Parenting is definitely one of the greatest pleasures of life. That little bundle of joy can completely transform your life in a positive way. Now imagine, having not just one but two babies in your hands? A feeling of ecstasy and double delight? Yes, it surely is. Having twins is like one of the greatest blessings a person can receive in a lifetime. But once the initial excitement tapers down, the next question that comes in your mind is how to care for them? Handling one baby is enough then what will happen if parent has to take care of two at once? (more…)
I recently attended a family get-together where I met my three year old cousin. She came with her doll. I asked her if she will give her doll to me and instantly she shouted “No.”Not just that, when another cousin of mine (4 year old) tried taking the doll from her, she cried and cried and created a big scene. This shows that children usually find it difficult to share their things with other people. Child selfishness is no new. I am sure many parents must have faced similar situations doubting whether their child will ever grow out of such behavior. One thing that parents must realize children are not born with a mindset that encourages sharing. It is slowly and gradually that they are taught to share and care.
The sharing instinct comes when your child starts maturing. Every child matures at his or her own speed. All that parents can do is bringing them up in an environment that encourages and influences such behavior. You need to showcase desirable actions to your children so that they can learn to live in harmony.
Many parents start calling their little one selfish in front of others. They pretend to not talk with their child until they share their things. Don’t force the child with such desperate measures. Parents need to accept the fact that there are some things that your children may not be willing to share. Give them their time. They may even start sharing when they see other children doing the same. However, if your child falls under the category where she is possessive about her things but will want and easily take away other kids’ things, then you need to make your child respect other kids’ possessions too. You need to show your child that you can share too. Also praise your child every time he shares his things.
Aloe Vera is extensively used these days in many skin care and hair care products. This is because of the many benefits that the plant offers. Aloe Vera is a plant that is rich in polysaccharides, phytosterols, glycerol, vitamins E, B and C and zinc. This makes it the ideal for kinds of skin ailments like; wounds scars and burns, milder eczema a mild skin disease in which the skin swells and you feel itchy and chronic eczema, recurring acne, dark circles and psoriasis which is a common chronic, inflammatory skin disease characterized by scaly patches.
Aloe Vera plants can be grown at home as well and used. When drunk as a juice, Aloe Vera also helps to detoxify the body. Aloe Vera juice can be given to children as well. It not just detoxifies the body but also helps them to get the necessary nutrients. The plant is readily available at any nursery and can be kept indoors. At home, there are various ways of using it depending on the ailment. The best way is to cut a leaf, use the inner gel and apply it directly on the affected area. Do not apply any part of the outer covering as it causes skin irritation. Aloe Vera is also very good for hair and can be applied on the scalp to treat dandruff problem.
Processed aloe creams and lotions gives the skin a special glow. Creams are also available for the hair scalp. Brands like Himalaya and Kaya have a range of aloe lip balms, sunscreen lotions, acne creams, etc. These are priced between Rs.75 – Rs.120. Aloe fresh creams are also available which are reasonably priced. Parents should in fact use Aloe Vera creams, lotions etc for the entire family.
Teenage is one of most troubled phases in a person’s life. Educational changes, hormonal changes and getting aware of new things on a regular basis makes this period extremely volatile. One of the important things parents need to teach in this phase is of handling money. Handling money appropriately does not come to everyone easily. Parents need to instil this virtue in the kids. Many parents are going through the problem of their teenagers’ inability to understand the value of the money. It requires years of hard work to earn respectable amount of money.
Teaching this value will require parents to have patience and adopt the understanding approach. One of the basic things that they can do is to have the teen some money and let him decide how to spend it, how much to save and if they are confused, helping them out. This is one skill your child is going to cherish forever if you teach him this value at the right time. Parents need to make child understand the value of money by taking them on shopping. They can demonstrate what to buy, what not to buy, what is worth buying and what to ignore. Also teach them, how bargaining is done and how to handle to handle the marketing gimmick.
If given a chance, allow your teen to earn some money doing odd jobs, daily chores or even a part time job. This by no means is disrespectful and child will have a wonderful experience about learning the value of money. Parents should allow child to decide their own shopping expenditures. Even if they have some bad experiences, they will learn quickly. You can also open a saving account for your child so that he can save some of his savings. Invest on the teaching money value on your teens and it is sure to return you good dividends.
The concept of parenting has witnessed a drastic change in last few decades. The restrictions have loosened up and parents have become more lenient. The roles of friends have also changed. Parents are also counsellor and friends who rely more on communication instead of sticks. Parenting is no easy job. It is a full time job that requires considerable amount of patience and restrain. If we look back at our childhood and how we were parented, things seem to have changed for better. In modern era, parents have also become more protective. The increased money power has made kids recipients of all the luxuries of the world. Some of the old and cherished virtues are nowhere in sight. The phenomenon of working parents has also resulted in parents paying less personal attention to the kids and relying on baby caretaker or maids to do their jobs.
The emotional side of parenting is extremely crucial. Most of the parents today are able to provide basic necessities like food, water and shelter to the kids but they are somehow lacking in emotional aspect. Blame it on changing dynamics of parenting or busy state of every person but things are definitely not that encouraging. This phenomenon is even more prevalent in urban parts of the world.
Small things matter a lot in life especially in the sphere of parenting. Building their self-confidence, paying attention to their little requirements, little pep-talks and some close touch is all that is required for good parenting. A child must have the feeling that he is getting undivided attention of his parents. He must feel that security and bondage with his parents. Share your stuff with the kids. Watch them play and how they perform their daily chores. Share with them their interests in art, drawing or music or dance. After all, at the end of the day, sight of your smiling child is going to take away all your anxieties and will make you extremely happy.
Most of the kids fear this medium simply because it is difficult to make changes or correction once you have put your brush stroke on the canvas. However, practice is what will make you perfect here. Do not get discouraged if you do not get things correct in first few instances. Learn your mistakes and proceed. With the help of following tips, you can start with your water painting right away:
Just mix up a lot of water with water colour paint and with a thick brush, wash your canvas. Another technique is using the tip of your paint brush to dip it slightly in the water and then dipping it in the colour you want to paint in and using strokes to paint on the canvas. This is especially used to paint branches of a tree. Erasing the paint is yet another technique used commonly in water colour painting and this is achieved by using a thick hard brush, dipping it only in water and then slowing applying it to the canvas. Tinting is also another technique that is very easy to do but difficult to control. For example you want your painting to have more yellow in it, to be brighter. What you do is take some very thin yellow paint by using a lot of water, and carefully going over the dried portion of the painting that you wish to tint. However, there is no stopping from inventing your own technique of water colour painting.
Who will not agree that pastel is yet another great medium of art and is one of the best for kids and beginners? Here are some of the steps which will guide you in your artistic pastel journey:
The first step is to sketch an initial outline onto your paper. Professional artists do this with mechanical graphite pencils. Some artists especially students use a light pastel color for the outline. These outlines are generally done freehand however they depend on the subject that you choose to paint. Now the next step is to start applying some pastel crayons onto the paper. Use soft pastels for easy blending. Now what and how you will colour will depend on your subject but for e.g. if you are coloring sky, then you will start towards dark shades and slowly come down to the light blue shades. Remember to blend the colors at every instance. Blending can be done through your fingers as well.
Detailing needs to be taken care of. Take care while coloring and see to it that they do not smudge in areas where they are not supposed to smudge. Now continue coloring all the objects that are included in your drawing. For example if you are painting a tree care should be taken that while coloring the branch, the colour does not reach the leaves! While drawing objects that require too much detailing, care should be taken that the edges are clean and that the detailing is prominent. Use tip of the colour for detailing.
Remember to be patient and tactful. Do not overuse the colour or blend it too much. Take it step by step and use reference or guidance at points where you are not sure of the next step. Detailing is what is difficult in pastels and hence if you are a patient artist who is very careful with the detailing, things become much easier. Express yourself in pastels and frame your pictures in your room for that little streak of creative satisfaction.
There is a famous saying – Home is where the heart is and this truly applies to kids. Kids learn quickly. Kids learn the most at home. Today’s new generation kids are smart and are good at observing things. They learn by seeing around what is happening at home. Because a child feels safe and secure at home, he or she indulges the most in learning at home. Parents must keep in mind that their every action is being observed by their kid. You need to build a healthy environment for kids at home itself. A healthy and a happy homely environment can help a great deal in your kid’s learning. If you have grandparents at home then your child’s learning is shaped well. This is because most grandparents inculcate moral values in kids. Kids love to listen to interesting stories that grandmother weaves in such a way that kids enjoy the most. Suitable and favorable home environment can go a long way to teach your kids so many things that sometimes even schools cannot teach.
Most kids feel good at home. You should spend at least two to three hours you’re your kids and indulge them in puzzles, games, riddles, interactive learning etc. You can involve your kids into a lot of creative activities. Avoid leaving your child alone. This may hamper their growth and there is a possibility that your child may develop some personality disorders. Always keep your child under someone’s supervision and do not leave them alone.
Let the child in your kid be at his or her best. Let him enjoy the most by dancing, jumping around, painting, having fun. After all childhood is definitely one of the most beautiful phases of your life.
As far as vaccination in children in concerned, there is a serious lack of awareness in spite of the government attempts to popularize this. Vaccination in children is a must because even though antibodies are passed from mother to the unborn child and after birth, mother’s milk continues to provide additional antibodies, this protection is not permanent. Vaccination provides protection against diseases and in the growing years of a child. Hence, vaccination is a must.
Through vaccinations we have been able to prevent a number of diseases. There are certain vaccines that are to be given at birth, namely BCG, oral polio vaccine and hepatitis B. Then at sixth, tenth and fourteenth week, DPT with polio vaccine & hepatitis B need to be given. At the age of nine months, a child should be given a dosage of measles vaccine. What vaccination does is that it injects a weakened microorganism that causes the ailment so that the immune system in our body is stimulated to fend off the weakened microorganism. The immune system also remembers to fight off the organism if it enters the body later.
Vaccination is one of the most effective ways of preventing a disease. Vaccines have known to be ninety percent effective. Most of these vaccines are subsidized by the government and hence is the most economical way of preventing diseases.