Thursday, April 16, 2009
Importance of playschools
| It is always a pleasure to see children achieve milestones whether it is their first laugh, first walk or first ever word (I would like to hear Mama but seems his first word is banana :)). The first step towards independence is when your child first joins a playschool. There is no definitive age to explore this idea but parents like me are usually skeptical. I don't want to send my child to playschool just because everyone else is doing so and moreover people of our generation have turned out quite well even without going to playschools. But the competition is severe in today's world and the kids need to be ready for this. But what sets the ball rolling is the shattering of the myth that playschools have anything to do with academics. We need to understand the importance of playschools before actually making up our mind. This is just like a social networking place in our lingo where kids can meet their similar age group counterparts and hence they learn to venture socially and of course this puts an end to their around 2 years of jail seeing only the same inmates (read mom, dad and the maid) apart from few paroles. The idea is to develop sensory-motor skills and social skills. Have you ever noticed children imitating others? This is the best way to make a child learn new things and the efforts are optimum at playschools. Nursery rhymes, drawing, coloring, sorting, role playing are some of the ways that let children break their inhibitions. Benefits of playschools
Playschools these days are open in every nook and corner of the neighborhood you live in. What is important before choosing a playschool is to see whether the school is qualified enough to handle such small babies. The kids need to be treated very tenderly at this age and any bad influence or wrong exposure can seriously affect their growth. So have a detailed check before you leap at the opportunity of registering your child in the nearby school. Playschools are not a necessity and stay at home moms can work the things out although not at the same pace as in playschools. It is a matter of personal choice and your ideology in upbringing your child. But if you choose to put your child in a playschool, make sure it is the right place and is not just an over the top daycare. Labels: benefits of playschools, how to choose a playschool, Importance of playschools, toddlers, toddlers and playschools |
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
I wanna play
| I have become very lazy lately. Its may be because I stay at home. I always try to take my son to park so that he mingles around but I usually fail miserably as I am not at all a regular. I feel so enthusiastic one day and then don't even mumble the word "park" for a week or so. But guess what, who is now pushing me... my 15 month old son. Maks is growing more and more independent and cries in the evenings and do all the weird things to signal that he wants to go out. If he could speak, he would have turned the house upside down yelling "I wanna play... I wanna play...". When bell rings, instead of me, he is out there to welcome the guest or rather push the guest away and go out himself. My hubby is now on the job of taking him to park although I too join them once in a while. The first day my hubby went to the park, he felt really embarrased. He was the only dad there, and was thronged by so many moms... :) he was happy though... :) But nevertheless both of them enjoyed themselves... Maks now has a routine of going to park and take rides... He loves see-saw and sliders... And we love to watch him play and lost in his own world. |
Tuesday, January 6, 2009
When you run out of patience
| In my earlier post on patience, Patience revisited , I mentioned about how you can go about raising a baby with some understandings of the real world. Here I am talking about slightly bigger babies like toddlers, how to deal with them when they drive you crazy. When you run out of patience, you tend to blurt out words that you don’t mean. If an adult is at the receiving end, he or she reciprocates, things heat up mostly ending up in a bad fight, not talking for days but patch up does take place because adults understand this behavior (although I think this is still not a justified reason to yell). If it’s a child on the receiving end, the poor kid takes meanings to his heart and of course even the unintentional things hurt badly and affect the child’s psyche. A parent should always be very careful with the child because they have very innocent and have very impressionable minds. Here are some things, which you should never tell your children whatever might be the circumstances: · Comparison: Never use statements like, why can’t you be like neighbor’s son or your sister/brother. It makes children feel inadequate and also can cause a rift between siblings. · Passing the buck: Saying statements like “wait until your dad comes home” undermines your authority and can also be a tension. The other parent comes home tired, may not handle the things they way it should be or the way you like. Deal with bad behavior then and there. · Terrifying kids: Terrifying kids may work temporarily but there is always a danger that they may feel very terrorized and can lead to nightmares. Use a stern body language and tone to make the children realize what they need to do. Tell them calmly what you want them to do and listen what they have to say. · Exploiting anxiety: We often use phrases like “I will leave you, hurry up” not knowing that the biggest fear children have is that they will get lost. Kids never have a sense of urgency as adults so you need to push them to get ready early. · Labeling your child: By saying things like, “you are a bad boy” or “you are very naughty”, instead of managing the behavior, you are making sure that the child also starts believing in your words. You need to separate the child from his or her actions. · Homework: Children are already so bogged down by their homework that they do not need us to sit on their backs and increase the load. When we say, ”why are you not getting it, its so simple”, it makes them nervous and probably deteriorates the condition. Help them learn and make it fun. I try not to lose my patience and not use words that can be hurting, but there are times when I am driven against the wall. At those times, I shut my mouth and be completely silent, that works best for me. It is not always possible to walk the straight line but by knowing where the straight line is, one can coordinate one’s actions. Labels: anger, how to deal with child, how to deal with toddler, parent child relationship, patience, toddlers |
Thursday, December 4, 2008
Travelling with the child
| Travelling with an infant is not easy but they say its easier than a toddler and I absolutely agree.I have travelled with my son when he was just few weeks old and I used to think it was tough till this journey happened. I was travelling alone with my one year old and he kept me completely on tenterhooks all the time. As you all know,we were relocating from our place ,so my hubby went earlier than me to the new location to look for a home to move in.Although it was a terrifying idea yet I decided to join him later when the house is finalised.I spent all the time literally counting each and every minute. As soon as he said yes,I heaved a sigh of relief,immediately called the packers and got the entire house packed and moved.It was such a cumbersome job(and they say packers move not only house but also tension). Actually the problem was that my son suddenly turned so clingy,he was practically inseparable from me. May be,he was not happy with the idea of his house being ransacked by some strangers.There was no choice but to carry him all day long and do all the chores along with keeping an eye on the people working in my house.The day finally ended with all the stuff packed and me exhausted to my last breath.Next morning the whole stuff was loaded and moved and I was happy that I will be soon on my way to be with my husband. It was now time for both of us to leave, both me and my son had a long journey ahead of us. I planned each and every aspect of journey so that there are no last minute jitters but I guess nothing goes as planned with a kid around. I found myself altering plans,panicking,rather having all the last minute thoughts,jumbling around and what not.I had to go by train for some distance and then take a flight.When about an hour of train's journey was left,my son suddenly turned erratic.Nothing was working on him,he didn't wanted milk,no music, no toy,nothing.These things worked earlier through the journey but now he was not falling for any of these baits.He was continously crying,trying to get away and making me feel miserable. Then i realised that he wanted what we always crave for so much.... independence,independence from my arms ,from all the inhibtions he was having,he wanted to be free. But I couldn't do that ,how could i just leave him all by himself?? Just then(to my rescue),seat next to mine got vacant,I made him sit there and gave him his much needed freedom. And there he was,with his charming smile as if nothing has happened. Flight I thought would be easier.Firstly,because the run was of only 2 hours and secondly,the airport staff is always very supportive.I checked in ,went through security check, a staff member was with me throughout taking my luggage and helping me around so that I face no problem. I boarded the flight and my son was happy.I think the idea of traveling in the plane got to him :)(though he was travelling for the second time,first when he was just 40 days old :)) but you know kids are kids. Just an hour passed and he was again looking for a breather. The same idea of putting him in vacant seat couldn't work here because no seat was vacant and it won't be as well. I had to look for some new ideas before his controlled cries turned in to screaming. I made him even look out of the window but to no avail. His sleep time was just close by so I thought to myself," I just have to distract him with something, make milk, give it to him and make him sleep. Not a big deal,Is it"! Ohh,Believe me,I was struggling. The lady sitting next to me was reading a book. Hey! he is fond of books, eureka,i got the idea.. I turned his face towards the lady so that he can catch a glance of book .As soon as my son saw the book in her hand,he stopped crying, leaped forward and started playing with the pages. The lady was sweet enough to let him touch the book, meanwhile I took the bottle out,made milk for him and there it goes in his mouth and thanks god,he started drinking it while still playing with pages of book.I slowly distracted him to one of his toys and mission accomplished. I later apologized to the sweet lady for using her as a ploy but she was really kind. Thanks to her, finally I got all the things under control and I or rather we managed to reach safely and happily to my husband after travelling almost 2000 kms. This journey was a real first hand insight into how to handle things when travelling alone with a child. Here are some tips: 1) Don't feel frustrated if nothing goes as planned because rest assured, nothing will go as planned :) 2) Always be ready with the baby's food, milk, diapers, a set of clean clothes, hand towel etc. rather pack a small bag with these things and keep it handy. 3)You cannot keep the kids tied to one place so carry some nice distractions with you,like his favourite toys or anything that keeps him busy. Music was a big helping hand for me. 4) While travelling in plane, take care of feeding the baby while landing and take off to prevent his ears from clogging,otherwise it will be really painful. 5) Keep a check on the baby and your belongings all the time. 6) Keep the luggage as minimal as possible. 7) It will be great if you have a sling to carry the baby. It allows you to have your hands free and things will be lot more easily. 8) Last but not the least, don't mind to ask for help if you are unable to handle. I can't imagine, how will I manage if I have to travel with my son being 2 or 3 years old as he is a very naughty child. I can just hope to have things under control as always. :) Labels: infant, kids, tips, toddlers, travelling |
Monday, August 11, 2008
Out of Control
| I have been lately seeing many toddlers who throw tantrums endlessly. Recently I met a friend of mine who has a 3 year old daughter.They came by to visit my place and her kid literally ransacked my house. She was not at all listening to my friend and was picking things from here and there and swirling them around so badly that I was about to have a panic attack. She was all time trying to have her way. My friend followed an escape route by saying "yeh to sirf apne daddy ki sunti hai" translation "she only listens to her daddy". I really did not liked her approach of surrendering herself and that too by mentioning this in front of the child to make the kid even more aware of helplessness. From that day onwards,i was so scared and thinking what makes children like this and how can I take care and not turn my child into a prankster. I mean being naughty is okay but there is a very thin line between naughtiness and hooliganism and I don't want my kid to cross that line. The more i thought about it,the more I realised that it was apart from naughtiness,a typical attention seeking behavior that you normally find in kids. Tricks according to me that can come handy:
The question still looming in my mind, "How will I tackle my child if he tends to cross that thin line"?? Labels: behaviour, child phsychology, habits, tantrums, toddlers |