My Mom's Life Hack

Written by Samarth Uchil on Wednesday, 09 November 2016.

This blog has been contributed by Samarth Uchil . His mother Jyoti  joined our parenting program when he was 12 years old. 

"Welcome to our society. You will be judged on what you wear, your taste in music, what you look like, how you act and your belief system - Enjoy your stay."

I recall my Chennai years as the happiest years of my life, where my life revolved around my friends from school and my building. Chennai was a huge change for me as I had lived my entire life in Mumbai. Another huge change, was me shifting to a co-ed school. It was the perfect learning platform at the perfect time of my life - Puberty.

Out of the Mouth of Babes!

Written by Mrinalini Ponappa Banerjea on Saturday, 05 March 2016.

This blog has been contributed by Mrinalini Ponappa Banerjea, Parent Educator at Parenting Matters

apple child
  During our early years of parenting there are so many moments that, in hindsight, we wish we had documented. The kinds of lines that have come out of our children's minds have left us speechless, both in amazement and quiet wonder. It's hard to recollect stories later but some of them which come effortlessly to mind are the ones that have made the most impact either for its wisdom or for simply being zany.

I wonder if its easier to lie to my kids

Written by Kesang Menezes on Tuesday, 16 February 2016. Posted in Communication

This blog has been contributed by Kesang Menezes, Co-founder - Parenting Matters and a certified parent educator.

My kids want to watch TV. I say, "No".

And they ask, "Why?"

I wonder if I am ready to launch into the whole explanation of how they have already seen too much TV today and that TV is not good for them.Or should I just say " The TV is not working" or " No cable today "and save myself an hour of discussion and wailing!!

Hair Scare

on Thursday, 09 July 2015.

This blog has been written by Sujata Vasant Dewaji, a facilitator at Parenting Matters.Also published on http://parentedge.in/hair-scare/

Source: Google Images

Source: Google Images

Sanjana my 10-year old daughter wants a new hairstyle, to have flicks on either side of her long hair. I tell her that I do not think it is a good idea.

Few days later, I notice a small clump of hair on the floor near the mirror. I find a lot of it in the dustbin. I am puzzled. Realization strikes! Oh! Sanju has cut her own hair!

Using Montessori Methods to Build Self-Esteem in a Child

Written by Kesang Menezes on Thursday, 09 July 2015.

This blog has been written by Kesang Menezes, a facilitator at Parenting Matters.Also published on http://parentedge.in/using-montessori-methods-to-build-self-esteem-in-a-child

In recent years there is a lot of importance given to the concept of self esteem. Good self-esteem is considered a fundamental requirement for a person’s well being and success in life. Definitions of what exactly is meant by self esteem might vary but most would agree that it is a sense of belief in one’s worth and a feeling of competence.

How is this acquired? There is much talk about what we need to do to develop self-esteem in our children. A hundred years ago, without actually using that term, Dr. Montessori studied the nature of the child and developed an environment that provided opportunities for the child to develop his self esteem in every possible way.

 HOW DOES A MONTESSORI ENVIRONMENT BUILD A CHILD’S SELF ESTEEM?

Does liberation for women impact the quality of nurturing and care children receive?

Written by Kesang Menezes on Thursday, 09 July 2015.

This blog has been contributed by Kesang Menezes, Faciliator, Parenting Matters . Published on http://parentedge.in/does-liberation-for-women-impact-the-quality-of-nurturing-and-care-children-receive/

I am currently deeply immersed in reading “Lean In” by Sheryl Sandberg (COO of Facebook). It’s a fabulous book in which each chapter is an eye opener about the conscious and not-so-conscious ways in which the world holds back women and how even women hold themselves back. The book inspires me to stand on the rooftops and cheer for women to lean in. Living in India, where the oppression of women is really not subtle at all, the book inspires me to fight hard for women to reach leadership positions, as it is obvious about how that would change the world. 

Using Punishment to Discipline: Does it Work?

Written by Sujata Dewaji on Thursday, 09 July 2015. Posted in Communication

 This blog has been written by Sujata Vasant Dewaji, a facilitator at Parenting Matters.Publised on http://parentedge.in/using-punishment-to-discipline-does-it-work/

I hear this from a few parents.

“I have to hit, for her to comply, else she just does not listen. There is so much to do in the day, her studies, homework, other activities… and if she does not complete on time, she will be left behind!”

“He is so stubborn. How do I teach good behaviour? This is the time to mould him to behave well”.

Did it work for me?

Teach your children to be thankful

Written by Raina Bajaj on Tuesday, 15 April 2014.

This blog post has been contributed by ParentEdge. Learning is a continuous process, and needs to happen both in and outside of school; thus parents have an important role to play in shaping their children's future. ParentEdge (www.parentedge.in) aims to expose parents to global trends in learning and partner with them in the intellectual enrichment of their children.

In today's world, one thing that is most difficult to be found is 'satisfaction'. We human beings never think, feel or say that what we have is quite a bit. Rather we fail to enjoy what we have, in search of what we don't have. It is good to be ambitious and aspiring. But at the same time, if we fail to see what we have got and focus only on the glass that is half empty, then we would never be able to taste 'happiness'.

Create the Family you Want

Written by Aparna Balasundaram on Wednesday, 12 March 2014.

This blog post has been contributed by ParentEdge. Learning is a continuous process, and needs to happen both in and outside of school; thus parents have an important role to play in shaping their children's future. ParentEdge (www.parentedge.in) aims to expose parents to global trends in learning and partner with them in the intellectual enrichment of their children.

Setting Family Goals for 2014!
Heard of the saying, 'In comes the new and out goes the old'? Well, the same can hold true for your family! In this New Year, what if, out goes the whining, messy room, sloppy homework...and in comes the family fun, kids listening, being responsible and peace at home!!

Is your child sleeping enough?

Written by Meera Srinivasan on Monday, 10 February 2014.

This blog post has been contributed by ParentEdge. Learning is a continuous process, and needs to happen both in and outside of school; thus parents have an important role to play in shaping their children's future. ParentEdge (www.parentedge.in) aims to expose parents to global trends in learning and partner with them in the intellectual enrichment of their children.

When I wrote my article on 'how to boost your child's immunity' for the September issue of ParentEdge, I was surprised at the number of health care professionals talking about adequate sleep, not just during illness but otherwise as well.

Raising Thankful Kids

Written by Aparna Balasundaram on Thursday, 09 January 2014.

This blog post has been contributed by ParentEdge. Learning is a continuous process, and needs to happen both in and outside of school; thus parents have an important role to play in shaping their children's future. ParentEdge (www.parentedge.in) aims to expose parents to global trends in learning and partner with them in the intellectual enrichment of their children.

With a silver spoon or a silver lining?
As the year comes to an end, give your child the gift of gratitude. What am I talking about, you wonder?! Well, as a parent and as a professional working with parents and kids, I often come across parents saying 'kids today are so hard to satisfy...when they want, they want it now..AND when they get it, it holds their attention for a bit and then they want something else...." Am sure you get the picture!

The Art of Listening to your Child

Written by Sridhar Ramanathan on Friday, 13 December 2013. Posted in Communication

This blog post has been contributed by ParentEdge. Learning is a continuous process, and needs to happen both in and outside of school; thus parents have an important role to play in shaping their children's future. ParentEdge (www.parentedge.in) aims to expose parents to global trends in learning and partner with them in the intellectual enrichment of their children.

For years I thought I was a good listener. I was wrong.

One incident proved this to me. In a listening workshop I was to listen to a colleague for five minutes and then repeat what she said. I was the boss and I had to go first, right in the beginning of the workshop.

Keeping your Kids Safe Online

Written by Gayatri Kulkarni on Thursday, 07 November 2013.

This blog post has been contributed by ParentEdge. Learning is a continuous process, and needs to happen both in and outside of school; thus parents have an important role to play in shaping their children's future. ParentEdge (www.parentedge.in) aims to expose parents to global trends in learning and partner with them in the intellectual enrichment of their children.


Recently, my son's school had to deal with an episode of cyber-bullying. A list of photos was being circulated via Instagram, asking readers to vote for the 'school's ugliest among the list.'
Luckily, it reached the school authorities, who took swift action, not only contacting the police and Instagram to get details about the perpetrators, but also launching into a series of school-wide initiatives to talking to students about the consequences of cyber-bullying, and setting up ways in which a student could report any such activity.

Reading your way to good nutrition

Written by Sudha Kumar on Monday, 07 October 2013.

This blog post has been contributed by ParentEdge. Learning is a continuous process, and needs to happen both in and outside of school; thus parents have an important role to play in shaping their children's future. ParentEdge (www.parentedge.in) aims to expose parents to global trends in learning and partner with them in the intellectual enrichment of their children.

As a family, we became more aware of packaged food labels some years back- it was my husband who drove that consciousness, especially with my daughter, who was then on the heavier side. In order to help her curb her tendency to indulge in what we loosely call "junk food" he trained her to look for the calorie and fat content. Also, being a compulsive reader, he came by articles on the net which made us understand that what you see/what you read is often now what you get! That means, no added sugar is not always as healthy as it seems- they may have added corn syrup- which is worse! Also, many times, what you don't see is what you get. For example, in India, it is not mandated that you explicitly mention if an item has transfat unless you want to make a claim. So, if we read a label and find no mention of transfat, it does not mean anything at all.

 

Teens and time management

Written by Sudha Kumar on Wednesday, 28 August 2013. Posted in Education

This blog post has been contributed by ParentEdge. Learning is a continuous process, and needs to happen both in and outside of school; thus parents have an important role to play in shaping their children's future. ParentEdge (www.parentedge.in) aims to expose parents to global trends in learning and partner with them in the intellectual enrichment of their children.

The high school years (Grades 9 -12) are crucial as they, whether one likes it or not, largely determine the choices a student has in college and beyond. As such, all parents are concerned about how to help their children during this time.