Month: November 2022

When a child is born it gives a new direction to the parent’s life as well. It is an exciting phase in every parent’s life. So it is obvious for them to provide the best of everything to their kids.

But the question is how to draft a perfect parenting guide. The answer is not following the rat race.

Drafting parenting goals isn’t the rule of thumb but rather an art of developing a balance of emotional, spiritual, and social values in kids.

In today’s world, raising a kid with emotional maturity isn’t an easy task, but some ways can help you to develop a state of emotional stability in your child.

Right from the infancy stage parents need to teach kids the importance of accepting mistakes. When they own up to their own mistakes, they learn how to correct them very easily. Parents should teach their kids to feel and express emotions like guilt, anger, frustration, and even sadness. It helps them to understand the nuances of life while growing up. This way they also learn that ups and downs are a part of life and they can manage every emotion that they are feeling.

Parents can share real-life stories and anecdotes with their kids to teach them moral values.

Spiritualism is a way of life and there is a difference between being spiritual and being religious. Inculcating the habit of gratitude and prayer builds a very strong foundation for developing spiritual values in an individual’s life. Not just as a kid but even when they reach old age, these values become a part of their personality.

Helping others is the best way to teach children the difference between happiness and pleasure. Feeding animals and sharing their toys with other needy kids helps them to realize the value of sharing and caring.

When a kid finally starts interacting with people other than family and friends, they develop a kind of social understanding in their nature. This is a very crucial time for parents to keep a close eye on the development of their social skills.

Small things like how they greet elders and interact with their peers make a great difference in how they are going to be as grown-ups. It all starts with teaching them the art of communication. It is easier for kids to adopt maturity when they communicate instead of complaining. Taking care of family members and friends when they are not doing well teaches them the value of nurturing.

Parents should understand that there is no sure-shot way to a perfect parenting style. But if they know when to become a mentor and when to become a friend for their child, they can easily have their way to see their child grooming into a beautiful human being and not just a stubborn kid.

Kids have an infinite amount of energy and sometimes it becomes difficult for parents to manage it. With the pandemic forcing kids to stay at home and adjust to the new normal somehow kids got a lot of time to spend at home. Well, it was supposed to be a blessing in disguise for the parents who are working from home. But at the end of the day, it became a task for them to keep kids busy at home.

As parents we all hear this sentence a lot, “Mumma, I am getting bored” and as a result of our unconditional love, we all find ourselves giving in to their unreasonable demands. Be it watching TV and phone for hours to buying them expensive toys.

So what can you do to channel their energy productively? Let us see what solutions I got from being a parent myself and what my peers have to say about this subject when it comes to parenting kids at home.

We all have heard the saying, “ Nature nurtures eternity” there is a lot we can learn from mother nature. So if we want to teach our kids something about nurturing what is better than making them one with nature?

To develop a nurturing nature, you can start by teaching them the practice of feeding animals around your home. Now you must be wondering how you can channel their energy this way. So, they develop a sense of responsibility with satisfaction when they accomplish simple tasks like this. And eventually, this becomes a part of their routine. When they spend more time in nature doing acts of service, they become better human beings.

Sometimes they might become stubborn and refuse to listen, after all, kids are kids. But if you make them aware of the impact of their service, they will start taking things seriously. They might end up becoming animal lovers.

The next thing you can do is to train them in some form of physical exercise. To start from the basics, yogasana is the best practice to teach kids the power of meditation with physical movements. As they learn to do advanced level yogasans, they get a feeling of accomplishment.

Another thing that you can do is to buy them limited but interesting games. Games that they can work on like logical puzzles, scribbles, and spell games. The trick is to not confuse them by giving them everything at once. But let them concentrate on learning one game at a time. It teaches them patience and improves their concentration at the same time.

Last piece of advice

There are many healthy ways to keep the kids busy at home, but it all requires effort from your side too. As parents, you can also form a group of parents to teach kids different subjects online. Each parent from the group can teach one topic to all the kids online. It gives them time to interact and learn while using the phone. This way they also know a better way of using technology. If you teach them time management from an early stage they are only going to thank you later. After all, time is money, and who does not want to learn, how to manage it effectively?

As stated in the Ayurveda, तन्मना भोजनगतः चित्तः। Concentrating one’s mind on food while eating should be the mantra for life. Are our thoughts positive or negative? And how is our attitude toward the food on our plate? Everything impacts our psychology and digestion. Now imagine practising silence while eating to expose ourselves to the world of information while having meals, and how technology has impacted our lifestyle.

With the fast pace life and changing scenarios at home where family members are busy working it has become inevitable for parents to aid distractions while feeding their kids. Kids watching TV and mobile during meal times is a very common scenario nowadays.

It might be a victory for parents when their child eats without making a tantrum. But is it sustainable? Most parents are unaware of the long-term consequences of the same and it has become an addiction for kids as well as adults. Recent studies by BMC Public Health have also observed that Parents act as role models for their kids. And the ignorant behaviour of parents becomes a part of personality when it comes to their kids.

Let us see why watching TV and mobile while eating is a bad idea

It leads to overeating – When we are not conscious while eating, it is very much possible to not listen to our stomach whether it wants more food or not. The simple science behind this is that our stomach sends us a signal right before it is full and if we stop eating at that time, digestive juices are secreted in a very balanced manner. But since our mind is busy processing the information we are watching we tend to ignore the signal. The result is nothing else but obesity.

Unhealthy eating habits – In the long run, children become habitual to eating while watching and watching while eating. Now not only they do overeat but also tend to munch on a lot of unhealthy snacks while binge-watching.

With that, a lot of other side effects like lower metabolism and indigestion problems are observed in children who are having screen time while eating.

What is the way for Parents?

Children follow what they see. This should be the first thing that parents should keep in mind. Right from the beginning parents should try to avoid any kind of distractions while feeding kids.

It is difficult in the initial phase to keep the child engaged and focused while eating, but once it becomes a habit, it is a cakewalk for them to swear by this habit.

Parents can try to initiate engaging conversations with kids and if they are still not listening, they can even play calming music while eating. This helps them to stay calm and pay attention to the food they are eating. After all “our food should be our medicine and our medicine should be our food”

Have you ever wondered how laziness enters the system of the human brain? Well, you might think it’s just another bad habit that comes from not doing anything productive.
But how do you justify this when your kids start showing lazy behaviour?

Isn’t it contradictory, because kids are supposed to be the powerhouse of energy and enthusiasm?
The answer lies in the kind of perception they build towards actions and rewards. As they put effort into studying, playing or any extracurricular activity, they expect some kind of reward in return. And when they fail they started losing motivation in every aspect of their life.

As a parent, it can turn out to be your worst nightmare when you see your kid losing interest in life. But sticking to the silver lining is going to make all the difference for you. Let’s see how you can do it.

Following are 3 simple steps that you can follow to bring that joy back into your kid’s life.

Start by taking small steps to build a strong foundation for them – You can teach them the importance of having a correct posture. Join them while you teach them how to sit in a winning posture with broad shoulders and shine in their eyes. Performing simple yogasanas like Padmasana and Vajrasana helps them build flexibility in the long run. It builds confidence that eventually becomes a part of their personality. You can also include small games like having healthy competitions. Of course, the winner is the happiest and most cheerful member.

A road a little ahead of indoors- It is equally important to have outdoor activities planned for kids. For that, you can plan small hiking trips to nearby places. Have you ever noticed the difference between a small walk and a small hike? If not you will definitely once you start hiking especially with your kids. It helps them develop a connection with nature and among family members. A bond that is the foundation of a happy family. With that, it also develops a winning attitude in your kids. After all, drop by drop fills the entire ocean.

Creating self-awareness and independence – Teaching them the practice of affirmations like ‘ I CAN DO’ works like magic for them. You can involve them in household chores like doing dishes, cleaning and sorting out clothes. It not only makes them independent but teaches them grounding. Bedtime stories and tales with the message of independence, courage, and morality help to develop human values in your kids. Rewarding them when they complete small tasks is going to help them build a positive attitude towards life.

Remember it is not a destination but a journey to motivate your child to become a better person. When you provide unconditional support to your kid, they learn to become a team member and empathetic human beings.