I remember being spanked, but I don’t remember for what. The lessons were lost. My teacher was blissfully unaware that you cannot teach any lesson by spanking. What she did manage to teach is that it is acceptable to be a bully if you are bigger. And I always fantasied about becoming big – bigger than him – and beating …

Children with low self-esteem are usually anger to relate but fear being able to relate successfully. Since failure is most threatening to them, be positive and success-oriented in your approach. As I mentioned before, one of my usual approaches in relating to a new child in tutoring or therapy is to have ready a series of nonthreatening questions in neutral …

Shreya is a mother of two young kids. She successfully juggles her career with household chores and exclusive time for her kids. Then there’s Neha, whose 16-year-old daughter’s dance and coaching classes and long PTA meetings ensure she’s always on the go. A mother and a grandmother, Parvati is usually busy with her social work. No matter what the age …

During pregnancy, we all know that one should stay away from alcohol, cigarettes and drugs of any kind. But what if your intake of seafood is very high? What if you keep cats in the house? Do you now need to get rid of them? You don’t need to be paranoid when you’re pregnant. As someone remarked “I can’t put …

Toys are necessary for a child to play and learn. From about three months, a baby needs stimulation in the form of simple playthings. A mobile suspended above the crib will amuse the baby and provide visual stimulation. Noise-making toys such as bells or rattles are useful as soon as the child learns to hold an object in his hands. …

With Father’s Day approaching, I have been wondering what to buy for my dad. Would he like an all-purpose toolbox for the innumerable repair jobs he finds at home – an interest he picked up during the one year he was unemployed. Or, would he like a new golf mallet? Perhaps I shouldn’t . Isn’t this what had kept him …

You looked away for what seemed like a minute and your piggy tailed play school going baby has flowered into a young teenager, all gung ho about going out for an evening with a complete stranger! While dating might be a concept Indian families are slowly familiarising with, nothing short of hell breaks lose, when you realise that your daughter …

Remember Stephanie Tanner from the hit SitCom “Full House”? Remember her several issues with “always being in between!” Well, that is a glimpse (a very tiny glimpse) of middle child syndrome for you. Without a doubt, in reality the syndrome can get much worse. So, how does a parent know that their little angel is suffering from a syndrome simply …

A disease, which has no formal treatment as such other than prevention through immunization, measles is most commonly seen in pre-school children, specially in the winter and spring ones. It initially appears like a bad cold that is getting worse. Contact the doctor if your child has a cough, a fever along with a rash. Its symptoms begin appearing only …

“Children Obesity” is becoming an increasing concern amongst today’s parents. As our life styles change, we must carefully monitor the effects these changes have on the physical and mental health of our children. Obesity is a condition of excess weight. Research already shows a growing incidence of problems like diabetes, hypertension, cholesterol, asthma and orthopaedic problems at an increasingly younger …