Stammering Child

Stammering is not an unusual problem amongst kids. Many of the first born male children are victim of stammering problem. Scientifically speaking, it is a predominantly male problem. Almost 75-80% of the stammers are male and most of them have got this because of some sort of family history of stammering. On an average, it starts before the child reaches the age of five and most often than not, stammering reaches its peak in the age range of 10-18. Having said so, it requires immediate attention and parents should treat this issue with utmost priority.

So what exactly is stammering and does this occur every time a person speaks? Answer is No! when a kid stammers while speaking, he always knows what he wants to say but the speech process is not always a smooth flow of words that’s why many a times, stammers sing perfectly without any hem-haw because they know which word is coming next whereas in conversation they suffer through cessation of speech sound. Stammering affects a child more severely on the psychological level because of accumulated fears. Peer pressure also plays a role in robbing him of his confidence and shyness.

The problem with stammering is the fact that it’s not a disease and therefore no medications for it are available. It becomes a habit. The stammering child just has to unlearn stammering and needs to develop a new way of speech. The new way involves speech fluency building techniques. Many therapeutic techniques are available and parents must seek professional guidance to tackle this problem. Parents must encourage the child to face this problem and never hide it. That way, child will gain confidence even with problem and stammering gets much more improved when the kid is in a relaxed emotional state. Lesser stress means speaking with greater control and authority.

Pervasive Developmental Disorders

Pervasive Developmental Disorders is also known as PDD. Commonly found in many kids, this problem requires urgent attention. PDD is known to cause social functioning of child. Its basically a kind of disorder and the term refers to a complete category of disorder problems. It does not signify one particular disease as such. Many parents have spent numerous sleepless nights while wondering why their kids are not active socially. Or why they have problems in communication matters? PDD adversely affects a person’s socializations skills and communication skills. There are several disorders under the category of PDD, like childhood disintegrative disorder, autism, asperger syndrome or rett disorder etc. as many of us know, autism is a serious problem. However, it does not affect longetivity of the affected persons but yes, communication thing is greatly disordered.

Parents must keep a watch on their kids. PDD brings behavioral changes not physical ones. So symptoms could be, when child is found wanting is area of understanding language or his speech is not proper, when child is unable to relate to tasks, objects and even people, when child shows unusual behavior and is not able to adjust with new changes in his surroundings. This problem can be diagnosed in early childhood. But for that parents must not overlook particular symptoms in name of late blooming types of theories.

Unfortunately pervasive developmental disorder remains for the life and there is no completely curable remedy for this. But, there are several specialized therapy and medication available for behavioral effects. These therapies help in developing social skills. Parents must not feel disheartened because helps are available for this problem and child can still live a normal healthy life.

Single parenting

Parenting is a tough job. It’s a big responsibility for both parents. Now think of responsibility and pressure faced by a single parent. The status of single parent is a Herculean act to follow considering the amount of extra responsibilities and work load. Single parenting is often a result of death of the spouse or separation or divorce. But then, one can not shirk from responsibilities of parenting.

A single parent has to face several issues but al the issues have solutions. Take for example decision making problems. Several aspects concerning the kid need to be decided including his or her education, accommodation, hostel or traveling. A single parent must try to open his/her heart to trusted relatives while taking such decisions. Several worthwhile suggestions will come forth. Talking to separated spouse will also go a long way in solving such issues. A single parent also needs to take decision regarding emotional and physical needs of the kids. The parent must be willing to shoulder this huge responsibility with optimism and courage. Issues can range from school work, peer group, hygiene issues to punctuality and discipline. One way of sharing this responsibility is by talking to close trusted persons including grandparents or even maid servant. Think of the child’s bright future and parent will never find this responsibility cumbersome.

A single parent should also try to present a happy appearance to his/her kids. There should not be any hint of past bitterness or anger or frustration because that’s definite going to affect children adversely. Try to make a friendly relationship with kids. Also prepare yourself for social stigma of single parent status and give special care to your own health.

Kids and Junk Food

With the changing times, our food habits have also changed. Gone are the days of healthy nutritious food. We have a new favorite and that is junk food. The hustle bustle of life has made us focus on junk foods. Junk food is defined as anything which is tasty, fashionable, quick and convenient. The craze of junk food is common across all the genders and age. Junk food like pizzas, wafers and colas are engulfing our lives in a negative way. Most of the hard core junk food addicts are not realizing negative side of junk foods. Children have also been affected greatly from this craze. It’s common to see kids munching upon colas and wafers. New age kids are so fond of junk foods that even parents are succumbing to their taste buds.

Children must be made aware of healthy food and eating habits. They should also know harmful side effects of junk food. Junk foods are known to cause several diseases like obesity, clogging of arteries by the age of 30 and it also increases the chances of breast and prostrate cancer. Hypertension and osteoporosis are also known to be result of bad eating habits of childhood. Ignoring proper diet and relying more upon junk foods can also cause decaying new teeth, debilitating disease, slow growth and infirmity which can wreck havoc in lives of kids when they grow old. The reason being, these junk foods consist of inedible colors which can cause hyperactivity and learning disabilities.

Junk foods have managed to replace regular diets. It’s upon parents to instill good fooding habits in their kids’ right from the beginning. During the process, children should also be made to understand the importance of Healthy Indian recipes and eating together with balanced mixture of diet.

Parenting : Fundamental Guidelines

While parenting was never considered as an easy job, but following few fundamental guidelines always help a great deal in handling kids. A child needs to be handled with a mix of care, caution and essentially discipline. Sense of discipline must be instilled in a child right from the beginning. This will go a long way in shaping his future life. Few guidelines are;

Keep a strict check on television watching and recreation time. Children's company must also be thoroughly watched.

Children learn by their mistakes so allow them to grow and learn through the route of mistakes.

Expressing your love is equally important than loving someone. When parents express their love in form of hug and peck, it makes kids feel special.

It always pays to keep alcohol and drugs away from the house,. Children feel curious about these things and parents should either restrain from taking these or must keep them in moderation.

Always, always believe in your children and teach them to believe in themselves as well.

It is said that a child is the father of man. Humor aside, conversating properly with your children can teach a great deal. So, go ahead, have a chit-chat with your little angels.

Nothing is more pleasurable than maintaining a happy and loving home environment. Remember, a smile and love is always infectious.

Children always love to have company of their parents so it is only natural to give them a lot of your time to kids both quality and quantity.

Laughter and more so humor goes together well in strengthening the bond between parents and kids.

Always try to communicate gently. However, your communication should also be firm and clear.

Teach your kids importance of courage and dreams.

Few Rules for Parents

There are few basic rules every parent must follow if they want to see thir kids grwoig in an ideal way. Those few rules can be summed up in foloowing points-

Kids must be taught basic values like patience, honesty, patience and self-control etc. these values should be ingrained in their mindset with utmost care and in a steady way. The best way to teach is by presenting your own example. Making them realize the importance of words like self-confidence and self-esteem goes a long way in chalking out their personalities. These are the virtues they will carry for the rest of their lives.

Children must be praised openly. Their inapparopriate behaviour also needs to be reprimanded in an appropriate fashion. Parents should also strive to maintain a happy environment at home. Nothing is better than a happy family.

Always, alwzys belive in your kids and also teah them to belive in themselves.

Parents must also have a look at below written passage in ‘The Prophet’ by Kahlil Gibran.

“Your children are not your children.
They are the sons and daughters of Life's longing for itself.
They come through you but not from you,
And though they are with you yet they belong not to you.
You may give them your love but not your thoughts,
For they have their own thoughts.
You may house their bodies but not their souls,
For their souls dwell in the house of tomorrow,
which you cannot visit, not even in your dreams.
You may strive to be like them, but seek not to make them like you.
For life goes not backward not tarries with yesterday.”

Remembering this passage and the underlying message goes a long way in becoming a good parent.

Kids’ movies

A kid is quite an entertainer in himself. But then, kids also need fun and enjoyment. Movies are hugely popular amongst kids. Kids love to lose themselves in the imaginary world portrayed in films. No wonder, a great number of kids oriented movies are produced and churned out every year. Hollywood has taken the lead in this aspect and produced great kids’ classics which are worth watching both by kids as well as parents. These movies not only act as stress reliever for kids but also give them a wonderful opportunity to spend some time with parents. Parents on their part fulfill their responsibility and going to movies, Amusments Park, museums act as attachment factor between parents and kids. There are number of great kids’ movies I will recommend.

Star Wars Episode 1: The Phantom Menace
Aladdin Babe: Pig in the City
Quest for Camelot
Happy Feet
Back to the Future
Beethoven
Family Movies for Valentine's Day -1 & 2
A Bug's Life,
Shrek- 1 & 2
Ice Age
Harry Porter Series
Bugs
Pans Labyrinth
A Doctor Dolittle
D2: The Mighty Ducks
The Rugrats Movie
The princess Bride
The Goonies,
Hercules
The Wizard of Oz
The Lion King- 1 & 2
The Little Mermaid
Madeline
Mulan
The Parent Trap
Pocahontas
The Prince of Egypt,
The Lion, the Witch, & the Wardrobe,
Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory,
Bridge to Terabithia

Child Adoption and Few Reasons

Many parents go for adoption with the intention of serving world in their own way and that way is intention of curbing population. These unique groups of parents don’t wish to contribute to already exceeding world population so they rather prefer to go for child adoption. This is indeed a righteous gesture. In this fast paced world, most of the urban couples are short of time because of their work schedules. Quite often, couples going through time constraint, find it rather exhausting to go through the process of conception, birth and maternity leave. So, one ideal way out of this situation is child adoption. It has also been seen that, some of the career oriented women run out of their biological clock and in such cases, only way to enjoy the parenthood is adoption.

Child birth and resulting late night grinds is a tough process, every parent go through. Many couples have only one child and in order to complete their family without taking the trouble of pregnancy and child birth, they go for child adoption. A common occurrence these days is, single person adopting a child without getting married. Many people do not want to get married but they also want to enjoy parenthood so for them adopting a child makes for a complete solution.

Few other reasons include, people suffering from some sort of genetic disease which prohibits them from having their own kids. In those cases, adoption is a much safer and simper solution. Few females prefer adoption because of labor pains and fear of losing their well-maintained figures.

Child Adoption Issue

Adoption is relatively not so common event in India. It would not amount to exaggeration if we say that, it’s still a taboo subject in India. People often associate the term ‘adoption’ with infertility but that’s far from true. Even we look around us; a child is adopted only when a couple is unable to conceive a child. Most of these luckless couples are advised to go for adoption by contacting an orphanage or a social institution. But, like west, here also the view is slowly changing. Western world has witnessed great number of couples adopting a child even while they were having their own babies. Few of the main reasons guiding them are; self-satisfaction, contribution to society or even willingness to provide some company to their kids.

Few parents go for child adoption simply because they love kids. To a more conventional society like ours, that might seem a bit unrealistic but then; sometimes love for kids’ overrides all other emotions. Realizing the fact that, a child is orphan and we can provide them with needed love and stability, parents go for adoption. Similarly, sometimes, parents with own kids of same sex also go for child adoption. Suppose, if a couple already has two baby girls, they naturally feel desire of having a baby boy in order to give a complete look to their family. This is a major reason behind many parents going for child adoption in many parts of the world.
Adoption in India resource: http://www.adoptionindia.nic.in/

Benefits of Arts for Kids

Art is also a great form of stress buster. It relaxes kids and kind of fun for them after completing their homework. In fact, these days most schools compulsorily include arts as an extra curricular activity. A child’s artistic abilities and his drawings help in other things as well. Psychologists support drawings of child because it helps them in drawing inferences from the child's art and psychoanalyze them. Another benefit of drawing and painting is, it’s a kind of let out for the kids.

Indulgence in art is extremely useful in developing child's creativity, imagination, cognitive skills, problem-solving abilities, fine motor skills, and many other qualities. A study by Americans for the Arts show, children who regularly participate in a comprehensive art programme are four times more likely to be elected to class office. They are also four times more likely to win an award for writing and four times more likely to be in a math or science fair.

A kid’s involvement in sculpting develops his skills in regard to three dimensional problems. It also helps in building self esteem as children feel proud of their achievements in the works of art created by them. Other benefits are improved problem solving skills and heightened sensory awareness as well as their manual deftness.

Parents on their part must encourage their kids and appreciate their achievements. They should also provide children with art books specifically designed for kids. Kids with artistic inclinations should also be enrolled in art activities like summer classes and various art courses.

Art and Child

A child must be introduced to the magical world of arts. Not that, he or she should be forced to take any particular form of art but depending upon his choice and inclination kids must be encouraged to let their imaginations go wild. It not only helps in increasing self confidence but also improves creativity. Art is often used to get rid of boredom and stress. For example, if a child is sitting idle and getting irritated, the best way is to encourage him to doodle. It’s an effective solution to his boredom. We can expect a miraculous art work from a kid but no one is born genius. Let the kid go wild with his creative imagination. Provide him with sufficient art material and let him draw whatever he or she is willing to. It would be better if parent is sitting alongside the kid and drawing as well. This way, child will get extra motivation and parent will get to spend quality time with kid.

There are several media available for the kids to discover and indulge in his artistic side. Let’s take painting for example. A kid can be encouraged to play with pastels initially. With the passage of time he can switch to water colors. If he is found to be interested in painting, parents can encourage him to go for oil paintings. Also push him for out of the box thinking. Encourage him to indulge in any form of paintings through whatever means. Let him draw whatever he wants to and with any color combination. A kid can also play around pot painting or dough and similar activities.

Vegetable Juices for Child’s Health

A child’s health is of paramount importance for any parent. Parents should always check whether their kids appear listless or tired and always low on energy. If that is the case, that’s a sign of trouble. It has often been seen that, most of the kids while still in their early age are always active, running all around and having fun. But when the same kids reach adolescence, lethargy sets in and they don’t appear active any more. In fact, they just try to hang around, chatting, or eating or plain sleeping all day. So, what’s the solution? My answer will be lots of vegetable juices. It’s magical the way it builds a child’s health and increases his or her energy level. Vegetables are loaded with anti oxidants and nutrients, are unprocessed, and are great for health. Normally, kids don’t prefer vegetables that much. In those cases, vegetable juices are of great help.

Vegetable juice is quickly perishable, so care must be given to drink it drink it immediately after juicing the vegetables. A child should be given different types of vegetables on an alternate basis. If he is drinking same juice every day, he might get fed up of it and secondly it’s medically recommended to rotate the juice diet. That provides balance in the diet. Another recommendation is mixing pulp with juice. Pulp provides much needed fiber and roughage. Vegetable juices are not known for fat and protein. So the child should also keep getting his protein from other sources besides good indian recipes.

Homework of Children- Solution

The solution of homework of children should begin with deciding upon a specific time to complete homework every day. Parents on their part should make sure that they are present at that particular time so they could be of any help whenever needed.

Parents must always encourage their children. There is no point discouraging kids on things like homework. They should also not be compared with other kids at any costs. Children need to be praised for their hard work and sincere efforts. They should also try to present examples by relating different aspects of study. Like, if the kid is doing good in exams, they must be remind him or her that its their proper work with homework that has got them good result in the exams. Children’s achievements should always be applauded at every possible moment.

Parents should keep a close eye on tests schedule of the children and plan accordingly. They are also supposed to help their kids in organizing their schedules and homework.

Many children create problems like, tantrums, anger, whining. In those conditions parents shouldn’t try to assert their authority. Try to serene your kids. Or better still leave him alone or indulge in some other light activities. Insisting on homework completion at that very moment should be avoided.

Parents should always keep themselves interested in child’s homework help. At no point, child should get the message that his homework is source of continuous strain for their parents.

Teach your children the virtues of completing homework properly and not cheating. Build his self-esteem through various motivation techniques and methods.

Homework of Children- The Problems

One of the scariest thought for a kid is doing his or her homework. In fact, it’s a nightmare for both parents and children. In this hugely competitive world, children are saddled with extreme pressure in each and every aspect of life since their early days. They are expected to be super intelligent and equally good at other extra curricular activities at the same time. It’s really tough for them to manage all their work pressure plus the required time for sports. Generally, its not an exciting thought for kids to complete their homework but then they don’t have a choice given the conditions they are living in.

Many parents particularly office going ones, also suffer from homework phobia. Even after a hard day of work, they have to come back and sit with their kids and help them in finishing their home works. The other problem they face is, the problems they are required to face while solving questions have long been forgotten by them so it gets even more irritating and tiresome for them. But they don’t have a choice because children need their parents in solving problems.

Children tend to throw tantrums the moment you mention homework. This dreaded word makes even most obedient and disciplined child run for covers and finding some obscure excuses. It’s a common sight to see kids faking illness, making faces, getting angry and agitated when it comes to doing his homework. The point is workload has definitely increased drastically for those innocent kids. Parental expectations, peer pressure etc are driving them crazy. They are simply unable to cope up with this increasing pressure.

Child and Music

Music does wonders. Science research often tell us about magical effects of music and how fruitful is, using music as a treatment tool. So how about, letting our children learn a few tricks of this divine thing! Most kids are fascinated by musical instruments. Few like to play violin, few others with guitar and few more with piano or Tabla or some other instrument. It’s always advisable to allow your children to learn any musical instrument. So many kids are willing to learn an instrument and the least we can do is to help them with learning. It is also believed that music has been the origin of several traditional Sanskrit and Indian baby names .

One of the known scientific fact is most of the children are born as average and not as geniuses. One definition of genius is, they learn faster than others. Learning is not a difficult thing. Anyone can but speed of learning differs from person to person. Making a child learn some musical instrument helps him in learning fast in other aspects of life as well. Considered as an able tool of increasing child’s intelligence, allowing a child to learn music does wonders for him. It helps in kid’s problem solving ability, thinking pattern and above all his logical reasoning ability.

Learning music or instrument also helps a kid in his or her social skills. It enhances confidence among his peers. A musical performance boosts child’s self esteem as well. It will also keep his busy in a creative pursuit. Lastly, music having a soothing effect, will also help a child in relieving his stress during school days.

Building Self-confidence in child- Conclusion

- Parents should ensure a certain time limit for watching television and playing computer games. These things tend to diminish social communication and conversation. Excess of these also make child aloof.

- Asking your kids to help in household chores and other works will make him feel wanted and important. He will also feel competent. Apart, a sense of partnership and responsibility also starts developing in child.

- Another crucial step is preparing a list of things your child is good at. Also create a list of the things he or she likes to do. Encourage the kid to create a list on his own. Afterwards, match the two lists and find if the kid has missed anything. If he has, make him aware that he is also good at other missed things as well. In hindsight, if parents have missed anything, they would be more aware in future.

- Whenever a child is starting a new thing, parents must encourage him or her. Support them, assure them of their capabilities, show them your confidence in them and you will be surprised with what they manage to achieve.

- Parents must push kids for extra-curricular activities like team sports, music lessons or art lessons. One of them may find his true calling or at least realize that he has got talent for certain activity. Apart, in the process he will meet new people and new kids and will learn new skill as well.

- At the same time parents should never doubt on their kids’ ability. Interfering in his work according to your way might not be such a good idea. Last but not the least a child should never be compared with other kids.

Building Self-confidence in child- Beginning

Self-confidence! A very essential element in life of any human being. It not only determines our movements in life but also every step taken by us during the course of life. Career, success, inter-personal relationships, value system and thousand other things which are determined by the level of our self-confidence. It all begins in childhood. It’s extremely imperative for parents to instill that small dosage of self-confidence in child. But remember, this is not a one time process. Confidence level of any kid is determined and developed by several solid steps taken by parents.

Sp often we have seen, a child who is all chatterbox and involved in several activities like dancing, mimicking, acting, singing but he does it only at his home in the comfort of his parents. But once, he is in school, he is all quiet and does not participate in any activity. That’s a sign of lacking self-confidence. He performs at home where he does not care about opinion of his parents but when in school he starts doubting his own capabilities and competence and that in turn robs him of his self-confidence.

There are several steps which need to be taken by parents.
- Creating a set routine for child. It develops discipline and child starts enjoying that.

- A very critical step is exposing him to the world. This needs to be done with proper care and in a slow way. Once parents start playing with their kids, they should encourage them to play with their family members, friends and other children. Similarly, he can be asked to act, dance or recite some rhyme in front of others. Once he starts getting appreciation then, his social skills and confidence will automatically develop.

Enhancing child’s IQ- Tools

Other methods of enhancing child’s IQ are;

Cutting salt intake; Experts recommend reduced salt intake for kids in order to them having better recall power. Sodium overdose is not at all recommended for growing kids. All they require is just one teaspoon of salt every day. Parents should always keep a check on how much salt is being taken by their offspring. The fact that, less salt everyday will become a habit for child and tatse for overdose of salt will not be acquired by kids. Later on, while they grow adult, this habit will prove very useful to them.

Revision; parents should ensure that child is revising whatever he or she has learnt at school. Once kids return from school and after their evening play time, they must be habituated to revise their course. This helps immensely in having better recall power compared to last minute study.

Yoga; yoga has become a world wide phenomenon and one of the most fascinating exports from India. Teaching yoga to child will make a terrific difference in the kid. Most recommended yoga exercises are breathing and strengthening exercises. This helps in enhancing child’s mental and physical well being.

Safe Drinking Water; a child must be provided pure drinking water. It always pays to have water filtered and boiled. Aluminum present in water can adversely affect a child’s memory power. Having a tap or filter attached to the tab will help in keeping elements of aluminum away.

Enhancing child’s IQ- Tools

Enhancing child’s intelligence quotient (IQ) should be parents’ top most priority. The competition is getting tough in today’s brutally competitive world and all parents must think of the way a child’s IQ should be focused upon right from the beginning. IQ plays a major role in future prospects of any person. There are several friendly and exciting ways to boost the IQ level of a kid. Few of them are;

Sleep cycle of a child is quite important factor in child’s proper development. It is recommended that a kid must get minimum of eight hours of sleep a day. Proper sleep ensures that child’s day time learning remains integrated in his brain cells. Improper sleep cycle adversely affects a child’s recall power.

Games; experts recommend chess for growing kids. It helps in activating brain cells and different moves and strategies used in the game gives children an idea about how to look at a particular problem from different perspectives. Chess being a strategy based game helps in making brain more flexible and pushes for more thinking using logical reasoning as well. Other benefits include, improved problem solving abilities, and critical reasoning abilities. Other recommended games are, solving puzzles and general knowledge, memory games etc. all these games improve memory of the kid apart from forces him to think quickly and ultimately helps in betterment of mental skills. Strategy games are also considered more suitable for kids because throw sudden moves whereas other normal skill games have a fixed pattern.

Another Step in Parenting: Sex Education

Imagine a child who has no awareness about his/her own development, and finds out one day that he/she has hit puberty.  Now that they have no one close to confess their situation, all they are left with, is to dread their natural sexual development. Perhaps this concern may not be an issue in the west, but in eastern countries, where apparently every dad and mom is so uptight about sex and sexual maturity, imagine a child who is forced into sex before he/she got any awareness.

                Sex education has turned out to be one of the most important steps in the life of any parent or child. Before your children make decision for themselves, you should keep providing your two cents for their better upbringing. Starting from sexual maturity to love, sex, relationships, to even issues about being gay or lesbian, a parent should always have an open mind for discussion. Always be honest in your opinion, and take it slowly. Every culture, caste and religion may have different values and customs for their children, but these issues need to be communicated in a calm manner for your child to understand them. Invite discussions, and give importance to your child’s point of views. Obviously the right amount of facts and information is very important, but being a parent, you have to convey feelings about this step, and make sure that child takes full responsibility of his/her acts.

Taking care of a child with special needs

Being a parent has never been less than a challenge for anyone who has experienced this phase, but we, who have perfectly normal children will probably weigh our worries a bit less, if we looked at those who have children with some kind of chronic illness or disability. When a child arrives, with an unexpected deformity or learning disability, it hurts parents, who have dreamt of bright, beautiful and perfect children. In such circumstances, it tends to be a big responsibility for both of the parents to not only handle their emotions, but also give special care to the child, which he/she rightly deserves.

There are several things that a parent of a special child should keep in mind. One should never compare the children. More than just taking care of the child, a parent needs to understand his/her child. One has to curb one’s dreams and adjust to the levels of the child. In these circumstances, independence can play a way of self awareness for the child, but at the same time discipline should not be overlooked. Another priority should be to communicate with the child in his/her own way of conversation, whether its slurred speech or hand gestures etc.

There will be times when the other siblings will feel left out, because parents will have no time left after taking care of the special child. Such cases test our tolerance, and stretch our limits to the fullest. But dealing with these negative energies and moving on is what makes a parent.

Disciplining the child

It has been said that when a child is born his or her mind is like a blank slate. Thereafter, it becomes the responsibility of parents to fill that slate with best of everything whether it be, education, manners, learning, sanskaras and so many other things. It’s true that, when a kid grows up he or she is destined to create his own destiny but it must not be forgotten that parents create that special foundation for the kids upon which they carve their future. That takes us to the point of laying a strong foundation. One of the brick of this foundation is discipline mantra. A child must be taught the importance of discipline since his childhood. Because this is one of those important things which make a huge difference in what the kid actually becomes and turns out to be as a human and as a professional once he grows up.

Disciplining a child is a tough as well as delicate task. It must be done with proper care and thoughtfulness. There is a fine line between oppression and over indulgence. But in general, most parents make a mistake in while treading the path of discipline. First and foremost parents must be disciplined themselves and probably more than that they must act disciplined in front of their kids. Parents must set an example for their kids by following disciplined life themselves.

Few guidelines for parenting in public

Explaining the rules to kids in advance. So often kids tend to get stubborn for particular things. They must be informed in advance about how many toys or books or things like that, they would be allowed to have. Any further demand and it will be totally rejected.

Children have this uncanny habit of wanting to have attention at all times. One of the tip to tackle this is to make them feel involved in the decision making process. For example, if a family is out on a vacation in a place like esselworld or wonderland, children must be asked about their preference for rides or swimming. It will make them feel special that they are being asked about their choices and those will be followed.

Parents are advised to observe any signs of boredom or restlessness in their kids. Kids normally have a short attention span for any particular thing. So the moment, they are found bored, it is suggested to take them out for a break or for a little bit of chitchat.

Just like every normal person, kids also love to be complimented. It pays to compliment for every small good thing, howsoever small it may be. This is not only good for their self –esteem but also for overall feel good factor in their fragile psyche.

Finally kids must be treated with a mix of care, caution and firmness as and when required. Rules once explained must be followed at cost.

Following these guidelines definitely go long ways in laying the good foundation for good parenting skills.

Parenting Manuals in Public

Parenting is a serious business. Probably one of the biggest responsibilities of a person in his/her lifetime is raising the kid in most appropriate and effective manner. A kid is said to be like clay and how you handles him/her, results into how he/she turns out to be as a person. It’s about molding the kids using kid gloves, literally! One of the major concerns of parents is how to handle kids in public place in case of their throwing tantrums.

To begin with, it does not take knowledge of rocket science to figure out ones’ kids’ psychology. Parents have more knowledge of their kids than anyone else. Knowing kids’ sleeping pattern, restlessness, his or her being stubborn about certain things, behavior in crowd are few things a parent must be aware of. While going out, parents must be prepared for any such eventuality.

Another method is to have the child entertained by giving him toys, books, colors and such things. This helps in keeping the kids occupied and proves useful in preventing any potential tantrums. Shouting and beating child in a public place is a complete no-no. It also pays to inform the kid in advance about the situations he would be most likely to face in public. Things like, noise, rush, pollution, temperature etc need to be explained to kids in advance. Child should also be explained things with utmost patience and care.

The Importance of Infant's Nutrition

I have seen a lot of mothers turning to goat or cow’s milk, or buying off formula milk packs from the market to feed their infants. Is it the right choice? That poses a debate as to the pros and cons of breast feeding versus other types of milk feeding.

A baby once born does not possess the strength in terms of his immune system, to sustain the outside world. He has lived all these months in the protected environment of a mother’s womb, where mother’s immune system was preventing the foetus from all sorts of diseases, and now this individual has to survive alone in the world. That’s where the function of breast feeding comes into play. After birth, for the first three to four days, the mother’s breasts release a yellowish translucent fluid called colostrum. A baby once born does not possess the strength in terms of his immune system, to sustain the outside world. He has lived all these months in the protected environment of a mother’s womb, where mother’s immune system was preventing the foetus from all sorts of diseases, and now this individual has to survive alone in the world. That’s where the function of breast feeding comes into play. After birth, for the first three to four days, the mother’s breasts release a yellowish translucent fluid called colostrum. This fluid contains specific antibodies important for the child. So no formula milk pack or any other animal’s milk can replace it. Similarly, in preterm births, mother’s milk is naturally modified and suited for the preterm baby who is not properly developed.

A mother’s milk contains a full nutrition supplement for the child. Some surveys and studies have shown that children who are not breast fed have higher deaths rates due to sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) than the rest of the infant population. Clearly, science has progressed enough to design formula diets which can mimic breast milk, but they can never entirely replace the importance of breast milk

A sneak peak...

Enjoying the guarded atmosphere during school times...stepping into an entirely new and unknown world of college...exercising the freedom which is by default given to the child...and so on... this certainly appears to be the journey of any individual living the gift of Almighty,’ Life’.
All through this voyage parents play the role of a’ watchman’, keeping track of every step the child takes. The big question that is posed in front of parents is the line that they need to draw between their concern for their child and the privacy that the child requires.
It is usually observed that the parent very vigilantly observes the moves of the child. This is disliked by kids as their life seems to be interfered constantly. Parents need to strike a balance for the same. At the same time children must realise the importance of the priceless guidance which their experienced parents provide them with.
Time and again parents find it a herculean task to deal with their kids as it has become increasingly difficult to handle the issue of interference in the lives of their children. Both the entities must use the most effective tool of ‘communication’ in order to drive smoothly through the tough and rocky path of life. This would not only make life more effective and productive for the child but also help him to lead his life in the harmony and peace.
It is essential on the part of the parents to make life easier for the child rather than being excessively protective and making it difficult for them. ‘Sneak peaks’ must be in balance from both ends.

Single parent family

It all begins with the birth of a child into this world with the blessings of God to two blessed individuals. Life seems to be happy and complete. Suddenly a tragedy strikes you and you are completely shattered. You are deprived of your life partner with your child being your only reason to live. This may be due to various reasons. Either your journey was only limited to that particular time or you were forced to take a decision to separate.

In simpler words it could either be due to death or divorce. In both these cases, either the father or mother is responsible for the upbringing of the child.
A single parent family is a difficult and thorny task to be executed. Parenting styles and methods do vary with the gender difference.

The tasks performed by both the parents differ with a difference in the gender. The role of a mother and father definitely varies for the child. The father plays the role of a much tougher and disciplinary role where as the mother is looked upon as the love giver and is the more sensitive and docile parent.

But in unfortunate cases where one of the parents does not perform his role due to unavoidable circumstances, the child is deprived of the love and affection of one of them. The single parent is expected to perform the role of both the father as well as the mother.

This certainly is a Herculean task which needs to be dealt with a lot of patience and maturity. The parent must be cautious of every step in order to ensure a smooth and pleasant journey of the golden period of ‘childhood’ for their child.

Parents as friends in the lives of children.

Roles are always pre-decided by the society. A child is expected to be sister to a brother, a sister to a sister, a friend to a friend and so on. In the similar fashion, a parent is definitely placed as a role model, support system in the life of a child. But have we ever thought how important is it to have our parents as friends in life?

All of us definitely have a large set of friends with whom we share our joys and sorrows. These friends are an integral part of our life, but little do we realize that parents are our best friends. Friends, who give unconditional love, a welcoming shoulder, always there to share our joys and guide us to a approved path leading us to success and happiness. Parents knowingly or unknowingly understand what the child goes through. This makes it very easy for them to help the child in dealing with the situation in the best possible and accurate manner. Experiences that the parents have gathered in the due course of life, when passed on to the child, make the child well aware of life and its proceedings.

Parents are undoubtedly the child’s best friends but little do they realize this fact. We tend to take parents as figures of authority and power, forgetting the fun and friend like side to them.
It is very important for the parents as well to help the child by being a friend and not a ‘parent’ all the time. This not only makes life easy for the child and saves the child from the difficult situations of life. Many a times the child is in turmoil and feels the need of a friend. This is the time when parents must lend their shoulder and advice to their kids and be a ‘FRIEND’ to them.

career selection

At first the child is burdened with the overloaded school bags, mounting tension of exams and the pressure of securing the rankers position in academics. Then arrives the crucial deciding year of life when the child is expected to decide his future. He is expected to choose his career plans. This is definitely a Herculean task for both the entities.

Parents hold numerous aspirations for their child and tend to force them onto them without actually comprehending the child’s capacity. Every child is gifted with special and specific talents which parents sometimes fail to recognize. This not only makes life miserable for the parent but makes a deep impact on the child’s psyche.
The child’s mind is fresh, ready to seep in knowledge from various sources and then make appropriate decisions for oneself; but when such parental pressures attack his mind, they act as hurdles in the path to accurate decision making.

The parent must gaze the aptitude of their child and then appropriately help the child the select their career plans instead of forcing them into a field which is away from their talent.

It often happens that the parents indulge into stereotyping of career opportunities. This occurs as they are unaware of the diverse career options available. The parents must acquire and absorb the knowledge of different streams and then present the choices available in front of their child.
Instead of pushing the child through the decision, parents must be a part of the process and help the child to make the best choice.

Selection of a career is a crucial task which should be handled with a lot of patience and intelligence. Since it is a make or break decision, both the entities must work in co-ordination throughout the process.

Parent’s role in developing the child’s self concepts

‘Self concept’ or ‘self identity’ is the manner in which a person thinks about himself. It is the awareness of oneself in terms of perceptions and the way in which he views himself. This idea about oneself primarily develops in the early on years of life. The first five years of a child’s life are the most crucial ones as they determine the future of the child’s identity in front of his own eyes.
In this course of development, the child tends to learn and pick a lot of things from the environment. His environment in the elementary years consists of his parents and intimate family members. Their behavior and attitude towards the child plays a very important role in forming of self concepts by the child.

The child absorbs the opinions and ideas of his family members and tends to formulate and shape his thinking accordingly. Parents are the makers of the child’s thought process about himself.
Self concepts are formed in the early years but do alter and change in the times to follow. Friends and peers make a profound impact on our thinking patterns and beliefs. In this phase of the child, parents play an important role in reiterating the child of values which not only helps the child in building his self concepts but makes them stronger.
The parent must help the child to develop positive self concepts and eliminate the negative ones. This would add the right amount of confidence in the child and help him to survive and bypass the path of life.
The development of the right kind of attitudes for oneself is very essential as they determine the life of an individual. Parents must extend a helping hand to their child at every juncture they surpass and help him enhance and augment his self concepts.

Money management and role of parents

In today’s world money has become the most crucial part of all of our lives. Without money, life seems to appear like a vacuum, existence in which becomes a Herculean task.
Children, from the time they start learning to walk, comprehend the meaning of money. They begin to associate everything with money. It begins with meager amounts. For e.g. “Mummy can I get 5 Rs. to buy a chocolate?” This is the initial stage, which tends to develop as a habit. Once the child forms a habit at such a small age, it lingers around with him throughout his life.

As the child grows the requirement of money increases by the day. The concept of ‘pocket money’ comes in as the child enters school. With the entrance of the child into college, and peer pressure attacking the child from all sides, the necessity of money increases. The ‘image’ of spending unwisely becomes important in order to be a part of the ‘cream crowd’ of the college. Hanging around at hucca joints, watching movies, buying the trendiest clothes, attending with friends becomes the everyday affair. This therefore amplifies the need for money.

The role of parents in this scenario becomes very critical. Parents need to be observant of their child’s behavior. They must control the usage of money by their children so that they do not turn into avaricious kids in future.
Outflow of surfeit money from the parent’s end, results in the child not realizing the value of money and spending injudiciously.
Parents must make a conscious effort to train the child to use money in wise and controlled manner. The value of earning money and its handling should be taught to the child from a tender age itself.

.The role of parents in ensuring Social Skills in children.

People constitute a very crucial part of man’s life. Life begins with people around and ends with the same entity. To live in an approving manner with ‘people’ is highly essential.

Social skills are the skills required to be possessed by a person in order to live a cordial and sociable life with the society. They form the most essential part of an individual’s persona. They not only help him to form amiable relations with the people around him but also augment his living. These skills are instilled into us right from the time of birth. Parents our first teachers, are responsible for imbibing these vital skills in us.
From teaching us the imperative and fundamental ‘Golden words’ to the mannerisms to be adopted in public, they are accountable for all.

The child’s mind is like an empty slate in which the parents inscribe various values, morals and important life skills. These skills are very crucial in the upbringing of the child. The parents play a very important role in instilling these values in them.
‘Parenting’ is a skill in itself which the parents have to deal with a lot of persistence. It is very indispensable for the parents to indulge in the right kind of ‘reward’ and ‘punishment’ activity in order to ensure the presence of the right skills in children.
Approval of the right kind of behavior and denial of the wrong behavior is a must. The child must learn to associate himself with the accurate modes of behavior.
Many a times the child tends to get into a state of confusion due to varied behaviors from parents and grandparents. This should be avoided in order to avoid conflicting ideologies in the minds of naive children.
Parents must ensure all these facets of parenting to facilitate the appropriate upbringing of their children.

Understanding Adolescent behavior

Once a toddler, taking minuscule steps on the floor, learning to walk with the support of our creators…falling at several junctures…being in a confused state of mind at every succeeding minute…seeking approval of ourselves and our decisions on a regular basis from our peers and parents…sometimes getting into conflicts with the very people whom we seek help and get love from…Parents seem to be ‘road blocks’ on our way to a free and happy go lucky lifestyle. But have we ever seen the story from the other side?
The period of ‘stress and storm’, ‘ADOLESCENCE’ which the adolescent goes through, is the most difficult period for a parent to deal with.
At this stage of development the adolescent undergoes various physiological, emotional, cognitive and social changes. Conflict with parents is a major contributor to the turbulence of this period. The contrasting desires of both the entities contribute to the increasing variance. Parents definitely face difficulties relinquishing control, resulting in inconsistent communication and potentially escalating negative consequences for all involved. As this conflicting atmosphere becomes a daily affair, the time that the child spends at home also declines.
Communication plays the most important role in this phase for the child as well as the parents’ life. Most of the parent-adolescent clashes tend to be about mundane issues such as personal appearance, curfews, usage of telephone, completing chores, choice of friends and many more. Parents are constantly worried about loosing control over their innocent but growing child’s life and thus resort to regular monitoring of all their activities.
This behavior of the parents is interpreted as an interference, which makes life full of chaos, bedlam and stress. This occurs as a recurring cycle resulting in dysfunctional family relation.
Parents must adopt a balanced but friendly attitude towards their children, thereby helping the child to surpass this convoluted stage of life with ease and comfort. This will not only assure the child of the love and considerate attitude of parents towards him or her, but would also weave a relationship of friendliness and openness between the two.

Importance of nutrition for a child’s growth

Nutrition awareness in children is essential. Parents should teach their child about different foods and their effects on our body. If a child learns about all this at an early age, he/she can live a healthy life throughout. Healthy eating habits and regular exercise should be a regular part of a family's life; this will help children to emulate their parents who will in turn provide a good example for them.

Nutrition has become the growing need of the day. With more and more children falling prey to diseases and disorders, a lot of emphasis should be given on the five major food groups, all of which are required for good health. Dairy products provide proteins, vitamins and minerals and hence they are an excellent source of calcium. A child should at least have two to three servings of milk, yogurt or buttermilk each day.

It is always better to provide your child with skim milk and nonfat yogurt. Children should avoid eating high fat cheese and ice cream as they are harmful for our body. Candies and chocolates should also be restricted in a child’s diet as sugars supply a large amount of calories, with little nutritional value. Parents play an important role to teach children to live a healthy and a fit life.

Bed time stories for children

Which child is not fond of bed time stories? I have seen parents finding it difficult to find stories to narrate it to their kids every day. Nursery rhymes are usually narrated to their kids by their grandmas or moms themselves. Though I haven’t seen many fathers being good at the art, one can always try!

It is not necessary that you tell your child only about Cinderella and three bears’ stories. If you know about something that you want your child to improve on, develop your own stories in such a way that the story has a moral from which the child can learn. Make sure that you do not narrate stories that involve ghosts and devils because this may affect the child and he or she may not be able to sleep well. Some may even complain of evil dreams.

Short stories are also a great way to spend quality time with your children. It is very important that you spend such time with them because only then a child will open up to tell you about the daily activities of his life.

There are a lot of books too that are available in the market that tell wonderful stories. Your child may not be able to read them but they will definitely help you in narrating a good story to your kid. Gifting story books to children is also a great idea. Story books contain attractive visuals in it and hence when you are narrating a bed time story to your children, you can show them the visuals of the story and they will be able to imagine the characters of that story in a better way.

Extra curricular Activities for Children

In today’s competitive world, your child is expected to be a master at all. Also, going with the popular idiom- All work and no play makes jack a dull boy proves that extra curricular activities should be encouraged.

Many parents force their children to join drawing classes, hobby classes, dancing classes, skating classes, elocution classes, etc to join - the idea to let the child do what he or she enjoys. If you force anything on the child neither is your child going to enjoy it nor will you be satisfied with their performance.

I have seen another species of parents that lay too much importance on academics. Here, you child will only become a ‘book worm’. There is a strong need for activities outside the academic world that teach them a lot of things that books perhaps may not be able to teach them.

It is important that you hone a good skill in your child. If your child loves art, then take him to a peaceful place (may be a green meadow along the country side) with a canvas and allow him to paint whatever he wants to.

If you have budget constraints and cannot afford classes that many parents enroll their children in, you can sit at home and involve your kid in a lot of extra curricular activities. For example, go skating or cycling with your kid. If they are interested in cookery, teach them a simple dish or two!

It all boils down to involving your kid in something that he or she loves doing. A lot of schools also lay stress on extra curricular activities and prefer children who are all- rounders rather than just academic scholars.

When do Permanent Teeth Come in?

Ever seen a just born baby? Well, I have. Usually a baby has no teeth that you can see but the fact remains that the teeth have already started to form in the bones of the jaw. Sometimes, it makes me wonder how teethes grow in a human!

At around six to eight months, babies get their first teeth. They are usually the front two teeth on the lower side. After that, teeth come at regular interval. It takes around two and a half years to have all twenty teeth erupted.

Usually children during this stage tend to be more peevish. Parents associate such problems with this process of teething. Many kids even drool. A lot of parents also assume that raised temperature is a problem due to teething.

Primary teeth are important for both eating and appearance. Any child who has lots of decay in their baby teeth is likely to have the same problem with their permanent teeth unless their diet changes drastically.

The permanent teeth start to erupt around the age of six to eight. The first permanent molars which appear behind all the baby teeth also erupt at the time when the lower front two teethes start erupting. Then around the age of nine to twelve, they are followed by the premolars. The canines also appear at around the same time. Later the second molars start erupting at the age of eleven to thirteen. What is popularly known as the wisdom tooth appears later at the age of seventeen and later. Roots of the baby teeth are dissolved by the eruption of the permanent teeth to allow these permanent teeth to erupt. This happens with the baby teeth becoming loose and falling out.

How to help your child deal with fears

Fear and anxiety is something that everyone experiences at all ages. The feeling is particularly uncomfortable especially amongst children. However some research shows that with children, such feelings are normal and necessary. This is mainly because experiencing and dealing with fears and anxieties can prepare children to handle the challenging situations of life.

As a parent, I have seen that the nature of anxieties and fears change as children grow and develop: As an infant my baby experienced stranger anxiety and clung to me when confronted by people she did not recognize. When she became a toddler, that is around 10 to 18 months, she experienced anxiety, when I would leave the house or her dad would go to office. Today, my four year old daughter feels scared of monsters and ghosts.

Making your child feel safe and secure is extremely important to make them cope with their fears. Children often fear a specific object or situation after having an unpleasant experience. Sleep with them before they go to bed. Tell them stories that do not involve any ghosts or demons. Some signs that a child may be anxious about something may include nervousness, nail biting, nausea, stomach aches etc. The key is to identify the object or the situation they fear and them replacing or removing that object completely. For example, many people fear darkness. Keeping a small night lamp on will surely help.

Talking to your child and knowing about his or her thought process is necessary to identify his fears. Be patient and calm to slowly eradicate all his fears.

Teaching Values and Ethics to Children

It is a great responsibility on parent’s shoulder to teach their kids values and ethics so that they grow up to be responsible moral citizen of the country. Teaching your child about these issues require patience. Kids may be tempted to do something that may be immoral or unethical. The idea is not to punish them but to make them understand how certain behavior is undesirable. As a parent, you should be able to control your temper and understand the mentality of your child.

Giving them love and respect along with teaching them good values can make your child a good individual. However, it is important that this process is started at an early age. Motivate your child to be honest, to respect elders, to be kind, to not steal and lie etc. As a parent you should follow what you preach. Being a good parent comes with certain responsibilities that you ought to follow.

Instilling core values in our children is necessary. Be it school or home, children need to understand good work ethics. Being an overtly strict parent can hamper your child’s growth. At the same time being extremely liberal also does not help. What is necessary is to become their role model. Children emulate to a great extent. So the key lies in being an ideal parent who practices what he/she preaches.

Children are continuously listening and watching what the surrounding offers them. Hence it should be the responsibility of every member in the family to teach good moral lessons to your children. Building strong character and moral values in your child helps to bring about inner security self-confidence in them.

Nail biting habits

Nail biting, hair twirling, nose picking, thumb sucking etc are some of the common habits that are found in children. Most parents constantly complain about these habits that their children have. However, I have realized that it is only a phase for children and that with due time, it fades away when you explain its repercussions to them.

Children are usually unaware of this behavior and that they do not even realize that they are doing something that is not a good habit. Nail biting is one of the most common bad habits that are found in children. These are considered as signs of nervousness. Even nervous adults bite their nails.

There is some research that shows that around more than half percent of children population between the age of five and ten bite their nails. However, most schools are very particular about nail cutting and punish the students if they grow their nails. This is somewhat helpful for children who bite their nails.

As parents one should be patient and calm and make the child realize that it is bad for health when they bite their nails. Praise them or gift them if they do not bite their nails for a specific time frame. Make sure that your child washes his or her hands before meals. Check their nails regularly and make up stories to tell them how nail biting can be dangerous.

There is a study that also shows that even though both boys and girls appear equally prone to this habit, as they get older, boys are more likely to be nail biters. I do not know about the psychology behind this research but the fact lies in being responsible parents who do not encourage these habits and take immediate precautions to curb it.

Bedwetting

Bedwetting as most of you know is involuntary passage of urine while asleep. It is a common problem in infants and young children. Usually by the age of two, a child learns to control the passage of urine during the day. Most children, by the age of three, learn to control it during the night as well. However some children face bedwetting problem even after the age of three. Bed-wetting in certain cases may go on until the fourth or fifth year. However there is nothing to worry about. In few cases, bedwetting continues to persist even after the child is in his teens.

Bed wetting is to do with either psychological or emotional disturbances. Fear, anxiety, tension etc all leads to problems like bedwetting. There are also a few cases where children face problems like worm infestations or urinary tract infections. This can also make your child wet the bed.

I have seen parents punishing their child for his behavior. Punishment, in no way, is going to help. In fact this will instill fear in him and your child will only suffer more from the problem. What is important here is make sure that there is a happy and a healthy environment at home. Your child should feel pleasant. Talk to him regarding his fears and anxieties. Make him or her feel absolutely comfortable with you. Ensure that your child has a sound sleep for atleast eight to ten hours.

What can perhaps help is reducing the amount of water or fluid that your child takes before going to bed. Also, ensure that your child visits the loo before he goes to bed. Be sure to reward him in an appropriate manner when he succeeds in keeping dry at night. Do not punish him when he fails. Tackling problems like bedwetting require time and patience.

Eating Out With Kids

I have seen a lot of young parents avoid going to restaurants and hotels because they have to ‘manage’ their kids. However, on the contrary, it is very essential that you take your kids out to restaurants to teach them good table manners and etiquettes

As a parent you do not want to get embarrassed and hence most parents do not wish to go out with their kids. What can perhaps be done is to involve your kid into some activity while you have your dinner or lunch. Carry some toys along with you. Especially those that your kids love to play with. They will sure get engrossed in playing with them while you can easily dine in your favorite restaurant.

It is also essential that you choose an appropriate restaurant. There are some restaurants that allot special place to you in case you come with your kids. You can also go to casual restaurants that can take in the noise that your child is likely to make. Keep in mind that a reservation will always help and that you do not have to wait for long.

Another option to try for is going to places where buffet lunch or dinner is offered. Buffet with children can be quite fun. In case you have a full time maid for your kid, then going to restaurants that have games and rides for children is the best way to keep them engaged. The maid can take care of your children while you relish your food.

If you reinforce your child with gifts and toys for good table manners, then be sure that he or she is going to repeat this behavior. Positive reinforcement is the best way to teach your child good manners.

If you are ok with finishing your dinner a little early by seven or eight, then one should visit the restaurant during those times. Managing your child while there is less crowd is indeed beneficial!

Holiday Bonding With Children

Kids love the thrill in holidays and look forward to action packed fun, drama and yummy treats. There is only one side-effect of such pleasure trips and that is emotional bonding with your child. One is much at peace during holidays as the chores are not routine and there is time to unwind. Enhance the enjoyment by partaking in activities as suggested by your child. Hectic lives and standardized everyday patterns seldom let us look for the special things in our own lives. Unknowingly we also ignore our children’s ex-pressions. It is certainly a prudent idea to make some savings particularly for holiday trips. All holiday plans need not necessarily be exotic locales. There should be an element of relaxation and participation.

Visits to historic sites may excite you and it is necessary for the child to know about art and culture. If this constitutes your itinerary then include adventure trips to add zing to the trip. At all times, children look for support from parents. A slight encouragement to learn rock climbing or boating will only kick start pure mischief and appreciation. Bond further with long walks on sunny sands and making a castle. Sand sculpturing is loved by all and it is normal that you seem to be more excited than your kid. When your toddler sees that you are equally excited then he joins the fun. Capture each moment in pictures. Holidays are not apprehension times and go easy on meal and sleep times. Over indulgence is not a virtue but being overtly strict is a mood spoiler.Little planning is necessary to avoid travails of travel. Make necessary arrangements by carrying the right clothing and spare garments. Firstly on identifying the luxury home, make enough enquiry on the exact facilities offered by them and the fares. Please indicate clearly if the kids are allergic to certain items. Carry adequate seasonal items like raincoat, woolens and beach wears. Weekend trips to nearby islands and places of tourist interest is an excellent idea offering an alternative to long vacation plans. This sure breaks the monotony. Plan a visit to the botanical garden, water park or nearby beach.

Participate well as this is important. Plan group picnics with lot of munchies, trinkets as hampers and interactive family games. Inculcate sharing and organizing skills in children as they naturally will emulate your virtues. In case the children go overboard which they naturally will, state the limits in private.Teenage is full of mixed emotions. State your holiday dates and you will be surprised at their skill in managing events. Let them free and they will respect you. Include your parents and in laws for a super family entertainment bonanza. More the merrier surely works!