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Great hit Your comprehensive Careers Watch article ‘Sweet Smell of Success in Floriculture’ (PW May) was a great hit with my zesty graduate daughter. The story’s sharp focus on the career’s economic potential, domestic demand, and export opportunities has inspired her so much that she has begun researching it intensively and plans to plant a few flowers on our home terrace as an experiment. Sheetal Shah Mysuru Timely reminder Your insightful cover story ‘Creating conducive home study environment’ (PW May) is a timely reminder for parents to become mindful of their children’s learning needs prior to the start of the new academic year after a long summer vacation. So much inertia sets in children — and parents — during the holidays that it’s very difficult to get back to the early morning school routine. But I wholly agree with educator Lavanya Parashar’s practical advice that planning home study routines at the beginning of the new academic year makes homework and learning stress-free. I also liked parenting expert Bhavna Singh’s strategies to build positive behaviour in children and physician Dr. Gita Mathai’s tips to ensure children’s physical and emotional well-being. It underscores the importance of maintaining a healthy lifestyle for optimal academic performance. Harleen Singh Chandigarh Include school lunch-box recipes Thanks for the ‘Vegetarian Treats’ recipes shared by home chef Madhulika Vatsal in the Health & Nutrition section (PW May). While I appreciate your effort to endorse healthy vegetarian meals, can I suggest inclusion of healthy non-vegetarian recipes in future issues? Also with schools having reopened, some suggestions for school lunch-boxes will be most welcome. Natasha Pinto Mangalore Reimagine shared spaces As a parent of three children residing in a cramped Mumbai apartment, the Book Excerpt from Get Kids to Play authored by Saumil Majmudar and Vijay Krishnamurthy struck an instant chord (PW May). Space, where to play? This query posed by the authors is a question many families living in urban India ask everyday. In our neighborhood, for instance, there is no public playground or park nearby, and children make do by playing in the basement of the apartment complex. In this context, the authors’ suggestion to reimagine shared spaces such as rooftops and parking lots into dynamic play areas is interesting. If we want our children to play and be physically fit, neighbours will have to collaborate with each other and establish designated times and areas in ‘shared spaces’ where children can play games and sports. Vishal Rao Mumbai Age-appropriate communication Your Special Essay on ‘How to safely introduce children to bad news & current affairs’ (PW May) was an eye-opener. In particular author Elise Waghorn’s nuanced suggestions to use age-appropriate communication with children. That my children — a six-year-old and 13-year-old — have varying levels of understanding and emotional maturity to absorb distressing news is something we tend to often overlook. As a family we watch a lot of news on TV, much of which is far from pleasant. I agree with Waghorn when she says that children…