many different ways and it’s sometimes confusing to know what’s right for our children.
Happily, there are a few things about which there is no doubt: eating right, getting enough sleep, not spending too much time on screens. One of the most important of these is sport. Children who regularly spend time doing physical activities not only grow up with better physical health, but also tend to be happier with improved mental well being. So, what should we as parents be doing to encourage our children to get some exercise? What are the right sports to be trying at each age? From easy cricket games for kids to helping out with chores, here’s a go-to guide:
Continue readingDo you remember the time my toddler destroyed my laptop, right at the onset of a month long blogging challenge earlier this year? Well, when I look back now I can smile, because I persisted and finished the challenge. But back then, that kind of destructive behavior in kids, signaled the end of my world, my dreams and aspirations. I thought I had learnt an important lesson that night, but NO! Yesterday, he did something which broke my stupid heart once again and sent all my emotions helter-skelter.
Snip Snip… Snap
My son’s latest obsession are scissors. No matter how hard I try to hide the adult scissors from the kitchen or craft set away from him, he manages to find a pair. He runs around with them, menacingly, snipping papers, loose threads, flowers, leaves and my memories. The pleasure he derives from cutting things off.. that creak of the screw holding the two blades together and the ensuing slight clink of the steel is very evidently satisfying to him. I see it!
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Here are 3 photos of my son Tasmai (babyT) on our annual ritual of a family holiday in Goa, India. He’s aged 9.5 months, 19 months and 34 months here. We (as do many people) have to do at least one trip to Goa each year and we are glad that babyT has joined in our fun too. When I look at this collage of pics from the 3 holidays however, I realize how it is becoming increasingly complex to manage his food allergies (milk) and take care of his meals. Traveling with milk allergy is not easy but we did it and very well too.
Traveling with milk allergies can be a daunting task. This year our holiday showed us that it will be difficult for our child to travel and eat comfortably like normal people do, but it is still not impossible to find the right alternatives and have a good time. This prompted me to write this blog post so as to help others find support and help.
While most new parents obsess over weight, height and other developmental milestones for their babies, there is one big area which they ignore. And that is dental care for kids! I did too! And unfortunately, we paid the price for it. You see babyT developed infant caries in his milk teeth. The only good part was that we saw an expert at the right time and found a solution before the condition got much worse.
That is why I make sure I tell all my readers about the importance of dental care for kids and why it is important to see an expert on children’s teeth at the right time. With this aim in mind I approached a friend – Dr Punitha S. Kamath who is a pediatric dentist, to tell me more about dental care for kids and tooth health for babies and children. Read on to know what she has to say, I am sure it will be an eye-opener for parents of children of all ages.
One of the many parenting principles in our home that shocks friends and family is our son doing chores. He’s been at it since he was just over a year old. Some people expressed amusement, some shock and some others judged us as mean parents. But we still did chores around here.
The first few chores that we began with our son was wiping up spills, pulling dried clothes off the laundry line and putting away used plates & cups for a wash in the sink. He began with these around the time he was 1.5 years when he was walking fairly confidently. No, wait, he was pulling off dried clothes from the drying stand right from the time he was crawling.?
He felt immensely proud and useful to be doing these chores and today its second nature for him to ask for a cloth to wipe any spills or put away his plate after snack time.
There was a whole generation of babies that was raised on screens. Screens while they ate, dozed off and played. Then came a time when it was uncool to shove a screen in front of a baby. Zero screen time was the order given. Research papers proved how screen time was damaging not just our children’s eyes but their brains too. But is a zero screen time feasible at all in a world which is becoming increasingly online? Does it not put immense pressure on the parent to “entertain” their child themselves without relying on technology? Is it really a positive thing to do in a world where technology is everywhere? What happens when the parent needs a break badly.. even if it is just to have a quick shower? Is it bad to rely on technology then?
Yelling. It is so common for parents to subject their children to yelling. And then one day start receiving it all back in return, until all you hear are yelling matches in the house and no one is winning. I think we will all agree that yelling is unhealthy and best avoidable. No parent enters their parenting journey wanting to yell. But somewhere along the way it just happens. And then there is no turning the clock back to a time when there was no yelling. But like everything else, yelling does not have to be the point of no return. With conscious “no yelling” and consistent practice, yelling can be relegated to a place from where it will never return. Continue reading
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