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Preventing children’s temper tantrums

Feb 12
Posted by Mritunjay in Discipline

Does your kid throw tantrums on a regular basis? Well, you are not the only parents to suffer from this problem. Parents all across the globe go through child tantrum issue. The main reason behind this occurrence is new found autonomy by the children. Children start doing things on their own, they decide about their clothes, making new friends and a hint of independent streak starts emerging. But the high of this independence factor is quite restricted by parental control. When children don’t find things going their way, they start feeling frustrated and as a result of that venting their ire through tantrums seem to be only logical way out.

Some of the basic reasons behind temper and tantrums shown by kids are boredom, frustration, hunger and exhaustion. A toddler can easily get frustrated for N number of things. It could be as simple as not being able to switch on the light or television. Boredom is again natural to kids as they can’t sit still in one position. They need to keep moving and if their movement is restricted they start feeling bored and irritated.

Toddlers need to eat more frequently than an adult and that explains why hunger is most often the prime reason behind child’s tantrums. Parents must keep in mind when was the last time the child had snacks. So before your toddler starts throwing tantrums you must be aware of his eating cycle and when he might start feeling hungry again.

Sleep is another important issue here. A child needs to have his siesta and many a times temper tantrums emerge when child is devoided of a good sleep. Try to establish a sleeping routine for kid. Parents must also use different distraction method when child starts demanding for unreasonable things. To end with, tantrums are a normal part of growing up phase of the kid and it cannot be completely avoided. But yes, with little bit of effort and attention you can always minimise it.

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Teaching Your child to Deal with Bullies

Jan 26
Posted by Mritunjay in Advice, Schools

Children face different sort of problems in school and one such problem is dealing with bullies. The best method to handles bullies is by ignoring them but what if that method does not work? Parents must help children in handling such situations because being bullied is never ever a good experience and it can seriously affect self-confidence and self-esteem of the kid. The problem of bullying is almost a universal one and faced by numerous kids in schools. Times have also changed and there should be new strategies to handle such serious problems. Telling your kid all the time to ignore such problem will not work.

Parents should consult school administration in regards to such issues. The problem of bullying has been taken seriously in many schools and many educational institutions are taking strong measure to curb this menace. Some of the common steps being taken by schools are establishing anti-bullying rules and procedures, mediation between victims and bullies, stern monitoring and classroom discussion etc. Check whether, your kid’s school has implemented any such program and also offer your suggestions.

You should also focus on your kid and see what makes him vulnerable to bully attack. Make sure he has good group of friends and he stays in a group because bullies usually don’t pester a kid who is walking in a group. Encourage your child all the time to voice his objections and stand tall. No point being a silent victim all the time. Build self-confidence in the kid and he will be able to tackle any adverse situation. Teach him to look people in the eye and remain firm. Make him join a self-defense class where he will be equipped with required defense mechanism.

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Television violence and children

Jan 12
Posted by Mritunjay in Advice, Discipline

Modern age has given us many comforts but at the same time, it has also caused some concerns among parents. Television is omnipresent in almost every household. Kids love to watch TV but experts caution against negative influence of television on children. Many television programs including movies and serials etc are full of violence and this adversely affects children. It’s up to the parents where to draw the line and keep our kids safe from such influences.

Television programs of yesteryears did not use to be this violent. The contents have become more explicit. Whenever a child turn on the TV and witnesses violence, explicit scenes and obscene languages, his mind becomes vulnerable to such programs. Most of the programs on cable TV contain objectionable items. In other words, majority of television programs are only suitable for adult viewing and not for kids. There are few cartoon channels or news channels that are entertaining for kids but parents cannot always keep a tab on remote. Children love to watch television programs and especially songs, videos and movies. These programs have a very powerful influence on behaviour of the kids.

Studies show that too much of television may cause children to become numb or immune to the horror of violence. Children are unable to differentiate between real life violence and reel life violence. Another dangerous effect could be in form of reducing humane factor. Kids could also interpret that violence is the only way of solving problems.

Parents can limit the time children watch TV. Parents should also encourage kids to indulge in other more vigorous activities like sports or reading children’s books. Constant TV viewing makes mind dull. Help your kid in nurturing a hobby. Also try to keep a tab on what kids are watching and be very strict about it. Parents must get themselves involved with kids from an early age and try to nullify negative effects of TV on kids’ minds.

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The Learning Baby

Dec 22
Posted by Mritunjay in Motherhood, New Baby

Parents often think of new ideas that could come handy for babies to learn in a faster and effective way. The thing to remember here is a baby is learning all the time. In fact, a baby learns much faster than an adult. Using a simple metaphor, a baby’s mind is like a sponge which is always soaking information and knowledge. A baby uses all her five senses, smell, taste, touch, sight and sound. For a baby, everything is new and exciting so she tries to soak up everything. A human being keeps learning all his life but the rate at which baby learns things is truly phenomenal. During his/her initial days after the birth, a baby grows up in everything right from size, width, emotions and intellect.

It is very important for parents to stimulate baby for better and quick learning. Even your innocent loving gestures can do wonder to baby’s learning process. Parents should focus on establishing strong bond with the baby. In the initial stage it can be done by using your facial expressions. Remember, a baby starts identifying you by your face, voice and touch. You can bring your face closer to the baby and act animated. You can smile, talk, read colourful books and even hold one way communication with your baby.

It is imperative for parents not to have any preconceived notions about baby’s learning. A baby keeps learning new things, growing new ideas and skills. It is the job of parents to find out new ideas that will help baby in quick learning. Keep experimenting with new games, new ways and you will come across several wonderful ideas.

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Tackling thumb-sucking

Dec 13
Posted by Mritunjay in Motherhood, New Baby

Thumb sucking is a common action performed by majority of babies. One thing about thumb sucking is that, it subsides on its own with the passage of time. As baby grows older, this habit tends to subsidises. Normally it has been found that a child quits this habit of thumb sucking between the age of thee and six. Most of the babies stop this habit before the appearance of the second teeth. A child resorts to thumb sucking because he/she seeks additional comfort or support. But parents need not worry about this habit as it will go anyhow. But parents should not force child to leave this habit through coercive measures.

Parents should watch the frequency of thumb sucking. If the child does it occasionally, it is not a concern then but if child does it frequently then it might be a cause of concern. As frequent thumb sucking indicates lack of love or even maladjustment. There could be several other reasons like if child is seeking companionship or [parents are giving him enough time or could be anything else. It is the job of the parents to identify what is bothering the kid and take corrective measures.

There are certain steps that parents could think of. One of them is stop nagging the child. It won’t do any good to the kid. There is also no point in making the kid feel conscious about it. Parents should stop worrying unduly about the habit of thumb sucking. Your worry is not going to help the situation. You can think of using different methods to distract her. For example, you can use toy for distraction or offer some candies to the kid if he does not suck the thumb. Finally, don’t use any harsh treatment and rather focus on friendly methods.

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Understanding Crying Babies

Dec 06
Posted by Mritunjay in Advice, New Baby

One of the biggest challenges for a parent is to how to handle crying baby. The problem is a common one faced by all the parents. The first thing you need to notice is what makes your baby cry? There could be several reasons like hunger, thirst, irritation, pain, health issues and likewise. Try remembering how did you react when the baby started crying? One option could be of picking her up every time she cries or to simply ignore her tears and pray that she stops on her own. Both options have their pros and cons. Like in case you don’t pick her up and let her cry she might develop low self-esteem and feel insecure without your touch. This can have a long term repercussions. On the other hand, if you pick her every time she cries, she will understand that what she needs to do to get held.

Parents must know that usually babies cry when they feel sleepy. What normally happens that parents let babies cry so they get tired and sleep on their own. This is more like a time tested method. This way, parents can also have a peaceful sleep. One thing parents need to remember is that a baby is not smart enough to fake her cry. She has some genuine reasons and that could be something like discomfort she is facing. She is sleep as well and has no clue how to react and what to do so she is crying.

But don’t assume that letting her cry is the only option you have. Try to comfort her and fed her because that normally makes babies sleep. Balance out the things. She may also have a need that you need to identify. May be her nappy is wet and something on the bed is making her uncomfortable. Try to recognise those signs. Don’t get panicked and understand that it is a normal thing.

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360 degree Learning

Nov 28
Posted by pankti in Hobbies

360 degree learning is an overall learning that nurtures kids. It does not make them robots that memorize, write exams and forget what they were taught. Here, learning is more to do with the overall development of the child.  360 degree learning is based on the theory that an organism functions properly only when he uses all parts of the body. Effectively using smell, sound, sight and touch, your child can learn through all the incidents and the activities that take place in his life. Your child can experience holistic learning right from the time he enters playschool or nursery provided you take the right steps to inculcate this process of learning in his life.

 This technique is based on the concept that an organism functions properly only when all parts coordinate and co-operate with each other in their individual functioning. Holistic learning involves through activities like story-telling, playing games, making the kid feel happy about what he learns and aiming at understanding of subjects such that it stays with kids for a long time.

 Overall learning and liberal education go hand in hand. Liberal education believes that a child should be allowed to learn what he enjoys the most and he is thus offered subjects that range from a variety of disciplines. He is not restricted to learning math, sciences and social sciences. He learns subjects like guitar, singing, painting, volleyball, poetry and many others. Overall learning facilitates to make kids use all their senses and use a ‘whole body’ approach towards learning.

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Teaching Value of Money to Your Teen

Nov 28
Posted by Mritunjay in Activities, Discipline, 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.

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Parenting Pleasures

Nov 24
Posted by Mritunjay in Family, Motherhood

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.

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How to use watercolors

Nov 22
Posted by pankti in Family, Hobbies

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.

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