Lakshmi Narayan
Hers was a typical upper crust family living in a plush neighbourhood, with typical upper middle-class biases. Because they had been posted abroad a few times, they considered themselves more Angrez than Hindustani. They spoke to each other only in English. Their maids were made to wear stiff nursy uniforms. They ate Continental food, […]
PW invited parents of Rustomjee Cambridge International School, Mumbai to share insights on how they boost their children’s confidence
“Born in a sports loving family, our son Vyom (class X) has picked up the nuances of swimming and football since he was introduced to the sports in class III. He gives as much importance to […]
PW invited parents of Al Hira Model School, Chennai to share insights on how they plan to maintain their children’s health in the summer
“I will encourage my daughter Shaziya (class XII) and son Shafaaqat (class IX) to sleep early so they can rise early in the summer months. Rising early will enable them to […]
Sightseeing in game parks featuring the rolling savannah landscapes of Kenya and Tanzania apart, the prime agenda of the 12-day excursion was to retrace the entrepreneurial journey of my late India-born father, reports Dilip Thakore
As people get on in years and approach the biblically ordained lifespan of three score and ten, it’s natural to become […]
Chandana Chavan is a Bangalore-based tarot card reader with over 15 years of experience and special interest in parenting. Instagram:@mystic.muse.tarot
Forecast for April 15 – May 15
Aries: The Lovers
You will be pleasantly surprised with an unexpected outcome. Welcome changes and new paths with openness as they will ultimately lead in the right direction. Don’t worry […]
Summer is here! Try these healthy fruit coolers which are appetising, nutritious, and hydrating writes Ramiya Sakthivel
Strawberry Mint Cooler (3 servings)
Ingredients
• 200 gm fresh strawberries
• 2 sprigs mint leaves
• 1 lime
• 6 tsp sugar
• 1 pinch salt
Preparation guide
• Wash strawberries thoroughly and ensure overripe/spoilt areas are cut and disposed.
Physical exercise is a good antidote to stress. It prevents lifestyle disorders and contributes to overall mental and physical well-being of children and adults. In particular some specific physical exercises relax the body and alleviate stress. I recommend a daily routine comprising light exercises before bedtime which relax muscles, repair tissues and induce sleep […]
My 12-year-old daughter weighs only 29 kg. I have tried different diets but it has not helped. However she is active and healthy. How can I help her gain weight?
— Vanya Agrawal, Bengaluru
Your daughter weighs approximately 17-18 percent less than what is expected of a child her age. Include protein-rich foods such as […]
Lakshmi Narayan
There was once a lady — simple and straightforward — who thought good and did good without contemplating twice about it. When their guru visited them, she asked him how she could better herself. “Prayer is the most important form of worship,” he pontificated. “You must offer benediction to the Creator daily without fail.”
“What […]
My six-year-old is usually reluctant to attend school. He doesn’t tell me why. He looks scared at times when I ask him why he doesn’t want to go. I fear his teachers are being too harsh on him. What do I do?
Such behaviour could be related to classroom problems with teachers, students, bullies, or […]
Cynthia John
Rainbow-coloured butterflies flying brilliant blue skies, flitting on the wall. Flowered pillows resting on pastel bedsheets. Children’s room decor can be pleasing, with a plethora of options to choose from. And it can be expensive.
Instead with some imagination, you and your kids can create your own decor to match any mall display. Not […]
“Will these children ever stop arguing?” you groan for the umpteenth time. Just face it. You can’t eliminate sibling rivalries altogether. But you can get them to work for you. Try these ideas:
1. Use their competitive spirit. Organise a contest to see who can make their play area/ room the tidiest in half an hour. […]
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 […]
Dear Moms and Dads,
Most families are busy juggling school work, office work, household chores, extra-curricular activities, social life, and myriad little things that make daily schedules a hard grind.
It’s easy to spot a room that needs decluttering, but terribly hard to admit that our lives need decluttering too. But once you start, you might discover […]
Visual art is creative, stimulating, calming and rejuvenating. This summer, introduce children to visual art activities using these apps and websites writes Cynthia John
WeaveSilk
This “interactive generative app” allows you to create art designs with silken effects. All you need to do is draw a curve or line, and the app generates a beautiful pattern. […]
Confronted with rising incidence of stress, people from all walks of life are flocking to spas and wellness clinics. Therefore there’s growing demand for qualified professionals in this global $255 billion industry
A beneficial fallout of the sustained growth of India’s hospitality industry — hotels, restaurants, tours and tourism — is the simultaneous growth of the […]
Roopa Banerjee
When you are told that your friend is a tree hugger, you know it means she is an environmentalist. A pencil pusher, similarly, is someone who follows a clerical job. Tree hugger and pencil pusher are examples of a literary device known as kenning.
This figure of speech involves using a compound word or phrase […]
Growing up in a dysfunctional family adversely impacts children’s socio-emotional development, health and well-being writes Nishiha J
“All happy families are alike; each unhappy family is unhappy in its own way.” — wrote Russian novelist Leo Tolstoy in the opening lines of his novel Anna Karenina.
The family is the fulcrum around which a child’s life revolves, […]
Refreshing suggestions
Thanks for your very refreshing summer activities suggestions in the latest cover story (PW March). My children are 10 and 12 years respectively, and keeping them busy during the summer holidays is a herculean task. I especially liked your Connecting with Nature recommendations. Most of the year, children are so busy juggling packed […]
Poor sleep increases genetic susceptibility to asthma
Poor and inadequate sleep bolsters genetic susceptibility to asthma, potentially doubling the risk of being diagnosed with the condition, says a study by Shandong University, China, published in the journal BMJ Open Respiratory Research (April). Researchers studied data of 455,405 people aged 38 to 73 years from the […]
A rash of new research studies indicate that natural, holistic therapies are especially suitable for reducing stress and improving the emotional resilience and self-esteem of children writes Ramiya Sakthivel, Mini P. & Cynthia John
A silver lining of the Covid-19 pandemic is that it brought the issue of children’s mental health and well-being into national focus. […]
With mental health professionals reporting a steady increase in the number of adults facing anger management issues, it’s unsurprising that a growing number of children are also struggling to keep this emotion in check, writes Aruna Raghuram
Described by Merriam Webster dictionary as “a strong feeling of displeasure and antagonism” and “a fit of violent wrath”, […]
The mental health and instability of children has always been a taboo subject in Indian society, spoken of in hushed whispers, if at all. The Covid pandemic which shut down schools for 82 weeks — the most prolonged lockdown of education institutions of any major nation worldwide — has changed this tradition. As children struggled […]
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Signs to watch out for if your child is sexually abused -Veena Joshi Child Sexual Abuse (CSA) impacts millions of children in India. One out of every two children in India ... 
