bonding with kids | ParentsSquare

Snapshots of Memory

A green hedge encrusted with white mountain roses – the smell I carry in my nostrils to this day. Pure and heady. I was three. It’s a snapshot of memory. I put a name to the memory much later. Lansdowne, a quiet and picturesque cantonment town set in the hills of Uttar Pradesh. My father… [ Continue Reading → ]

Reading With Your Child

You are not very fond of reading. But you want your child to get into the habit of reading early in life — something that you never had. The best way to handle this issue is to start with story telling early. If you are not much of a storyteller, try and see if you… [ Continue Reading → ]

Congratulations – it’s a Boy!

You might think times have changed, and people don’t carry that many hang-ups as they used to. You’re mistaken. It’s sad. But true. It has been over five years now since the Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques (PNDT) Act that bans sex-determination tests was enacted in January 1996. But few measures have been taken to ensure the… [ Continue Reading → ]

My Mother’s Daughter

Having lost my mother recently, I have been pondering over the evolution of my relationship with her – from a little girl holding her finger and following her around, slowly easing away from her grip, and finally seeing her go in my arms while she held my other hand tightly. The magnetism of that touch,… [ Continue Reading → ]

The Making of Father

One of my favourite family pictures is that of my father astride a black stallion with me as a young child, sitting with him. The picture was taken during a visit to a hill station. What is very evident from the photograph is my adoring face looking up at my father from layers of jackets… [ Continue Reading → ]

One can always go Home

With Father’s Day approaching, I have been wondering what to buy for my dad. Would he like an all-purpose toolbox for the innumerable repair jobs he finds at home – an interest he picked up during the one year he was unemployed. Or, would he like a new golf mallet? Perhaps I shouldn’t. Isn’t this… [ Continue Reading → ]

Children and their imaginative pretend play

Every now and then, little Ayesha picks up her favourite doll and begins talking to her. The doll is called Radha, she goes to school and doubles up as Ayesha’s sister and doctor. Most children like to indulge in pretend play and will often surprise you with the labrynth of imaginative elements they use to… [ Continue Reading → ]

Bringing Up Baby

A lot of children become difficult at some time or the other. And often we hear doting parents say, “He’ll be all right once he’s older.” But, isn’t that untrue? Don’t we know adults who play equally difficult? Obviously, there is no set way to handle your difficult child. But, it might help if you:… [ Continue Reading → ]

Living out Daddy’s Daydreams

Love is a strange thing. I thought it was just a saying when parents said they loved their children to death. But, something in the news the other day reminded me that love really can drive some people to death. A newspaper reported that a class XII student shot herself to death with her father’s… [ Continue Reading → ]

Of Haircuts and Chocolates

Giving a haircut to a kid is quite a tough job. But, some Delhi-based barbers seem to have found a way round it. They lure children to the high chair with carrots ranging from chocolates and burgers to swings, reports The Indian Express newspaper. One saloon offers ‘monthly gifts’ ranging from coloured pens to toys… [ Continue Reading → ]