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Valuable resource With the long summer holidays having begun amidst heat wave warnings, your cover story ‘Minding children during the long hot summer’ (PW April) is timely, informative and a valuable resource for parents navigating unusually hot weather. Thanks for the practical tips from medical professionals to safeguard children from summer ailments such as dehydration and heatstroke as well as dietary and hydration recommendations. As children tend to spend long hours outdoors during summer vacations, it’s important to ensure their physical well-being. Mohammed Tariq Bangalore Plan balanced veg diets Thank you for busting myths around protein-deficiency in vegetarian meals in your story ‘Nutritious vegetarian diet for children’ (PW April). All my learned non-vegetarian friends take the first opportunity to find fault with the veg diet of my six-year-old son who they believe is not getting enough protein and vitamins. As Dr. Himanshu Kashyap writes, protein, iron, calcium, and vitamin D abound in vegetarian foods such as green leafy vegetables, whole grains, and dairy products. The duty of parents practicing vegetarianism is to ensure they make the effort to plan and prepare balanced meals for children to ensure their healthy growth. Gita Vaidyanathan Pallakad Parents, be mindful! Your Kidzone story ‘Getting a shy child to talk’ (PW April) highlights the nuances of empowering children with low self-esteem to develop communication skills. Most young children tend to be unsocial and cranky. I agree with the author Cynthia John that parents should refrain from using admonishment and force to get children to socialize. We need to accept introvert children and gently encourage them to participate in social conversations. I have heard insensitive parents making uncharitable remarks in public about their child’s shyness. Parents need to be mindful and support their child’s social development process. Kanchan Naik Patil Pune Close to my heart Your Special Essay ‘Ways to build children’s resilience’ (PW April) is a subject close to my heart. I fully agree with author Mandie Sheen that in the effort to protect children from failure, we are taking valuable learning opportunities away from them. In my childhood, my parents believed protecting us from failure would benefit us. On the contrary, it has impacted my ability to cope with unpleasant situations. Now that my children are growing up, I am mindful of not repeating the mistake. We should teach our children to view failure as an opportunity rather than threat, and resolve to try harder or differently next time. Protecting children from failure will make them more vulnerable in later life. Shan Hegde Delhi Prevention better than cure With the online world becoming the go-to place for tech savvy adolescents to e-meet and romance, your Adolescence essay ‘Educating teens about online dating dangers & safety’ (PW April) is a must-read. It’s the duty of all parents to educate children about online dangers such as cyber bullying, online sexual abuse, impersonation, identity theft, and financial scams. Thanks to Dr. Priyanka Halwasiya for sharing some excellent and useful guidelines. However I would also like to add…