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Showing posts with the label Children & Parenting

What happens when academic goals battle body hormones?

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" The truth is, I wanted to be honest. What you do with my honesty is  your choice . You DON’T have to live my life. You DON’T have to make my mistakes. You can choose not to suffer. You can choose to be better. You can choose to see the difference between a crush and love. You can choose to respect yourself better. You can choose to go beyond the sky." To read the featured article, click on  Dear Daughter, What's an i-Pill doing in your school bag? Image Courtesy-Pixabay

Four Clover Life Magazine- Upside Down

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This July, Hope, Perseverance, and Ingenuity launched towards our neighbor- Mars, on their  7-month long journey, each assigned with the task of unraveling the mystery of the red planet. I  am amazed at the tenacity and fortitude of our space missions and the teams in the face of the  crisis we all, unfortunately, find ourselves in. Howbeit, I am also struck by the beautiful  coincidence of what is up there, and we need down here on planet Earth-Hope, Perseverance,  and Ingenuity to stand tall in front of the invisible mighty opponent. There is hardly any aspect of life where the 'virus' has not sneaked into and turned our life  upside down. The center of our narrative has shifted heavily, and as I write, the noun has  immense possibility of becoming a verb-You see, in the year 2020, we got 'virussed,' and then life  was never the same. What started in late 2019, spread over 2020, and we know- we have to  wait, hang in there for some time before the case is dismissed fo

I tweaked the way I talk to my child

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How I talk to my child is different from how my father spoke to me. Am I glad that I am doing things differently? Yes. Is there a guarantee that this is the best way to talk? Is there a safety net? No. Because there is no safety net in the world for anything. Question- Can I watch TV? Now that's a deal with the devil, right? My parents- 'NO. Go and do your homework. Watching TV will not help you.' :( And all the while the TV show went on, I stared blankly at my book. I was distracted. Me to my son- 'Yes, you can, after you are done with your homework.' The addictive, immersive world of screen is no stranger. However, my constant NO's only made him immune to this word. So what message do I want to send across? Can I reword my answer and ensure that it's positive and takes care of both our interests? Besides, it also inculcates task orientation in children. Just be sure that asking your children to monitor their screen time while

I have a thorn down there

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  " That is the long and short of all that I got that day- An old bedsheet, few words, me and memories of cut pieces of her petticoat, Baba’s vests, pajamas hanging in some obscure corner of the terrace, close to the water tank, smelling of rin soap and stale blood. Maa needs to get me sanitary pads, the ones many of my friends use or another king-size bedsheet, maybe." Read the full  Story  here.  Image courtesy-Pixabay

A Human Mom

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"But she loved and loved in her own way. I realized it four years back when I became a mom. I realized every bit, tracing every day of my journey being raised by her. I accept that there is no one way to love, that just because I am a mom does not place me next to god( honestly, I would like to stay away from that altar), that I have thousands of faults and craters within me, lava too and many times I can be all imperfect and yet love my child. You cannot question or suspect or interrogate my love for my child JUST BECAUSE I AM A HUMAN MOM." Click on  My Human Mom  to read the complete story. Image courtesy-Pixabay

Raising Socially Responsible Children

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The bigger question bombarding in my mind --- Is it essential to experience the dark to inculcate Empathy? Yes, values are taught by parents, best when experienced, but every experience doesn't translate into an 'imbibed value' 'well-lived. ' Do education and indirect exposure to the dark side of life help in creating the service-oriented mindset?  Click on  Raising a Socially Responsible Child  to read the full article. This article was featured on Mompresso as #BlogOfTheDay. Image Courtesy-Pixabay.

But why FUSS over motherhood?

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My mother never thumped her chest for all that she did. I don't want chest-thumping either.  My bad, I don't get this. Platonic, joyous, blessed, and much more. When it comes to motherhood, the more adjectives, the better. Unconditionally loving, unconditionally caring till her last breath and even after, I guess, the more such attributes for a MOTHER, the better. Mother’s Day to every day celebrating motherhood, the world is lapping up every opportunity to say - MOMS ARE THE BEST. Well, they are. So? What's the glorification about? Our moms (baby boomers or early generation X) had 2-3 children, some even 4 for some blessed ones. They conceived, delivered, breastfed, cooked, cared, washed, cleaned, organized, cooked again, cleaned again, and fall asleep tired and exhausted only to wake up at 5 am or 6 am again and start the grind. They too had dreams, few were career women, and many were Staying at home but never brooding, complaining or depressing,

My son, his Spermarche, and his Sexuality

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If a parent is trying to protect, care for, and educate a girl child on her sexuality, it is equally essential to provide the same to the boy child. Doesn't it take 'TWO TO TANGO'?  Giving attention to your boy child is equally important, if not more. If we made our boy children responsible adults, we ensure that the girls don’t need to move around with fear. Don't say then- I will not understand. I do because I have a son, and he is not a bull.  Click on   My son, his Spermarche, and his Sexuality   to read the full article. Image courtesy-Pixabay

HOMECOMING

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"Whenever you feel 'fear,' and I mean it from my heart and soul... Do what you are afraid to do because overcoming what frightens you the most ...strengthens you the most." "I learned that courage was not the absence of fear but the triumph over it. The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he who conquers that fear- Nelson Mandela." Click on  Homecoming  to read the full article. Image courtesy-Pixabay.

Dear Soldier- How did you celebrate Valentine's day?

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Tell me something? What were you thinking when you decided to stand at the LOC? You knew what was coming your way? Right? Your family knew what this job entails? Why didn't you choose a safer and secure option? Why? There are umpteen IIM's and IIT's around, Artificial Intelligence is on the boom, Robots are transforming life and look at you. Who goes for work on 14th February when Cupid Cuties are on a roll and hearts are going a flutter?  To read the article, click on Dear Soldier, how did you celebrate Valentine's Day?   Image courtesy-Pixabay.

One 'Sobremesa a day' - There is nothing great about a family meal except

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Except that in a culture of 'INSTANT' and 'DISTRACTION,' one family meal is where One disconnects to connect. A frenzied screen life(that's how I define our regular life today) finds some time to stop by and look beyond the screen. Google university is replaced by life's essential lessons shared via experience. A meal is appreciated. They say eating is a necessity, but cooking is an art. And the person who cooks for the family blends labor and love with art to present the plate that comes before you. How can one not appreciate and feel grateful? And food definitely tastes better when you eat it with your family. And nutrition blends with togetherness to provide a complete experience to the body. Nutrition is not only about eating right and eating healthy. If the food on the plate does not have a sense of emotion, the nutritious meal can hardly matter. The feelings come from family. The feelings of sharing, bonding, and connecting w

May your 2019 fly like Bugatti Chiron 261MPH

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You see, A PARADISE DOESN’T EXIST. YOU MUST CREATE IT. And to top, it all, rule your thoughts with tyranny and dictatorship. I have never seen a worse master than our THOUGHTS. You let it loose, and it rains mayhem. Make it your slave; choose the thoughts that facilitate your well–being. You leave the gate opened, and serpents will enter your living room, pull out your favorite wine, take control over your TV and have merriment at your expense. CHOOSE WHAT YOU THINK, AND THAT WILL MAKE ALL THE DIFFERENCE. I wish you all a busy year ahead... have an overflowing plate. To read the full article, click on  May your 2019 fly like Bugatti Chiron 261MPH Image courtesy- www.wired.com

Your child's fascination with the the big G.

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"This is your private part. Nobody should touch it or see it. Only your mom, dad and your doctor can. Never touch your friend's private parts and do not allow anyone to touch yours. It’s private.” "What is private mamma?" “Private means, it belongs to you only and nobody should see it, touch it. Also, we do not talk about it with everyone. If you want to talk about it, come to papa or me.”  That's my chant to my child.Blaming the other child for all the ills my child develops, is NOT ON MY AGENDA. Click on the link to read the full article on  Mompresso Image courtesy-Pixabay

FB , FB on the wall, who is the fairest of all?

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The festival of Diwali came, saw, and conquered not only the atria and the ventricles but also OUR BODY. Resplendent in all glory, we ditched our inhibition and shopped like there was no tomorrow, sparkled like diamonds and moissanites, and posted like an octopus with many hands, all of them working synchronously. Yes, this festival makes you feel like a whole enchilada and satiated. The 'oohs ' and 'aah' of friends and frenemies over the 'Sabyasachi' in all of us ensured we have enough in our pantry to last a year until next Diwali. Facebook was on a rampage, and I loved the overflowing 'likes' and 'hearts' moving around. At age 35, n either too young nor too old, just in the middle, these 'likes and hearts' matter. Even more, if you are a MUM.  That’s important because the world is cautious about a woman's age, and the tag ‘MUM’ changes the way people look and perceive you. People don't compliment me often, courtesy- ME. I w