ParentsWorld February 2022

Paradise Gained… The Artist Village DPS Mihan

As I walked towards the Artist Village within the campus of DPS, Mihan, standing sentinel at its entrance was the Tree of Life, conceptualised by renowned Chhattisgarh artist Sushil Sakhuja. Gazing at it spellbound, I wondered if this was the fabled kalpavriksha … the wish-fulfilling tree. Was I in paradise? I realised then that I […]

Tiny Problems of Tiny People

What is HealthStart junior ?

Healthstart junior is a health and wellness provider with a special focus on children’s physical, mental and nutritional needs.

What medical problems can HealthStart junior manage?

HealthStart junior can manage all issues related to food , gut and weight Food allergies, intolerances and sensitivities, digestive issues like IBS, constipation, IBD. We […]

Co-sleeping: Good or bad for children?

Modern day parents are confused about the advisability of co-sleeping with parenting counselors and experts divided on the issue

Aruna Raghuram

“For most of human history, parents slept close to their babies for their safety and protection, as well as for parents’ own ease of breastfeeding and sleeping.” — Dr. James J. McKenna, anthropologist and author […]

10 parenting strategies to reduce children’s pandemic stress

Parents are dealing with huge demands on their time and energy. Children may not be attending school or involved in regular activities. As the pandemic continues to wreak havoc on families, routines have collapsed, patience is wearing thin and self-care is a distant memory.

Decades of research have taught us that adversity during childhood has damaging […]

Rising popularity of parenting coaches

Urban upper middle-class parents under domestic stress are increasingly flocking to a new genre of advisory professionals: parenting coaches. These new-age gurus with professional qualifications in child and adolescence development, education, psychology and counseling are providing advice to parents to navigate the challenges of raising children in the disruptive pandemic era – Smiti J.N.

With schools, […]

BPA chemical exposure impacts fetal brain growth

BPA chemical exposure impacts fetal brain growth

Scientists at the University of Missouri, USA have found that transmission of bisphenol A (BPA) from a pregnant mother to her unborn child through the placenta could negatively impact fetal brain development. BPA is an industrial chemical used in many household items such as plastic water bottles and food […]

Mailbox

Brilliant advice

I love reading the ‘Your counsellor replies’ column by parenting coach Dr. Pallavi Chaturvedi. Her parenting advice is always relevant and applicable. In her January column she gave brilliant advice about how in large families parents can teach children the value of money.

Also many thanks for the essay ‘Helping children with homework’. It was […]

Letter from managing editor

At the best of times, parenting is a stressful and demanding obligation. In the era of the pandemic more so. During the past two years of the Covid-19 pandemic which shows no signs of going away as new variants sprout continuously, parents have been confronted with new and unprecedented challenges. With schools, colleges and universities […]

School closures should be the last option

PW invited parents of Delhi Public School, Kamptee Road, Nagpur to share their views on frequent school closures during the Covid-19 pandemic

“Mass closure of schools during the first wave of the pandemic was acceptable since the country was in the grip of an unprecedented crisis, with little knowledge about symptoms and treatment of the deadly […]

Stay in character with Charactonym

Charactonym is a name that is descriptive of the character who bears it

Roopa Banerjee

Have you observed that some characters in books, TV shows and films bear names that depict and/or describe their personalities? For instance Ebenezer Scrooge, the mean miser, in Charles Dicken’s A Christmas Carol. The name Scrooge gives readers clear indication of him […]

Untouched charm of Bhutan

Punakha Dzong — The Palace of Happiness

An isolated kingdom sited in the deep Himalayas which claims to measure progress by a Gross National Happiness Index, gradually westernising Bhutan may well be the world’s last Shangri-la

Sandwiched between China (Tibet) in the north and India to the south, east and west, for almost a century, […]

Coping with body shaming

My seven-year-old son is tall and skinny. His friends make fun of his skinny frame. So of late, he has stopped going out to play with them. I believe he needs to interact with peers and develop important social skills. Please advise.

— Rupali Shukla, Delhi

Body shaming and bullying by friends causes stress in children […]

Homemade sweet treats

Children love sweet treats. Instead of packaged foods, try out these simple recipes for homemade sweet treats which are healthy and nutritious

Parvathy Menon

Cinnamon Cake (4 servings)

Ingredients

½ cup softened butter
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
2 cups flour (maida)
1 tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
1 cup yoghurt
1 tsp vanilla essence
2 tbsp walnuts

For the filling

¼ cup brown sugar
½ cup white sugar
1 […]

Pull-up exercise benefits

Monojit Ghosh

Pull-up exercises build upper-body and arm strength. They also strengthen back and shoulder muscles. Most people don’t include pull-up exercises in their workout regimens because they believe they are “difficult” and require extraordinary arm strength and gripping power. Though this is true to some extent, my advice is to start small by doing simple […]

My daughter has irregular periods. Help!

My 11-year daughter attends two-hour football coaching classes five days per week. On days when she has her menstrual periods, she doesn’t want to go for practice. Is it advisable to do strenuous exercise and sports training during menstruation?

— Ruchi Saha, Bengaluru

She can do any form of exercise during her periods as long as […]

Short Story: A Barking Good Answer

Lakshmi Narayan

There was a time, long ago, when my cup of joy spilt over. But there was a nameless hole in my heart the size of a fist, growing bigger, darker and deeper with every passing day.

I read the holy books of many faiths. I visited sacred sites and sat at the feet of […]

Some ways to keep your family active

Benita Sen

A family that exercises together usually brims with energy and enthusiasm. Having fun and remaining healthy happens automatically. Helping your family remain active is one of the greatest gifts you can give.

Do it together

Turn activity sessions into workout capsules for the family. Encourage children to join you in simple cardio exercises like jumps and […]

Heart to Heart

Heart to Heart

Dear Parent,

Even in the midst of these busy and stressful days, it helps to take a fresh look at parenting.

As your child throws new challenges your way every day, you need to appreciate that it contributes to your own growth and development.

If you can find five ways to manage a last-minute school project […]

Gift your child word power!

Benita Sen

If your child discovers the joy of words in her early years, you’ll witness her develop into an effective and powerful communicator. While one can improve vocabulary at any age, child development specialists believe children learn new words at twice the speed of adults. Here are some ideas to make the process of improving […]

Stockbroking: There are billions in this trade

Old-style stockbroking firms have morphed into gleaming Wall Street-style powerhouses employing economists, accountants, analysts, and specialists

Very few monitors of the Indian economy could have imagined that Indian companies like Infosys Technologies, Tata Consultancy Services and others would emerge from the cloistered corporate world of India to become star scrips on Nasdaq (National Association of […]

Inspiring books for young readers

For parents consciously trying to keep children off digital devices, we recommend four inspiring books for young readers

Benita Sen

Of Thee I Sing: A Letter to My Daughters

By Barack Obama | Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers | Price: ₹399

Celebrity dad, former US President Barack Obama, wrote a children’s book before he was sworn […]