ParentsWorld August 2023

Sundry Musings – Taylor Swift’s Love Story

Suresh Subrahmanyan

Where do I begin?
Despite American singer-songwriter Taylor Allison Swift’s surpassing all female artistes in music history with the most # 1 albums on the billboard charts and with four albums simultaneously in the Top 10, I must confess I hadn’t heard her even once till I started writing about her. I blush to […]

Ladakh India's little Tibet

Ladakh India’s little Tibet

With its mountainous landscapes, snow-capped peaks, wind eroded volleys, icy deserts and ancient Buddhist monasteries, this last Shangri La is attracting a growing number of tourists

Surely one of the major reasons why this mountainous beauty — declared a Union territory in 2019 — has been a bone of perpetual contention between India and Pakistan […]

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Fruity treats

Home-made desserts packed with the goodness of fruits are a healthy and nutritious option for children. Try these super-nutritious desserts this monsoon: writes Khushboo Nehaal Jashnani

Mango Sago
(3 servings)

Ingredients
• 3 large mangoes
• ½ cup milk
• ½ cup cream
• ½ cup sago
• 5 tsp sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla essence

Preparation […]

3 healthy ‘superseeds’

From sunflower, hemp, flax, chia to pumpkin seeds, once discarded seeds are being touted as the next superfood offering numerous health benefits, Writes: Mini P.

There’s a new superfood in the health and well-being universe — seeds. From sunflower, hemp, flax, chia to pumpkin seeds, once discarded seeds are being touted as the next superfood offering […]

5 Exotic Treats for Your Family

Anitha Bennett

You might not be able to make that dream vacation to the Alps, but there are other ways to treat your family to some out-of-the-world stuff. Find some exotic ice-cream flavours for them to sample. At the same time, drive home the point that such desserts are a rare treat, only to be consumed […]

School Days

Every home experiences days when children don’t want to go to school. Morning battles are difficult to handle. Try these options:

An energising snack of fruit or nuts before breakfast.
Small rewards kept ready for good behaviour.
A chart listing things to be done in the morning, including brushing, bathing, and eating. Stars can be rewarded every day […]

Back-to-school blues

Veena Shankar

My daughter is five and usually loves school. But after every weekend or holiday, she refuses to get back to school, and I have a hard time persuading her. I know it’s a common issue, but it’s a pain. Any solutions? — R.S.

This problem is not unique to children. Adults also suffer ‘Monday morning […]

Is your child a slow learner?

Nisha Daniel

Do you suspect your child is a slow learner? You could be wrong. She might be good at some tasks and not in others.

A slow learner is distinctly different from a child with a learning disability. A slow learner learns everything that is expected of her, and is capable of attaining milestone development norms, […]

Is your home child-enabled?

Is your house child-proof? If you are a parent who’s worried about safety of children, you probably have done some amount of child-proofing, especially in the early years.

Making your house child-enabled is the next step. Childproofing keeps the environment safe, but a child-enabled home provides opportunities for learning and exploration.

It’s advisable to make every room […]

Heart to Heart

Dear Parent

It’s shocking but true. India has more than 1 million children with Type 1 diabetes, according to the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF). With childhood obesity pegged at 50 percent in metros, Type 2 (adult-onset) diabetes among children is also rising alarmingly.

Given the large quantities of fried and packaged foods our children consume, their […]

Mailbox

Educative & informative
Your cover story ‘Free-range parenting phenomenon’ (PW July) was educative and informative. Till date, I was familiar only with helicopter, tiger and bulldozer parenting styles.
Now I believe free-range parenting is perfect for Gen Z as our children have access to limitless information on the internet and are far more independent than […]

Helping children imbibe Indian culture

PW invited parents of Dharav High School, Jaipur to share insights on how they help their children imbibe Indian culture and traditions

“We are a joint family with 13 members living under the same roof. This made it easy for us to teach our daughter Saumya (class VIII) Indian values, culture and traditions. Festivals are about […]

Exposing children to diverse career options

PW invited parents of Delhi Public School, Jaipur to share insights on how they introduce their children to different careers

“Our endeavour has always been to understand the strengths and weaknesses of our daughter Mishti (class XI) to steer her towards the most appropriate career which will give her financial security and help her lead a […]

Parenting primer for children with disability

With officialdom and society stacked against children with disabilities, parenting children with special needs requires and demands steely resolve, determination, patience, time, and often physical effort writes Cynthia John & Mini P.

On May 31, national roller skating champion Advaith Ramesh (15), who is diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder, was denied permission to board a […]

Breaking the flow with Anacoluthon

Roopa Banerjee

“Had ye been there — for what could that have done?” wrote poet John Milton in Lycidas. The sentence is interrupted midway and goes on to express an entirely different thought. This is anacoluthon — a literary device that intentionally disrupts the structure and syntax of a sentence, resulting in a unique and impactful […]

Galloping demand for ethical hackers

The growth and intensification of e-commerce traffic over the worldwide web (aka the internet) has multiplied opportunities for cyber terrorists. Enter the cyber security professional

With cyberspace payment gateways multiplying, e-payments, credit cards circulation and the country’s internet user base expanding, e-commerce is fast becoming a way of life for government, corporates and middle-class India. However, […]

Why staying connected with your teenager is tricky but important

Do not let your idea of adolescent independence stop you from engaging with the young people in your life. They value staying connected with family, even if they do not always show it , writes Elise Woodman

Parenting teenagers can feel daunting. With high rates of youth mental health diagnoses and persistent messages about adolescents’ desire […]

My son often catches a cold. Help !

My five-year-old son catches a cold infection very often. And while the cold goes away in a week, the cough lasts for four-six weeks. Should I consult a doctor?
— Jigna Kumar, Hyderabad

Your son’s frequent colds and prolonged cough needs medical attention. While colds are common in young children, a persistent cough lasting four-six weeks […]

Five benefits of giving children choices

Child development and parenting experts are increasingly becoming aware that providing children choices from young age enables them to develop independence, decision-making skills, and confidence writes Aruna Raghuram

Adults cherish their freedom. And, a large component of this freedom is the autonomy to make decisions. Why wouldn’t children want the same? Child development and parenting experts […]

Useful parenting guides

Check out these insightful books which present new ways of thinking to make parenting easier, meaningful and rewarding – Cynthia John

THE EXPLOSIVE CHILD: A NEW APPROACH FOR UNDERSTANDING AND PARENTING ASILY FRUSTRATED, CHRONICALLY INFLEXIBLE CHILDREN

BY ROSS W. GREENE

Publisher: Harper Paperbacks, Price: Rs.499
Parenting can become an uphill task if your child is prone to throwing […]

My son is afraid of the dark. HELP!

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 […]

News Bytes

Microwaving plastic baby food containers releases toxic particles
Microwaving plastic baby food containers releases billions of small toxic plastic particles, says a study published in Environmental Science & Technology (July). Researchers at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, USA, found that microwaving plastic baby food containers released over two billion nano plastics for every square centimetre of […]

Letter from managing editor

India is inhospitable terrain for people and children with disabilities. It grudgingly hosts 26.8 million (Census 2011) people with disabilities including 7.8 million children. The country’s education institutions, public spaces, transport systems and workplaces have dismally failed to provide ease of access and make an estimated 27 million citizens — that’s a huge number — […]