Akanksha Pandey
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 […]
Akanksha Pandey
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 […]
DR. SACHIN BALIGA
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 […]
Shubhada Shekar
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?
Dr. Pallavi Rao Chaturvedi
— Harika Reddy, Hyderabad
Awareness of the problem is […]
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?
— Anonymous, Bengaluru
During these unprecedented pandemic times, a […]
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 […]
Dr. Pallavi Rao Chaturvedi
My 13-year-old daughter was a well-behaved extroverted child, good in studies and interested in music and art. But since the past five months, her behaviour has changed. She is disobedient, defiant, rude, and talks back to us. I suspect it is the influence of her friends. I’m finding it difficult to correct […]
Ask Your Counselor
Dr. Pallavi Rao Chaturvedi, a parenting coach, founder – Get Set Parent, and vice-president, Early Childhood Association of India, answers parents queries:
My three-year-old son speaks in short sentences of only three-four words. At three, he needs to be talking a lot more. Because of the intermittent lockdowns our social interaction with extended […]
My daughter is in class VIII and loves to play tennis. She wants to quit school and pursue tennis full-time. I am worried as this is the time when she needs to focus on studies. How do I get her interested in studies?
— Romola Ratnakumar, Chennai
Encourage your child both in tennis and academics. […]
My eight-year old son is anxious about meeting people. He used to be very shy at six, but we slowly got him out of his shell. But after the lockdown, he has again become very timid and reserved. Please help!
— Leena Saha, Kolkata
Many children are experiencing difficulty in interacting with peers and friends after almost […]
-Sue Atkins
I am a parent of a three-year-old who is overwhelmed by the infodemic around me. How do I stay well-informed about the pandemic while keeping anxiety in check? I am so nervous and scared all the time that I fear I’m passing my anxiety on to my child and husband.
— Shalini K, Chennai
Most adults […]
(Sue Atkins is a UK-based internationally recognised parenting expert, broadcaster, speaker and author of Parenting Made Easy — How to Raise Happy Children (2012))
For the past few months, my 13-year-old daughter is having a hard time falling asleep. We have tried many sleep inducing palliatives such as playing quiet music, reading books, no TV or […]
Sue Atkins is a UK-based internationally recognised parenting expert, broadcaster, speaker and author of Parenting Made Easy — How to Raise Happy Children (2012)
My 11-year-old son has a short attention span and cannot concentrate on any activity for more than 15 minutes. I find it hard to motivate him to finish his homework. Please help! […]
– Sue Atkins is a UK-based internationally recognised parenting expert, broadcaster, speaker and author of Parenting Made Easy — How to Raise Happy Children (2012)
My 14-year-old daughter doesn’t speak properly with me. Every conversation ends with her becoming angry, irritated, and agitated. It’s not about one particular issue. She feels I don’t understand her […]
– Sue Atkins is a UK-based internationally recognised parenting expert, broadcaster, speaker and author of Parenting Made Easy — How to Raise Happy Children (2012)
Of late my four-year-old daughter is making a fuss about eating her vegetables. She throws tantrums including throwing away her plate. I can’t understand what has caused this change in […]
– Sue Atkins is a UK-based internationally recognised parenting expert, broadcaster, speaker and author of Parenting Made Easy — How to Raise Happy Children (2012)
My son is 11 years old and still wets his bed during night time. I ensure that he goes to the toilet before he sleeps and have also made him […]
– Sue Atkins is a UK-based internationally recognised parenting expert, broadcaster, speaker and author of Parenting Made Easy — How to Raise Happy Children (2012)
During the pandemic lockdown, my son has lost interest in academics. He is in class XI and despite my best efforts he shows no motivation to pursue schoolwork seriously. Please advise.
– Sue Atkins is a UK-based internationally recognised parenting expert, broadcaster, speaker and author of Parenting Made Easy — How to Raise Happy Children (2012)
My two children are bored with online school. I believe their full potential is not being realised, as they do limited study, with no sports and co-curricular activities. How can I […]
– Sue Atkins is a UK-based internationally recognised parenting expert, broadcaster, speaker and author of Parenting Made Easy — How to Raise Happy Children (2012)
Schools may reopen soon. My elderly in-laws live with us and we are worried there is a risk that our children may catch the Covid-19 virus in school and infect them. […]
(Sue Atkins is a UK-based internationally recognised parenting expert, broadcaster, speaker and author of Parenting Made Easy — How to Raise Happy Children (2012))
I gave birth to a baby boy six months ago and since then my elder child who is ten years old, has been behaving strangely. She has begun to throw tantrums, won’t […]
– Sue Atkins is a UK-based internationally recognised parenting expert, broadcaster, speaker and author of Parenting Made Easy — How to Raise Happy Children (2012)
Ever since the coronavirus pandemic broke out in March, my teenage daughter is experiencing sleeping difficulty. She wakes up many times during the night, often screams and runs into my […]
10 oldest cities in the world Every city in the world has a story to unfold. The ancient cities have all the more tales engulfed with ... 
15 Ancient jobs that still exist today Ancient jobs came into being primarily because of the earliest human needs. Occupations such as farming, tool making, and carpentry ... 
Bangalore: Private schools to pay teachers by the hour The managements of some private schools in Karnataka have decided that to pay their teacher by the hour instead of ... 
Anant School for Climate Action conducts Earth Day awareness with the support of Earthday.org Anant School for Climate Action at Anant National University collaborated with Earthday.org to celebrate Earth Day on 22nd April 2023 ... 
