The Parenting Forum Blog

The cloudy sky, drizzling showers and roaring thunders are back again. Everyone seems to take a review of the closet to take out the rain suits and the umbrellas. At the same time, it is the school shopping that goes on with equal vigour!

The task for Moms is to let the kids enjoy the rains and at the same time keep them away from infections and diseases that come in with the season. Special care comes in for those kids who are allergic or prone to infections of various types.

Antiseptices and antiallergic cleaners, cleansers and sanitizers prominently make their way into our homes. Especially kids need to be instructed to keep themselves dry and clean.
 
Outside food, beverages and water are something we need to avoid for the next four months. Switch on to mineral water or preferably carry a water bottle if you are out. Avoiding uncovered, unhygenic foods is something we have learnt from the school days and so have our kids.

Keep a check on the diet health and hygiene and welcome the monsoon!

If you are looking for a day care centre where you can enroll your child, here is what you need to ensure:

• The day care provider should be not only be professional but caring and loving too. It means that when there is an emergency of any kind, the provider should go beyond the call of duty and be there for your kid. This makes the kid more comfortable with the caretaker.
• The centre may provide food and snacks or may ask you to do so. In both the cases, the child should be fed well and on time. Nutrition is something they also need to look into as much as you do. Along with it also come cleanliness and hygiene.
• The day care centre should have a thorough know how of baby and child care. A tie-up or contact of your paediatrist, the list and knowledge of administering first aid or medicines to the baby when required are some of the very essential things.You cannot sit biting your nails in the office wondering if your kid has been given the afternoon dose of medicines.
• The day care centre should be clean and hygienic. This applies to the place, toys, bedding and kitchen. So also the way the baby is taken care of, the nappies changed and disposed, wipes and bibs used properly. For older kids, the hygiene manners should be inculcated properly.

As your baby grows up with the recognition of tastes, you have a tough time feeding certain dishes that are not welcome. As a toddler, the problems get worse as the kid gets adamant about eating. Junk food items, fast foods are an added attraction to this. You wonder how to cope up with this and also worry how to supply proper nutrition that your little one needs.
Remember a few basic rules:

There are several recipes that are yummy and nutritious too, but this cannot be an everyday game. Your child needs to get accustomed to eating the staple and complete diet.

Draw the line for your kid regarding meals and breakfasts. Do it tactfully but make sure the kid knows who is the boss. At the same time do not completely eliminate junk foods, they are fine once intermittently.

Strictly adhere to two things during meals- Sitting in one place and NO TELEVISION! Once you get this done, half the problems are resolved.

If you have not introduced your kid to all the important tastes earlier, its not too late. Start with different veg soups and add various flavours to it. The toddler will learn to develop the taste buds.

Make eating time interesting by all of you joining together and chatting over.

Food can be fun with attractive serving and feeding items. Use special kids' bowls, dishes and spoons that are attractive and colourful. Your young one will love that.

Preteen kids adore accessing the Internet time and again. The net provides loads of information and is instrumental in developing knowledge. It is tempting to be a part of the social networking sites where they can hang on with friends, to download the top 20s on music charts and the latest games. They can brag among their friends about the updates they receive.Though it is essential for your young one to be in touch with the technology, it is your duty to recognize the pitfalls and make sure to be present as the guide. Some of the risks and the ways to manage them are:

Risks

• Preteens is the age span that loves adventure and risks. The kids can land up getting in touch with strangers and thus may become a victim of sexual abuse or cyber crime.
• This age has a curiosity about sex related topics. This may result in the access of adult sites or spam mails depicting adult content.
• Internet surfing can become an addiction and thus result in introvert personalities and disinterest in studies and extracurricular activities.
• Preteens is a comparatively immature age. Kids can reveal their personal information or information related to finances or family to strangers without realizing the gravity of the situations.

Solutions

• Just like television, restrict the time for Internet surfing. Maybe 1-2 hours everyday.
• You cannot sit with the kids all the while they access the net; moreover they resent this intrusion into their privacy. But it is important that you periodically monitor the surfing. The best way out is to make friends with your young one.
• Talk to them about the possible risks of chatting or mailing unknown people and set the rule for the same.
• Encourage them to surf good sites that really enhance their general knowledge.
• Do not commit the mistake of putting a ban on the net. That may make them a rebel and they might turn to external resources which is a greater risk.

Well, this article is meant for the parents as much as for the teenagers who are just out with flying colours from the HSC board exam. This is a period of lot of anxiety and dilemma. The possibility of not getting admission for medical or engineering, or the confusion of opting for traditional sciences or applied courses. The future MBA craze and the urge to do something offbeat!

The next two months are very crucial in your life. Parents in some cases are stable and wise to guide the confused kid through this phase, while in some cases they seem to be much more anxious than the kids. Some parents are keen on getting their dreams realized by hook or by crook, while some feel that low percentage means a lost battle..."ab kuch nahi ho sakta!"

As admissions speed up in the next quarter, these are the few days when you guys need to study yourself and the market as well. List out your options and prioritize them. Your options should include careers that are close to your heart and in the field that you will love to work in for a lifetime. In your first three options weigh the possibilities of admissions on the basis of the University/Institute, merit and the fees that your parents can afford. Else move on to the next.

BUT APPLY EVERYWHERE! Just because you think its out of reach, doesn't mean you won't get it! So keep trying. But don't get disheartened if you don't get through. There is always a still better option waiting for you round the next corner!