Month: December 2022

No matter how much we love winters, we can’t deny the fact that it also brings unwanted and itchy skin problems with them.

We all agree that kids have a skin texture as soft as silk. And as winter has started approaching, the first thing parents should take care of is moisturization. It might sound like a very tiny piece of advice but it is a golden one. Kids might not understand why it is important to take care of their skin and whole body and that’s why the parents’ role comes into play.

Let’s see how one can use these easy steps to involve a self-care routine in everyday life.

1. We all have faced a situation in childhood where our mothers were behind us to apply coconut oil and glycerol in winter to keep our skin moisturized. But with time we don’t seem to use it as we think it is outdated. But let me tell you this toxin-free substance has a lot of benefits than just being a moisturizer. It hydrates the skin for the whole day and even relieves extremely dry skin problems.

2. Have you ever thought about why our skin becomes dry even after applying different kinds of moisturizer? Because our skin absorbs the product. Imagine applying products without knowing how it is made and what it consists of.

So the second thing is to be very careful about what you choose for your kids in terms of their skincare.

The very best advice is to apply easily available things in our kitchen. Turmeric and Gram flour are the best alternatives for fancy soaps and body wash. You can even apply it to wash your hair and face.

3. Next is to make organic hair oils at your home. You can use ingredients such as crushed china rose, amla, and seeds and mix them with almond oil, and leave the mixture overnight. You use it for head massages. You can also apply egg whites for 10-15 minutes before washing to get that amazing shiny hair.

We all know healthy hair is a sign of a healthy heart and a healthy body.

Another great deal is to have a domestic oil expeller in the house. You can grind sesame, mustard and even almonds to extract oil. It has so many health benefits in the long run as it is homemade.

People nowadays think that it is very difficult to maintain a healthy lifestyle as it is time-consuming. But if you plan things out it becomes a part of your lifestyle. In the end, what matters is our Good health and just good health.

It is not said in vain that a father is the one friend whom a child can always rely on. A mother’s role is often recognized as a vital role in a children’s life. But we all know what kind of impact fathers’ participation can have on a child. The positive involvement of both parents in a child’s life can shape his entire personality.

Raising a child is not an easy task, especially in nuclear families. And if we talk about being a father, there are some things that you can certainly inculcate in your role to build a strong relationship with your child.

1. So the first thing first is to build a foundation of friendship with your child. For this, you can take your child to a public place once or twice a week. This helps to start a conversation about the things in life that are otherwise ignored by parents. What happens is that your kid will start asking you questions about life. You can give them wisdom from your experience. It is very important to let them know your role as a mentor in their life. So that whenever they want help, they do not hesitate to ask for it.
2. Nature is the best teacher. It teaches us values like giving and grounding. So when you take your kids for a walk or hike in nature, they organically adopt similar values. You must have seen that kids who enjoy time in nature are more open to learning the values of life than kids who stay at home all the time. It gives a sense of freedom and a winner’s attitude when they finish a hike or a quick run around the ground.
3. Third and the most important thing is to teach them the importance of respecting others. This starts with setting an example for them. If you talk to your spouse with love and respect, your job is half done there. You can teach when you preach. So if you want your child to respect the opposite gender and people in general, note that it starts from your home.

These are the points that are often ignored by parents, but ultimately these are the only things that will help you to build a strong foundation for a parent-child relationship.

Mentoring your kid is not a rule of thumb but a personal approach as every child is unique in his way. So, the secret is to become a friend, a mentor, and a parent to pave the way for a successful parenting.

Not just adults but even kids have started referring to words like stress and depression to describe their negative thoughts and feelings.

We all know as the exam season starts, kids start showing symptoms of stress like mood swings and developing eating disorders. And at that time it becomes very easy for ANXIETY to build a home inside a child’s mind. Even if parents are aware of it, it becomes difficult to manage their emotions and encourage them to perform with confidence.

But what exactly is anxiety?

According to health experts,  anxiety is a constant feeling of worrying about everyday situations in life. It presents itself through the symptoms like sweaty palms, palpitations, frustration, extreme mood swings and sometimes even dizziness.

As parents, we all face situations like these, when kids get nervous before exams or even stage performances. Here are some tips that can help you to protect kids from getting affected by anxious thoughts and feelings.

1.  Anxiety peeps in with a pattern of thoughts. When kids try to multitask in exams by reading everything at once, they feel like they do not remember anything at all. And on top of that, the expectations of parents make it even more pressurizing for them. Exam thoughts collide with performance and expectation thoughts and they start feeling nervous.

At this time the best thing you can do as a parent is to have a friendly conversation with them. Sit with them and pat their back for the efforts they are putting in, as soon as they start getting distracted from the performance pressure they will start building confidence and will be able to think clearly.

You can even treat them in between their preparation time with dark chocolates and chocolate milk as a reward for their efforts. Remember not only the result but their efforts matter as well.

With that, giving them a healthy and nutritious diet helps them to stay focused. Also, make sure they are getting an adequate amount of quality sleep to feel fresh every day. Exams should not become a burden on them.

2. A famous technique to deal with stress and anxiety is the – 5,4,3,2,1 Technique.

In this, whenever your child is having episodes of stress and anxiety,

You have to make them to

1. See 5 things – Ask them to focus on their surroundings and name 5 things that are in their sight. It breaks the chain of thoughts and helps them to see the present moment as it is.

2. Touch 4 things- Tell them to touch and feel 4 things around them, it helps them realize that they are completely fine and can feel the things around them. It helps them to relax and ground themselves in times of anxiety.

3. Listen to 3 things- Listening is a very powerful sense of feeling. When kids are unable to focus on anything, listening to the sounds around them and analyzing where it is coming from helps them to focus on the environment around them.

4. Smell 2 things- When they finish listening and analyzing the sound, give them something that has a strong aroma to bring them back into the present moment.

5. Taste 1 thing- Lastly give them tangy-flavoured candies and dark chocolate. Such flavours induce a very strong taste sensation and help them to distract from anxious thoughts.

The above-mentioned technique can help them overcome an episode of anxiety but what helps them manage and become more self-aware is the support from parents. Children need emotional protection, especially now when our lives have become so fast that we hardly pause to see how our kids are doing apart from academic life and extracurriculars.

But if you take one day at a time, and help them understand one emotion at a time they are going to develop a very strong personality while growing up.

Values are the lighthouses; they are signals giving us direction, meaning and purpose. In this fast-changing world, where even trends last for a few days or sometimes months, it is hard to teach the importance of value to kids that they should remember for a lifetime.

But once you plant the seed it is easier to nourish it by taking it one day at a time. The same is the case with parenting, once you build a bond with your child, you can easily teach them certain important life skills. And value is the most important of all.

A lot is being said about value, let’s see how you can go about it.

1. First and foremost is beginning by developing a culture of THANKSGIVING. You do not have to make a lot of effort for it, just decide a day in a week when all the family members are thankful to each other for everything they do for each other. This way kids learn that kindness is a very important part of human nature. They also learn to be grateful for all the materialistic things that their parents provide them and the love and care they get as a child. Once they know the value of gratitude they will never take anything in life for granted.

2. Who doesn’t like a happy smile while greeting someone new? But even adults seem to not remember this basic Sanskaar of greeting people with a smile. Parents will agree that this is the most difficult part of parenting, teaching kids to be nice and cheerful while greeting others.

So let’s see what’s the catch here, it is nothing but starting the conversation, not just talking and telling them what to do and how to be but talking to them and having real-life conversations. Where they can talk about their feelings and experiences. They become better listeners when they understand the value of talking to other people.

3.  Children follow what they see and how you treat others matters a lot when it comes to their upbringing. They see others through the eyes of their parents. And if you are not setting the right example they might follow the same route. Always be careful about how you talk to other people because they might follow the same route. You have to preach the same behaviour you want to teach your kids.

Parenting is not an easy task and building a strong foundation for your kids is even more difficult. But remember “At the end of the day, the most overwhelming key to a child’s success is the positive involvement of parents”.