Pen Parenting And People

As a mother of two boys, and someone who deals with kids regularly, I have a serious concern on the reproductive health of the current gen kids and I want share why ! How to Prevent Early Puberty and Hormone Problems Make sure you are doing all of these things yourself – our kids model what       they see more than what we say! Cut out the soda and juice completely! (Water is the best beverage) Cut portion sizes in half Do your best to reduce maida, food cooked in restaurants, potato overdose and white rice from the diet: emphasize good quality proteins and vegetables as the mainstay of their diets Cut the amount of TV/gadget watching in half (and adding exercise will make this even better!). Physical inactivity triggers sedentary lifestyle. 1.Avoid flame retardant products, namely perfumes and deodorants. ( As adults we are forced to use them but kids don't need to smell good...Sweaty Kids are a sign of healthy kids ! Talk to Your C...

Last night I saw a movie and cried myself to sleep. "Everybody's fine" - A Robert de Niro flick. And I have been in love with this man since the longest of time. Like our very own Amitabh Bachchan, some people don't age no matter how many years mark on their faces. He's one such fellow you can't help but warm up to. Those dimples even on his sagging cheeks. Haye. But more on him in another post someday.  Anyway, this movie was about a father who spent all his life coating PVC on electric wires that run around the city, losing his health in the process. Now after his wife's death a few months ago, he tries to reconnect with his four grown up kids in different cities. One by one each one cancels the plan to come and meet him over the weekend that his lonely life had been planning forever and so he decides to visit them himself. And all the children try to put up the facade of a "fine" life, hiding from him how each one struggles in his own wa...

When a mother says she’s tired, that’s all she meant ! She did not say she wants to drop her child and forget that the child exists.   When a mother says she wanted some time alone, just her, that’s all she meant . She didn’t say she’s sorry to be a mother and that motherhood was a mistake in her life.  When a mother says she needs help to get things done, that’s exactly what she meant. She is not incapable.  When a mother makes noddles for dinner, it does not mean she does noddles everyday of the week and that her daughter/son is a child who does not know vegetables or meats.  When you arrive at a mothers house and face disorganization, it doesn’t mean that everyday the house is disorganized. When a mother says she’d love to go out with her friends, that’s all she meant. She doesn’t want to go back to being “single/ not a mother” and like it as if she had responsibility.  When a mother says she worried or afraid, that’s what she m...

My casual reading habit led me to read " Confessions of a Shopoholic- Sophie Kinsella " long time back and today in my 30's I can relate to it so well. Seriously Cost and Worth are two different things. We have to give it to the Instagram World for fueling the " Want" culture.The intimidating fashion trends and the pressure to live up to it is fast catching up. But my contention in writing this post is to  use this social media to document our own reality checks. How often do we rotate clothes? How often do we stop shopping and ace the resolution ?? The mantra is simple.Let's start this way. When we try to do a flaunt post, keep a dossier of the looks, which in turn will prevent us from  buying similar colors , and will reintroduce us to the ignored ones lying low in our closet. Be a proud " Re-Wearer". Why it is important to dig deeper into one's own closet is because , statistically garment waste and dump...

My Besties in school were Bengalis who were born and brought up outside Bengal. Even their parents never stayed in Bengal. Studying in a convent school we conversed mostly in English but what was unadulterated was the fact that when these girls used to chat it was only Bengali that was the medium of conversation. Few of them moved to USA and Canada and even today if they do call, its me who says Hi ! How are you ? but the reply that pat comes is " AAmi Bhalo AAchi..Tumi Kemon AAchis??"( I am good, How about you? ) The fact that they moved out of Bengal and maybe even out of India never rendered any insecurity to their identity. It was not because they could not comprehend the new languages but it was about the pride that came with speaking mother tongue that is eventually getting passed on their children as well, being away from hometown. Another dear friend is a Malayali based in SanJose. I have never heard her call her parents anything other than Amme or Acchan an...

Let's not get into a discussion if a full-time working mom is right or a stay-at-home mom is justified. At the end of the day a reality that hits you hard on face is that you are a Mom !!! And you are blessed with an innate ability to juggle and multitask. And if I had to be generic about anyone who wants to freelance,it for  sure is a different ball game altogether. But if at all you have plans to be a Mom who tries to get the best of both worlds, do read this. A reality check, if you have plans to be a freelancer/mompreneur/entrepreneur/work from home professional/solopreneur etc. Why Freelance Mode? And why isn't it as easy as it sounds? Best take away is that it gives a flexibility that no other mode gives,but the challenges include irregular payouts, hustle for pitching for projects, rejections on your face and more than that,if at all you establish then it takes a while for people to stop judging that its not as easy as it looks and not as comfortable as it see...

I can breathe easy as this is going to be my final post on the Parenting Series. From the 1st post in this series to the second and this final one,this has been very close to my heart. As a mother of two, I wish to re-read these pages again and keep working on my parenting skills. We are not really here to prove anything to anyone but introspect ourselves to try and bring up a generation that is healthy both physically and mentally. 1. Motivate your child to be Sensitive    Young children can be bullies or be bullied. Be objective as a parent and encourage to stand up for themselves or discourage them when you see a dented attitude. Don't tell children to not cry or weep when they have an emotional moment, because they don't have to tackle situations as we adults do .  It is terribly upsetting for kids to see parents arguing. Refrain from fighting before them and adopt self control and unleash only when the children are not around. ( Let's face it that ev...

Appreciate everyone who followed, read, appreciated and commented on Part:1 of this post. Too much of gyan even children repel, then how can we expect our adult fraternity to digest. So, after two doses of Digene I am penning down the remaining pondering points. 1. Motivate your child to be independent Discourage comparisons and don't force your child to behave in a certain way to gain popularity. Do not sit with your child while doing homework. Help him/her only when there is a gap in understanding.  Resist yourself from hand holding for every task. This will instill confidence in the child. Respect your child's decisions and provide an ambiance to try different things. This will only expand the child's faculties. Do not interfere in sibling relationship, unless absolutely you need to. They should develop their own independent equation and not encouraged to tattle. 2. Motivate your child to be Hard Working Children tend to say " I Can...

  # BoringPostAlert Okay so I intend sharing some insightful and "worth a ponder " points for all of us. Why is it that child raising has become more like a complicated process that needs sessions and discussions ,unlike our parents who just raised us without so much taboo or talk.On one hand we are hyper protective parents or are the children hyper sensitive? ? Maybe its both . We as parents are trying to be trophy parents validating our parenting and the children on the other, with so much awareness are complicated from the beginning. I have tried here to list some motivational aspects that we can adopt as a fraternity. 1. Try to raise a confident child  Stories play a major role in molding a child's psyche. Inspirational stories motivate a child and gives a chance to explore the hero within all of us. Group activities encourage and influence a child to adapt and adjust. Don't ask for results, instead insist on accounting the experiences from activiti...