All parents will want to do the best for their children but how do you know if you are an effective parent? Regardless of whether you are a new parent or that you have a few children, parenting might not come easy for everybody and there might also be time when you wonder if you have done the right thing. For example, should you only reprimand your child when he has done something wrong and ignore his good behaviour? How do you encourage more...more
Criticism, nagging and scolding by parents -in harsh or soft words, on major or minor issues-destroys the self esteem of the child. But it may also rouse a very dangerous feeling in the child -that of guilt. This feeling of guilt can distort the way the child thinks about himself. How do you react to his 'mischief'? Children are children. We often lose our patience when they act their age. But little do we realize that our repeated...more
Parents are left at their wits end while figuring out why their child can't share his toys with his friends. But parents should know that children are possessive by nature and have their own insecurities which stop them from sharing their toys and vie for attention. It is their duty to help the child develop the attitude to share. The habit of sharing develops over a period of time: You have to be really patient because the attitude to adjust and share doesn't develop overnight. Guiding the child once and expecting him to follow it would be too much. Always remember that your child is still in the process of learning to share. Create opportunities for peer group interaction: The more your child gets to spend time with his age mates, the more he'll learn to share. There may be a few unpleasant situations but both you and your child will learn from them. So take your child to the places of friends or relatives, parties or family get together and invite his friends over to your house. Encourage your child to share: When a child experiences the joy and benefits of sharing, he is naturally motivated to share his things with his friends. Make your child experience this...more
Growing years can be tough on a child emotionally. It's difficult for a child to judge his own emotions, whether he is feeling right or it is not normal to feel the way he is feeling. So how do we make children gain confidence over their feelings? And how do we make them emotionally strong so that they can deal with their emotions in a...more
Aggression in children can be due to many reasons primarily genetic, family, and environment. Where influence of genes is not in our control, the atmosphere at home and environmental influences to a great extent can be made positive. And it is the parents who can help the child most to control and express his aggression in the right way. Analyze...more
Let your child enjoy his achievement to crawl and walk by giving him a safe environment at home. There comes a time when the child cannot be made to sit with toys. There is always a fear that he might land into trouble as he crawls or takes a step forward. This is also the time when a child curious to touch, see and feel the things around. So make sure your child gets the opportunity to explore and remain safe at the same time. Reshuffle your drawers: A child loves to go through the things in low lying drawers and areas he can approach. Stuff them with harmless objects like handkerchiefs, towels or potatoes etc. Remove all small or dangerous things he can put in his mouth. Rearrange the house: Redo the ambience of the house. Remove sharp edged furniture, tuck way decoration pieces, create open space to move about freely. Lock away dangerous areas: Block the stairways, apply child locks on washrooms, refrigerators etc. so that you don't have to keep stopping your child or fear his safety. The most potential danger lies in electric sockets. Apply a duct tape or close the sockets so that the child cannot poke fingers. Remove the dangerous objects: It is very important to stack...more
Child abuse is another grim reality of life. Let's not run away but face it sensibly. According to WHO, more than 50% of children in India are abused, the rate being the highest in the world. And in majority of the cases, the abuser is a person...more
It's not firm control but the love, understanding and trust of parents that stops a child from going astray. Peer group has the most profound influence on a child's life. His opinions, beliefs and attitude are shaped according to his...more
It is not your teenager, but probably you who needs to change. Why is that parents justify that their child is stepping into teenage, so it is quite natural for him to act like a rebel? Isn't it possible that your teenager listens to you like he...more
A child doesn't have to be a genius to be an original thinker, but originality will give him the confidence of a genius. Today children are being fed with ready-made information at the school, tuitions, through books, media. In the process,...more
Recently, an American research has revealed that people who did household chores as kids were much better adjusted, with warmer relationships and better social and family lives than those who were not given any responsibility or kept away from...more
When education is an experience of fun, it arouses the desire to learn in the child. Education is not limited to the books and is not confined to classrooms. Infact when children touch, see and experience, learning becomes not only easier but also...more