ParentsWorld December 2021

Short story: Fragmented Souls

Lakshmi Narayan

Once upon a time, a happy rajkumari (princess) and her charmingly in-love prince, fleeing from the elements while out on a picnic, chanced upon a rundown haveli and took refuge there. Unknown to them, it was haunted by the spirit of an unhappy woman who’d been cheated in love and tormented by her lover […]

Getting a pet for the family

– Cynthia John

Have your kids been pleading for a pet? Here is how a pet can help your family, and how you can get prepared for the responsibility of keeping one.

Here are some joys a pet can give your family:
• Give unconditional, undying love to each member.
• Give a warm welcome when you […]

Coping with food allergies

My eight-year-old son complains of stomach pain after eating biscuits or cake. Otherwise, he has no stomach trouble. He is a healthy child with normal eating habits. Could he be allergic to some food ingredients?
— Mouna Mondal, Kolkata

Packaged biscuits and cakes contain refined wheat flour (maida), preservatives and artificial colouring. Preservatives cause allergy in […]

Quick and healthy lunch box ideas

Schools across the country have reopened after the 64-weeks pandemic lockdown of education institutions and many parents are cautiously sending children back to school. Here are some tried and tested lunch box recipes, writes Sabrina Rajan

Mini idli fry with coconut chutney

Ingredients
• ½ kg Idli batter (homemade or readymade)
• 2 tsp ghee

Protecting children’s eyes

Dr. Isai Mitra, ophthalmologist, I center, Chennai, answers some frequently asked questions about ways and means to protect children’s eyes, writes Anitha Bennett

Prolonged exposure to digital screens during the past 16 months of online schooling has adversely affected the ocular health of children of all age groups. An increasing number of children are complaining of […]

Bonding over craft: Rainbow chimes

Anitha Bennett

Rainbow colours streaming in through your window with light, tinkling chimes. Sounds good? Get your children excited about it, and work on making it happen. Working on a craft project for your home is a great way to encourage family bonding.

Materials needed
• Cardboard — 1 sheet
• Cellophane/metallic paper — 5 sheets in […]

Resumption of school a joyful experience

PW invited parents of HG International, Abu Road, Rajasthan to share their insights on how return to on-campus schooling is helping their children.

“Any parent who has had to chase her child back to her laptop for online classes will agree that the joy of in-person schooling far outweighs online learning. Resumption of normal school has […]

Better left unsaid with Anapodoton

A popular rhetorical device, anapodoton is when the main clause of a phrase that is unsaid, is implied by a well-known subordinate clause, writes Roopa Banerjee

When someone says, ‘When in Rome…’ and leaves the sentence midway, we know that the sentence would go on to have a main clause i.e, ‘Do as Romans do’. […]

Andaman and Nicobar Islands: India’s islands in the sun

There are 500 uninhabitated islands with tropical forests, deserted beaches, exquisite coral and marine life within Andaman, Nicobar and Lakshadweep islands is likely to come as a pleasant surprise

In the popular imagination despite its 3.28 million sq. km landmass and its vast unpeopled rural tracts, contemporary India is a heavily overly-populated country with “teeming millions”. […]

Cosmetic make-up artistry: Hot new career option

With the entertainment and fashion industries growing by 20-plus percent per annum, professional make-up artistes are in greater demand than ever before

With the entertainment and fashion industry experiencing persistent boom conditions despite the worldwide recession, cosmetic make-up artistry has emerged as a hot new career option for the country’s growing youth population. Professional make-up artistes […]

Books to alleviate exam stress

R. Poornima Dilip

With class X/XII board and other term-end exams scheduled for March, students are beginning to feel the pressure and stress of preparing to write the all-important do-or-die final examinations. Here are four books which enable children to develop exam positivity, cope with stress and anxiety and learn important exam prep and time management […]

Managing joint family troubles

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 […]

Help your teen beat school morning blues!

Here are five tried and tested steps parents can take to help teenage children cope with the morning school rush and develop steady, healthy school routines, writes Anitha Bennett

With in-person school having restarted for secondary students countrywide after the unprecedented 64-weeks pandemic lockdown of education institutions, numerous adolescents are experiencing difficulty transitioning from online to […]

Embrace gentle parenting to raise happy, confident children

Aruna Raghuram

“When we are gentle with our children, we model and help create the inner voice that will accompany them through their lives.”
– Dr. Allison Andrews, well-known American psychologist

Picture this scene. Four-year-old Asha has thrown a huge temper tantrum and is bawling as she lies on the kitchen floor. Her exasperated mother Renu picks […]

Stressful times are an opportunity to teach children resilience

Between the global Covid-19 pandemic, the associated economic downturn and widespread protests over racism, it’s difficult for everyone. Many people are struggling, consumed with anxiety and stress, finding ourselves unable to sleep or focus.

As a developmental psychologist and researcher on anxiety and fear in infants and young children, I have been particularly concerned about the […]

Grandparents Big pandemic comeback

During the prolonged Covid pandemic lockdown of India’s education institutions — the longest worldwide — the nurturing and supportive role that grandparents play in developing children into happy and confident adults has come into sharp focus, writes R. Poornima Dilip & Cynthia John

During the on-and-off Covid-19 lockdowns of the past two years, India’s child daycare […]

Covid-19 pandemic has severely impacted children

The Covid-19 pandemic has adversely affected children on an unprecedented scale, making it the worst crisis for children Unicef has seen in its 75-year history.

In a recently released report Preventing a Lost Decade: Urgent Action to Reverse the Devastating Impact of Covid-19 on Children and Young People, Unicef highlights numerous ways in which the pandemic […]

Mailbox

Online schooling advice plea

Though schools have reopened, I am hesitant about sending my children to in-person classes as news of a third pandemic wave triggered by the Omicron variant looms. But on the other hand, the children are frustrated attending online school for almost two years. It is also adversely affecting my children’s eye sight […]

Letter from Managing Editor

For centuries India’s durable joint family system smoothly integrated grandparents into childcare duties. It was normative for grandparents to play active roles in raising their children’s children, keeping traditions and customs alive and providing valuable life lessons. However, with the sudden spur in the number of nuclear households in post-liberalisation India the involvement of grandparents […]