Gayathri Rao is a Bengaluru-based psychologist and founder of Aaroha Child Development Centre
My husband gets frequently transferred for work. How can I help my daughter adjust to frequent school changes and losing old friends?
— Hima Sahay, Chennai
Frequent school changes due to job relocations are unsettling for children. But parents can […]
Sridhar Pallia is a Bangalore-based clinical psychologist, founder of Brain Behaviour Academy and co-founder, DigiNxtHlt Solutions and Services Pvt Ltd, a mental wellness health-tech company
My 12-year-old son often indulges in attention-seeking behaviour. How can I discourage this without hurting his social confidence?
How can I help my 12-year-old son cope with peer pressure in school and make independent decisions without succumbing to negative influences?
— Meera Varma, Mumbai
Start by building your son’s confidence and critical thinking skills. Encourage open communication to ensure he is comfortable discussing his experiences and challenges with you. Role-play common […]
My son experiences severe separation anxiety every time I leave for work. Please advise.
— Jeevika Rashi, Chennai
Separation anxiety is common in young children. My solutions:
Practise short separations. Begin by leaving your child for short periods initially so he gets used to your absence.
Have a goodbye ritual. While leaving him, make a […]
By -My nine-year-old daughter often feels overwhelmed by schoolwork and extracurricular activities. How can we help her manage her time and stress effectively? — Vivikta Srinivas, Bengaluru
Have a freewheeling conversation with your daughter to identify the specific causes of stress and difficulty. Is it the amount of homework, pressure to […]
– Nivedha M is a Pondicherry-based child psychologist
My daughter is uninterested in her schoolwork and often procrastinates before completing it. Please share some strategies to motivate her academically.
— Miraya Khan, Mumbai
Talk with your child and understand the root cause of her disinterest in […]
My preteen son is experiencing difficulties making friends at school. How can we support him to develop social skills and forge friendships?
— Dinesh Thapar, Delhi
Two years of schools lockdown and social isolation during the Covid pandemic has adversely affected children’s social skills development. I suggest you increase […]
My six-year-old son seems to have trouble making friends at school. How can I support him to develop his social skills?
Every child develops social skills at his own pace, so be patient and support him as he navigates the complexities of building positive relationships. Here are some ways to improve his social […]
I have recently moved to Mumbai, a cosmopolitan city with people from diverse cultures. My children, 8 and 12, are experiencing identity and cultural conflicts. Please suggest ways to enable children to deal with and accept cultural differences.
— Meenakshi Sinha, Mumbai
Acculturation requires striking a balance between adapting to the dominant culture […]
My six-year-old son becomes very anxious before attending his swimming lessons. Despite his love for swimming, this anxiety is affecting him adversely. How can I ease his pre-lessons anxiety?
— Joni Sharma, Mumbai
Some children tend to become anxious before starting a new activity. Here are some ways you can help […]
I have recently moved to Mumbai, a cosmopolitan city with people from diverse cultures. My children, 8 and 12, are experiencing identity and cultural conflicts. Please suggest ways to enable children to deal with and accept cultural differences. — Meenakshi Sinha, Mumbai
Acculturation requires striking a balance between adapting to the dominant culture for practical […]
My six-year-old son becomes anxious before attending his swimming lessons. Despite his love for swimming, this anxiety is affecting his enthusiasm. Please recommend strategies to ease his pre-lessons anxiety.
— Lekha Sharma, Bengaluru
Pre-performance anxiety, aka stage fright or anticipatory anxiety, is caused by a combination of psychological, physiological, and environmental factors. They […]
My daughter (8) often wakes up in the night complaining of nightmares. We’ve tried consoling her, but she gets very distressed. How can we help her cope with recurring nightmares?
— Disha Patel, Ahmedabad
Dreams are a natural component of sleep, and sometimes they can be unsettling. Addressing nightmares in children is critical […]
My five-year-old daughter loves playing with her girlfriends but is shy about playing with boys. My daughter has no siblings and I wonder if that’s the reason. Sometimes I feel guilty about not having another child. How can I help her overcome her shyness?
— Maria Julius, Chennai
Shyness is common […]
My three-year-old daughter was recently diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). We are consulting a child psychologist. It’s becoming very challenging to cope with the situation. Please help. — Kshiti Mehta, Delhi
Parenting a child with autism is not easy. I recommend the following: Educate yourself. Research and educate yourself about ASD. […]
My son is seven years old. When the lights are off, he is scared of ghosts. We have tried reassuring him but he is still petrified. We use a nightlight to reassure him. How can we help him overcome his fear of the dark?
— Deepa Jeetu, Delhi
* It’s essential to acknowledge your son’s fear […]
My eight-year-old is afraid of the dark. How do I help him overcome this fear?
—Kara Abraham, Trivandrum
Fear and anxiety are ubiquitous; some have it more than others. Many a time, specific types of fears run in families. Or there may be some incident which has triggered this fear. Make an effort to understand the […]
My ten-year-old son is aggressive and short-tempered. On some occasions he has also hit himself. In school too, he gets into fights with classmates. I am very worried. Please advise.
— Shruti Deshpande, Mumbai
I’m sure it’s distressing to see your son display aggressive behaviour and harm himself. I recommend that you consult a professional psychologist/counselor […]
My four-year-old son spends much of the day watching cartoons and videos on the smartphone. I am worried! Can this excess screen time affect his brain development? Also recommend some ways to cut back on screen time.
— Girija Ganesh, Hyderabad
Digital addiction among children is a common 21st century malaise. It’s now well-established that prolonged […]
My eight-year-old son is a loner. He doesn’t have the confidence to make friends. How do I get him to become more social and outgoing?
— Vinu Thomas, Chennai
There are several ways you can support your child:
Gently encourage him to participate in social activities/events. Praise him for his attempts.
If he has an anxious reaction […]
My seven-year-old son has dyscalculia, and is also facing memory issues. Is medical intervention required?
— Rishika Singh, Delhi
If you suspect that your son has dyscalculia i.e, a math learning disorder, and is experiencing memory issues, it’s advisable to consult a child psychologist for a complete evaluation. A professional assessment will identify the nature […]
My 12-year-old son is unable to complete his notes in school. He is a slow writer and his handwriting is also illegible. How can I improve his handwriting? — Revathi Krishna, Chennai
There could be several reasons for your son’s illegible handwriting and slow writing speed. They include:
Some children experience delay in fine […]
My six-year old son is distracted and unfocused. I suspect he could be suffering from autism. What are the signs of autism disorder? — Krithika Reddy, Bengaluru
You need to closely monitor your child’s development milestones such as speech, inter-personal and emotional skills. Some signs to look out for:
He doesn’t gesticulate or uses fewer […]
My eight-year-old daughter doesn’t listen to instructions and is out of control. She is also very hyperactive. Please advise.
— Sanvi Mehta, Mumbai
There may be many reasons why your daughter is “out of control”. The antidote depends on whether this is recent or consistent behaviour pattern.
If it’s recent, there may be something troubling your […]
My 15-year-daughter who is slightly overweight, is being bullied by her friends because of it. I tried many ways to console her but to no avail. How can I help her?
— Malathy Sukumar, Chennai
As a first step, express empathy. Then, encourage her to ideate solutions to the bullying situation and discuss their pros and cons […]
My seven-year-old son has anger management issues. Sometimes when he is very angry, he bangs his head against walls. Please help!
— Sheela Roy, Chennai
You need to ascertain the root causes of your son’s anger. Does he get frustrated when his demands are not met? Is he imitating or role modelling adult behaviour? Is […]
My daughter was good at studies until class VIII. After that, we changed her school and now she has many new friends, some of whom I don’t like. These new friends are a bad influence and have adversely affected her academic performance. — Shikha Shivlani, Pune
It’s the responsibility of parents to keep an eye […]
My twin girls (8) are somewhat plump but not overweight. Yet people make fun of their physique. I feel bad when I see them hurt by rude comments of extended family members and friends. Do I need to change our family’s daily diet?
I have two boys, aged seven and nine who are constantly bickering. I am aware that sibling rivalry is normal but it’s getting a bit too much. When will they grow out of it? — Leela Mansi, Hyderabad
It’s common for siblings to fight and usually it’s more pronounced when both children are boys or girls. […]
After the pandemic third wave, my 12-year-old daughter washes her hands every 30 minutes. Is she suffering from an Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD)? — Joby Thomas, Trivandrum
During the dreaded Covid-19 pandemic, which has infected over 43 million countrywide, there was heightened fear and anxiety about contracting the virus and parents went all out to propagate […]
My pre-teen daughter has been feeling upset about her physical attributes lately. How do I explain to her that these bodily changes are normal during puberty?
— Mallika Velan, Coimbatore
All teenage children — male and female — undergo physical and psychological changes during puberty. You could talk her through the process and also show old photographs […]
My ten-year old daughter has started to tell lies. We have been trying to get her out of this habit but it doesn’t seem to be working. How do we make her understand that it’s wrong to lie?
— Priyanka Varma, Mumbai
It’s not unusual for young children to lie. There could be many reasons your daughter […]
My seven-year-old son is tall and skinny. His friends make fun of his skinny frame. So of late, he has stopped going out to play with them. I believe he needs to interact with peers and develop important social skills. Please advise.
— Rupali Shukla, Delhi
Body shaming and bullying by friends causes stress in children […]
My seven-year-old son is hyperactive and doesn’t heed my requests to behave. I have read that because of lack of social interaction during the pandemic, many children have lost their socio-emotional and communication skills. Could this be true for my son, or does he have special needs?
I live in a joint family. I have strict rules for my children such as limiting junk food consumption to once a week. But their cousins continually munch on junk food. There are many other such conflicts. How can I resolve them?
— Anonymous, Chennai
Having different sets of rules for children living under one roof […]
My daughter doesn’t want to attend in-person classes. Her school day begins early. Pre-pandemic she would wake up at 6 a.m to catch the school bus. But with schools offering the option of online classes, she insists it is better. She is in class VIII, and I believe it’s important for her to attend offline […]
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