Learning Parenting skills will help a child grow confidence, optimism, artistry, intelligence, social skills, how to balance emotions, develop proper physical health and so on. As one of the most famous parenting quotes states, “The best way to make children good is to make them happy.” –Oscar Wilde”.

Know the tricks of – How to be a good parent to a toddler

There are a few techniques, new parents should keep in mind before they start their wonderful journey of parenthood.

Never compare

Even though Indian parents are renowned for comparing their child with the neighbour’s child and their accomplishments, or has to stop. Calling a child “stupid”, ” idiot”, “donkey” or a “monkey” won’t do any help either. When a parent calls them by these names, the child tends to think about their incompetence even when they are toddlers. This happens because they associate themselves with animals with lesser IQ.

Toddler development starts from birth. Hence, it is important to keep encouraging a child, even though you know he seems a little on the slower side of development. Some kids do need time while others simply don’t. This is exactly like the 5 fingers of a hand, every child is magical and unique!

Always Listen

Growing the listening skill is one of the most important tasks one should do when performing the role of a parent. All that you want to hear might be on the edge of his tongue but couldn’t come out because you didn’t care enough to listen. Even the toddlers’ slightest caricatures can be the state of their mind. For example, if your child is on the slower side of development, he/she will be teased in school by some rapidly developed kid or your child might feel bad for not being able to keep up like his friends. The signs of disappointment will be visible in his most probably artworks, or the games he/she plays. Hence, keep an eye on your toddler.

Parenting tips for toddlers encouraging good behaviour

Parenting in Gujarat is changing rapidly due to various additions of techniques and parenting programmes held by schools. Learning how to do good parenting is also an art like moulding a baby into a human is also one of the best and the finest art forms in the world! Encourage positive discipline, playful learning and be what you want them to be.

Let’s learn a few funny parenting tips that will encourage you to the end!

Do not encourage tantrums

What is the importance of parenting skills?

Parenting skills will help you tackle even the stubborn child.

The first job of a good parent is to discourage a child from showing unnecessary tempers. A child knows their way out. Generally, they will shout or cry or make a very awkward situation in the middle of a gathering to grab your attention first and then demand what they want. Never give up on their demand.

Share with them, the value of money

You might be thinking, what can a toddler understand about money. But let us throw some light on one of the most important parenting skills.  A child is excellent at learning, hence they learn and grasp each behaviour every minute while they are growing up. Therefore, it is important to share the value of money with them. Even if you have plenty, do not buy them regular expensive gifts. As Buddhism states, “Do not educate your child to be rich. Educate them to be happy, because it is the ultimate motto everyone’s life”.

Preach what you practice

This point contains one of the most important parenting tips for parents.  As Gautam Buddha says “practice what you preach”, every human being should always follow this basic principle of life to gain respect and happiness. A child is your mirror image, do not let anyone demean them because you couldn’t practise what you preached. For example, if you are preaching to them not to use mobiles, you have to practice it even though it is hard looking at the type of work you do. In that case, a little draping of the original situation from the child is acceptable.

10 Parenting Tips for Preschoolers – Points to Remember

Getting your child ready to face the world away from you is hard, but it won’t be hard for them if you prepare them to face the world. Here are some points to remember about positive parenting tips for child development before preschool.

1. Do not ever, demand them. Not even for once, because you never know which of your words will strike them. Always use encouraging words. Choose your words carefully.
2. Hitting is a no-no. Never hit your child.
3. Do not blame them because blame is never the game. This particular technique is taught amongst all the other important tips taught in the parenting in Gujarat programme.
4. Respect each other, respect their privacy, respect your partner, respect the neighbours, respect your friends and they will learn to do the same.
5. Be cheerful, add humour, make your home a happy space for your child.
6. Study parenting books, but don’t make it your bible because every child is different.
7. Identify their area of interest, and help them pursue it.
8. Teach them group ethics. The best way to teach group ethics is to behave like a one in the home.
9. Help them make mistakes and at the same time, help them learn from it. Don’t shame them.
10. Positive reinforcement is essential for good behaviour.

These steps might feel lit for first-time parents but Don’t worry, parenting guides are always available, counsellors are available, visit them and talk even when you wish to give up. If you wish to learn, these are among the Best parenting advice that SK Parenting has been trying to inculcate among would-be parents, would-be mom and dads, pregnant mothers and first-timers. SK Parenting will make you prepared even before pre-birth with their valuable guidelines, books, videos and genuine advice.

The post VECE Techniques of Toddler Parenting in Gujarat India appeared first on SK Parenting.

Parenting is a stressful affair; being a parent means you need to prepare yourself for emotional confrontations and psychological challenges. Especially, when you become stepparents things get complex and sometimes looks foreign. A lot of parents find themselves caught in an unpleasant and seemingly anxious state while dealing with stepchildren. The fact is; you should be careful and conscious of your behaviour to maintain a good relationship with your stepchild. Apparently, nobody can teach you how to be a good parent; it is your responsibility to develop a friendly relationship with the stepchild.

The human is emotionally fragile and dealing with the subtleties of human emotion is a daunting task moreover, the sense of being parents can add up to your anxiety never get panicked or get overly obsessive and compulsive about being good parents as a matter of fact; there are no such things as good parents. Either you raise the kids with love and care or you don’t and there is no-middle-path or another way to it. Stop getting worried about the label; we are humans, not brands. The focus should be concentrated on raising the child not in attaining self-righteousness.

A lot of parents gets agile and restless while learning the ways to be the best parents, in fact. It is something very innate to us. No animal ever goes to college or reads a book on how to be great parents; however, still, they raise their offspring with ease. It is understandable that you might need some tips or important information to help yourself to get rid of that extreme agility, however, tips and tricks should not be considered as ends in themselves, they should be treated as guidelines not as profound principles or commandments.

This article aims to inform you about few things that you need to avoid in an order preventing yourself from getting into unnecessary troubles that could affect you and children’s lives.

1. Avoid Bad Mouthing Biological Parents

Certainly it is extremely apparent and natural to be judgmental about your step child’s biological parents; however, it does not give you license to bad mouth them in front of your stepchild. You might have come into their lives, but they have all the rights to love their bio-parent.

If you think the bio-parent did not raise the child properly, then do not just start verbalizing it. As a matter of fact, you can’t get back to time and fix it; always confront the reality. And the reality is you have a step kid and irrespective of the history and legacy, you are now responsible for the child. The bad-mouthing and verbal utterance can only lead to resentment and child might withdraw to some corner. Be aware, by doing this, you risk the chances of making the kid isolated and later things can result in other psychological problems and all the grief that would follow will be of your own making.

2. Discipline Is A Bad Word

Just because everyone thinks being disciplined is the best way of parenting, you should not take it as a universal truth. In an attempt to impose discipline, you are more prone to hurt the child. What you think as a disciplinarian action might look like a restriction. First thing first; just get rid of the notion of the stepparent; the fact is; you just have a kid and you need to take care of him/her, it is similar to raise up your own kid or a pet per se. So get rid of that stressful idea of “being step-parents”. Exercise your creativity, look at the stepchild objectively, observe them closely and you will definitely figure out the best way to deal with them.

3. Never Act As A Replacement Parent

It is apparent for the kids to express unfamiliarity in the beginning; make sure you define your role. Never act as replacement parent of the biological counterparts. No matter how hard you try, you can never get the place of the biological parent, it is innately natural to feel disappointed about the fact that they do not accept you as their own parent and it should not surprise you either. Always stick to reality; serve as a role model and a mentor and slowly they will start to love you. Human’s greatest search is the search of love; if you can express love and of course unconditional, then you hold pretty good chances of making an impression.

4. There Is Nothing Perfect In This World

When you and your step-child agreed to the terms and conditions, nowhere it was mentioned that you should create a magically beautiful family that could be considered as the epitome of love instantly. Let things take their own course; ultimately, things will start to unfold, from hidden beliefs to idiosyncrasies and motifs everything will slowly manifest and as you go on observing the child you will learn the ways to deal with it.

Do not fall into the trap of objectives or goals; there is nothing to achieve; things will look bitter sometimes, and you have to deal with it. And fortunately that is the beauty of life; imagine, how would you feel if everything is perfect in this world? You will have nothing to do; life is simply imperfection moving to perfection in every passing moment, and it shall never achieve the perfection. The day life attains perfection it becomes stagnant and lifeless. So, keep growing, perfection is a process, not the end.

5. Never Play Favorites

When you have your own kids, it becomes extremely difficult to maintain that fine balance between what you think as yours and what was imposed on you. You might have preferences, you might love your own child more than your stepchild but never display favoritism; in fact love has nothing do with favoritism, love is a state of being, it never relies on how you express things, as a matter of fact, it is more subtle, and sometimes kids are aware of that fact too. However, do not just play favouritism; it will spoil the relationship between the kids.

Remember, human emotions are complex and subtle; make sure to look objectively at things without prejudices, preconceived ideas and notions and you will just do fine.

The post 5 Faults Step-Parents Must Avoid appeared first on SK Parenting.

Name: Ila Varma

Designation: Freelancer Writer

Blog name: Keep Smiling, Thoughts Uncovered

Parent to: (Son) Mridul 25-year-old, (Son) Tuktuk 23-year-old

Family details: We are a family of four and we are closely connected with each other.

Background: I am a Freelance Writer & Blogger by profession. I am a voracious reader and a passionate writer. I write on the basis of my experiences as a person, parent and individual. I am a keen observer and my writings reflect my experiences and observations. I believe in the adage, “Never ever give up & Keep trying” and my life revolves around it. I learn from my failures and check not to repeat the mistakes. I started my professional journey with pharmaceuticals and then I moved to financial industry and after shelving my responsibilities, I indulged in my childhood passion for writing and creativity. I am a multitasked and I keep myself occupied with work and passion. I am into Creative & Content Writing and open to working with Brands & Bloggers.

SKP Q1. What top five values do you feel most compelled to instil in your kids?

Ila: To instil good values in our children, we need to follow them first. We need to stick to the adage, “Practice then Preach” and it works well with the kids. They see us following and they unconsciously adapt their lifestyle.

Every parent wants to groom their kids with good values but often parent’s don’t follow the dictum and afterwards blame the kids if they come out ill-behaved or lack something important in their life.

Good manners: Teach them good manners. Follow the etiquettes and manners of acknowledging and responding, they will follow you. Make a habit of greeting them at the start of the day and while resigning to bed. Congratulate them when they excel and be humble to say sorry if you hurt someone. Follow the dictum of members of your family, neighbours and business and slowly they will adopt your way. If they miss, prompt them to follow and make them understand why you want to instil in them the values of good manners. They will take up in their habit because they have seen you doing the same and won’t feel awkward to respond.
Honesty is the best policy and everyone should adopt this policy in their life to be happy and content. Show them the path by sticking to honesty and explain them with reasons the virtues of honesty. Even while answering business calls, don’t use flimsy excuses in front of the kids else they will try to adopt.

Table Manners: Teach them to munch meals without opening their mouth, not to leave leftover in plates and keep the plates at the designated place after finishing the meal.

Personal Hygiene & Cleanliness: Inculcate in them the habit of wearing clean clothes, taking bath at the start of the day and flush the toilet after each use. Put them into the habit of washing hands before and after food, after play or while entering taking out foods to eat.

Generous & Caring: Teach them to respect elders, old, sick, animals, birds and plants. Show them your respect and care for your elders, they will follow your suit. Give them the opportunity to take care of the sick and old, while indulging in such activities, they will develop soft feelings for them and will grow into caring individuals. If you donate things to poor and needy, involve them in such activities, they will learn these virtues and later in life will follow the same. Involve them in the watering of plants, feeding animals and birds, they will learn to value nature.
While raising my kids, I followed the dictum of “Practice then Preach” and involved them in household activities, taking care of the elders and made sure that they followed the golden rules of honesty and hygiene. At times, they strayed but I was firm and polite in my approach and was ready with the explanations what is the value of good values and why one should follow them.

I started instilling these values from the early years of childhood and they adopted in their lifestyle as they felt that it was a practice in our home and neighbourhood.

I am of the view that we can study and learn the textbooks and materialistic affairs later in life but these moral values need to be ingrained from the formative years of life.

SKP Q2. What is your greatest area of weakness as a parent?

Ila: At times, I get over emotional and overprotective and interfere them with their decisions. It is my love for them which makes me weak and I don’t let them spread their wings when they wish to go on adventurous trips. Afterwards, I realize my mistake and mend my ways but if it comes spontaneous, I get adamant in my decisions and I outburst in reaction.

SKP Q3. What is your greatest area of strength as a parent?

Ila: I listen to their advice even if it pertains to check my ways. I give them liberty to choose their subjects and hobbies that they wish to pursue. I lend my ears to listen to them in my busy hours too and be there for them when they need me. I encourage and appreciate them where they do right or trying their best to perform.

SKP Q4. How do you believe other people see your kids? How do you feel about others’ opinions on your kids?

Ila: My relatives, neighbours and friends see them as individuals with great values and quite disciplined in their lifestyle. They are ever ready to help others and cooperate. They never forget to wish them. While raising, I was firm in my approach and never over pampered and people around find them cool and their approach healthy. I feel happy from the positive comments of others and feel proud of my kids and I share my parenting skills when people ask me after meeting my kids.

SKP Q5. How well do your spouse and you work as a team in our parenting?

Ila: My husband has a Marketing job and from the beginning, he has to be on long tours. He is liberal towards kids because he has less time to spend with them. Though I am working, my priorities are my kids and I give time as and when required keeping other things backseat. Major decisions are taken by me though I share my decisions with my better half he has given me the liberty to take decisions in respect of kids. When he is at home, he takes care of them by cooking a special meal for them or takes them for an outing. We work as a team and we don’t fight with each other for the decisions taken for kids and we arrive at the decisions amicably. He cannot give much time but he appreciates my decision and never ever disrespect my decisions. We do disagree on personal matters but in case of kids, we stand as a team.

SKP Q6. How have you felt while pregnant? Enlighten us.

Ila: I have two sons and my pregnancy journey was exciting and I enjoyed every bit of it. In my first pregnancy, I was in my late teens and along with the excitement, there was fear as to how I would sail nine months. The first trimester was a harrowing experience as I had a tendency of vomiting all the time and everything around smelled foul and left me uneasy. I was not able to eat properly nor could dress properly as even I could not bear the smell of fabric. Maximum time, I felt like puking. I had stopped eating spices or non-veg dishes. I was not able to eat properly. After crossing the trimester, gradually the puking tendency subsided and I started feeling better. I was quite skinny but after the first trimester, prominent bodily changes surfaced and I gained in girth. Gradually, my food habits improved and could wear my favourite fabrics. I had to buy new dresses because of bodily changes. I accepted the changes readily and was busy daydreaming about my child and could sense his movements and kicks within me. The experience cannot be summed up in words but the feeling was surreal and could feel the greatness of some unseen supreme power. Last trimester was easy though I had gained a lot of weight in the expected month. I missed the bliss of labour pain as due to some complications, the doctor advised to go for C-Section. When I held my baby close to my bosom, I forgot all the pregnancy blues which I underwent and even could not sense the pain of C-Section, spiritual happiness engulfed me and I was overjoyed.

Second pregnancy was unplanned and suddenly, I missed my periods when my elder one was just 15 months. This time, there was no puking tendency or other discomforts. I was absolutely normal. For 4 months, I did not see the doctor because I was in dual mind and was not decisive to proceed with pregnancy but inner conscience did not let me go for abortion and finally, I landed to my gynaecologist in the fourth month of gestation. During second pregnancy, there were no hiccups. I managed the elder one nicely, no morning sickness or no weakness, I encountered. Many near and dear ones were amazed to find me healthy contrary to my first pregnancy and they expected girl child this time. I was too expecting a daughter this time but again, I was blessed with a healthy baby boy.

The two pregnancy taught me to take life as it comes and I became responsible and patient after been blessed with two cute sons.

Review: SmartyKidsParenting.com

I found the website interesting and helpful and loved the approach of smarty kids parenting and a perfect blend of the bliss of parenting. I wish good luck in the future endeavours and will love to be a part of it.

The post SKParenting Sizzlers with Ila Verma appeared first on SK Parenting.

SKParenting Sizzlers with Vidya Sury

Name: Vidya Sury

Designation: Writer, blogger, editor

Blog: Vidya Sury, Collecting Smiles (plus 6 more)

Parent to: Vidur, 19-year-old

Family details: Live with husband, son in college, studying on campus

Background (what your usual life is like, in brief): After almost two decades in the corporate world, I chose to work from home, to be a hands-on Mom. I write content, blogs for businesses and edit manuscripts for publishers. I do my own housework and enjoy it because of cheapest fitness routine ever with benefits; I love cooking, travel, photography and books. I try and appreciate the present moment because that’s all we can be sure of. I share a wonderful relationship with my son and husband and feel blessed to have them as a family. I am also diabetic and when not working, busy trying to find ways to show my diabetes who’s boss. A typical day in my life consists of all the things I enjoy doing, and sometimes, playing hooky, because—perks of #WFH. I like going on walks with my camera and time-passing with children. And talking to strangers.

SKP Q1. How do you split parenting duties?

Vidya: We like to keep it flexible and don’t believe that a particular duty must be done only by one of us. But yes, we do tend to do more of what we enjoy—and we’ve broadly divided chores between us. When our son was an infant, both of us managed changing diapers, taking care of him, washing his clothes, singing to him, and all those baby-related activities. Husband does the laundry, I enjoy doing things in the kitchen and taking care of shopping. During weekends, we both dust, sweep, swab. We take turns to do the dishes. We fold clothes together, watch TV together (not a chore I know). When our son was in school we took turns to support him, ferry him to and fro. And when he was home, he had a list of chores too. When one of us has a work deadline, the other simply takes over and does stuff.  I know—I am fortunate.

SKP Q2. What top five values do you feel most compelled to instill in your kids?

Vidya: Just asked my husband as well—and here’s our list:

• Equality of all human beings

• Honesty

• Intolerance of injustice

• Compassion

• Scientific temper and rational thinking

• Gratitude

• Never giving up

SKP Q3. How do you believe other people see your kids? How do you feel about others’ opinions on your kids?

Vidya: There are those who criticize and those who praise, and I take both with a large pinch of salt. I know there will always be opinions on why and how we do the things we do in all walks of life, and parenting is no exception. I recall how people found it hilarious that we dropped and picked up our son from school, but that did not stop us from doing it, because, we—and he—were both confident that it did not weaken him in any way. Also, people see and tend to assume a lot of things and feel free to pass judgment. It is best to take everything with a smile.

SKP Q4. In what ways have your kids exceeded your expectations?

Vidya: Our son comes across as a gentle, soft person. I confess that at times, I have secretly wondered if he’ll manage tough situations well. Also, if he would have the confidence to step forward and speak when the situation warrants it. Most of all, my husband and I both worried about how he would manage to study on campus since he was going to be away from home for the first time. But he manages just fine. It was as if he grew up overnight, and we are proud of him. Sure we worry because that’s our privilege, but we’re pleased to see him managing his life, being helpful to others. We are seeing wonderful sides of him we did not see before, perhaps because those situations did not arise.

SKP Q5. What is your greatest area of weakness as a parent?

Vidya: Speaking for myself, I’d say my love for my son. And my secret worry that he should be okay when he’s away from home. That he should not fall sick. That he should be cheerful and strong. A Tall order, but as a Mom, I consider it my right to wish for all good things for my son.

SKP Q6. What is your greatest area of strength as a parent?

Vidya: That same love—my weakness—is my strength. I have faith in my son and am confident he’ll do just fine. Also, I don’t pressurize him with my expectations. That’s my real strength. We communicate comfortably and can talk about almost anything. We’ve always enjoyed each other’s company and I am thrilled that has not changed.

SKP Q7. What did your parents do particularly well?

Vidya: My Mom was a single parent and I think, if I am considered a good Mom, it is mainly because of the relationship we shared. Hard to pinpoint what she did particularly well—but I’d say she taught me to believe in myself and that I could do anything I set my mind to. Also, she was quite strict—in the iron-hand-velvet-glove kind of way. One look from her and I’d know exactly what she was trying to say!

SKP Q8. What do you love about being a parent?

Vidya: Everything. I am filled with awe that I gave birth to a healthy human being. That we love each other, that he trusts me to support him no matter what. That I have the privilege of shaping his life. That he feels free to speak out and share anything with us. And of course, these days, I look forward to his visits home.

SKP Q9. How well do your spouse and you work as a team in our parenting?

Vidya: Pretty well, I think. I have to confess we’ve used the good-cop-bad-cop routine in the nicest ways.  One thing we’ve made a point of us to never argue in front of our son and that’s a non-negotiable rule we are quite proud of. Also, we never scold him in front of others.

SKP Q10. How authentically do you speak with your kids?

Vidya: We’ve been as honest as we possibly could in an age-appropriate way. We have never believed in hiding anything from him. It is better to face the truth and deal with it than live in ignorance. That’s a life lesson instilled in me by my Mom and I am fortunate my husband believes that too.

SKP Q11. Have you dealt with trying to make your kid/s”perfect” at any time?

Vidya: No. We always consciously emphasized to our son that he is who he is, and does not have to be “like” anyone else, or conform to a stereotype.  We think he’s fine exactly as he is.

SKP Q12. How have you felt while pregnant? Enlighten us

Vidya: I got married at 33—considered pretty late by our family tradition—and I know everyone who cared was anxious about whether I’d have kids, and right away. I had just quit my corporate job and everyone expected me to return to work after a short break. So imagine my joy, and everyone else’s when I announced my pregnancy three months later! I felt absolutely wonderful. I did everything by the textbook—taking care to follow a strict diet. No pickles, no fried stuff, none of those “cravings”. My doctor would be so amused during our follow up visits. I did not want to do anything that would not be beneficial for my baby. I’d say I had a very cheerful pregnancy. Oh, there was the morning sickness and all those things, but looking back, I sailed through those. Halfway through, my Mom moved in with us and our happiness was complete. We’d spend warm afternoons sewing clothes. And finally, when he did arrive, he ushered in an era of total happiness. I recall how people in the hospital came and visited him—because he was born on the same day as Sai Baba.

Yes, I am a super-happy Mom.

Vidya’s Review of SmartyKidsParenting.com :

Smarty Kids Parenting is an interesting and useful concept for new and seasoned parents. Because a parent never stops being a parent. Check out the blog section for some thought-provoking posts.

The post SKParenting Sizzlers with Vidya Sury appeared first on SK Parenting.

SKParenting Sizzlers with Shipra Trivedi

Name:  Shipra Trivedi

Designation: A Software Professional (close to 10 years of experience in s/w industry)

Blog name: Abundance of Tasks 

Parent to: Nishkarsh(Vibhu), 3-year-old

Family details: We are working couple so our small family includes my husband and my son other than me here in Delhi

Background (what your usual life is like, in brief): I belong to a very small place in north India. I am the first child of my family and extended family who did any professional course and is working almost 600 Kms away from the hometown. After getting married, I am settled in Delhi with my husband who is also in software field. We both fully support each other in pursuing our ambitions. Ever since our boy has joined the gang, life is about laughs, hugs, kisses and lots of love. My usual day starts with rushing for office with my boy. After coming back, the second role of my life starts and I take care of my house and kitchen. Then we three spend some quality time along and after tucking boy in bed, I resume my next role, a blogger. I am trying my best to give priority wise attention to these three of my roles. And I feel contended when other people admire my efforts. Despite fewer hours of sleep, I love my life.

SKP Q1. How do you split parenting duties?

Shipra: We follow our thumb rule, “who is available, will do the work”. So if I am busy with my office calls or doing extra work at home, my husband takes care of our boy. Similarly, if he is busy or coming home late, I do his jobs. When we both are there, we equally share our duties. Until now, we rarely faced any conflict in terms of our parenting deeds and needs.

SKP Q2. How have you built a relational bridge with your children?

Shipra: I feel, our Indian culture is so designed that it makes a mother the primary caregiver for the child. So, the child automatically gets attached to the mother. Also, they both spend maximum time along, especially after the birth of the child which helps in creating a strong bond between a mother and a child. I did nothing extraordinary. I gave most of my time and attention to my son. And we are best buddies now.

SKP Q3. What top five values do you feel most compelled to instill in your kids?

Shipra: 

• I want him to become a compassionate person. He should be able to confront other people’s emotional needs.

• I want to raise him as a self-sufficient boy. So, from now only, I make him understand the importance of household chores.

• Another thing is clarity of thoughts. I like people who can take decisions and can stand by them. My husband is very good here.

• I also want him to be a family person. I believe in quote “Family is not a thing, it is everything.” I wish he would understand that we need the family to stay happy and successful.

• And I would like to raise him as a creative person. I feel creativity keeps a person lively always.

SKP Q4. How do you believe other people see your kids? How do you feel about others’ opinions on your kids?

Shipra: Other people, like my extended family and my neighbours, treat me a busy person, as they all know that I am a working mother. They don’t expect conventional parenting from my side. Howbeit, I feel blessed that I have such a nice neighbourhood. All of them love my son a lot. Even I often say that my son is raised by them. My boy spends a sufficient amount of time with them every day. Therefore I value their opinions and suggestions. If my son is wrong somewhere and they report me, I try to work on that. I am very positive towards them.

SKP Q5. What part of others’ opinions have you ever learn from?

Shipra: Honestly, I learn something every day from my neighbourhood mothers. My son is almost 15 years younger to their kids. Those mothers have seen so much of parenthood and they always help me with their valuable thoughts.

SKP Q6. What do you love about being a parent?

Shipra: I love that life is chaotic after becoming a mother, but there is an abundance of happiness as well. I am living my childhood again with my son and this is absolutely beautiful.

Shipra’s Review of SmartyKidsParenting.com : 

The concept really made me think for a while. I never thought that the parents should first prepare themselves for raising bright kids. We mostly expect kids to learn and perform. However, the SmartyKidsParenting concept of making parents ready is quite a thoughtful approach towards a rewarding parenting experience. I would definitely try to join their program.

The post SKParenting Sizzlers with Shipra Trivedi appeared first on SK Parenting.

SKParenting Sizzlers with Vasantha Vivek

Name: Vasantha Vivek

Designation: Blogger, Content Creator, Freelance Writer

Blog: My Sweet Nothings

Parent to: Mitesh, 14-year-old

Family details: Vivek works as an HR Corporate Manager at South Africa. Myself stay at home mom and blogger of my teen naughty son Mithu.

Background (what your usual life is like, in brief): As I always enjoy reading, my house is full of books. We are a reading family. Also, I enjoy cooking. Mostly I will be found either cooking, reading or blogging.

SKP Q1. How have you built a relational bridge with your children?

Vasantha: Like all mothers, I would also love to be his friend first then this mother. I always ensure to be available for all his needs at any time. The bond which we build during their early days makes the relationship stronger. And for us, Story Telling time helped much for building our relational bridge.

SKP Q2. What top five values do you feel most compelled to instill in your kids?

Vasantha: Compassion, Empathy, Self Confidence, Resilience, and Mindfulness.

SKP Q3. What life skills would you like your kids to develop this year?

Vasantha: Time Management. I think this is the only life skill he seems to be lacking now. So I would like him to develop this year.

SKP Q4. In what ways have your kids exceeded your expectations?

Vasantha: Being cool always. He used to say that he never had mood off in his lifetime. And it’s true. His mantra is ” It’s ok to be not ok, Amma”. So this attitude of ” Mr Cool” has exceeded my expectations.

SKP Q5. What is your greatest area of weakness as a parent?

Vasantha: At his earlier stage, I was not able to handle motherhood calmly and patiently. My work and family situation made me go into depression. I feel so sorry for not being a compassionate mom during his early stage. But with many failures and pitfalls, learnt the art of parenting now.

SKP Q6. What is your greatest area of strength as a parent?

Vasantha: I always respect my son’s feelings. And I’m sure his decisions won’t go wrong. I trust him for who he is. I wanted to make all his dream come true. Enjoy Parenting Happily. Life is not a video game, and you don’t have any choice to restart it, pause it or delete it !!! So you have to accept and live your life as a parent. Then why can’t you live as a happy parent? The key to Parental Happiness lies in keeping yourself happy and powerful always. This will, in turn, keep your family happy and powerful too.

SKP Q7. In what ways do you hope to be different?

Vasantha: Parenting is the toughest yet most enjoyable journey. You should not worry about the destination but you should enjoy the journey as you travel through. There were times when I cared not to know about my son but went on yelling that he should understand me. How poor was my parenting attitude???

When I was a working mom, I used to hear from many, that my son seemed to be a hyperactive child. Also, I have never gone to any place without getting a complaint about him for his naughtiness and over-talkative behaviour. So I hesitated even for going out with him. Then slowly, I researched and learnt from the net about Mindful Parenting.

Many methods, I tried with him and got a mix of hit and fail results. But all are learning only. In the whole period, I never ever compared my son to anybody. Now he’s such a good lovable teen. Very proud momma moment. All these happened because I made a big decision to be a Mindful Stay At Home Mom (MSAHM), some 5 years back.

My Parenting Mantra – Mindful Parenting To Raise My Words And Not My Voice

SKP Q8. How authentically do you speak with your kids?

Vasantha: Here’s a list of mommy’s resolutions to my son.

Mithu, My boy, I Love You So Much …. You mean the world to me ….
I resolve to offer you unconditional love always with lots of hugs.
I resolve to be more patient than before.
I resolve to set positive boundaries and limits.
I resolve to spend quality time with you daily without any excuses.
I resolve to say no when needed and I should mean it.
I resolve to raise you as a strong, self-assured, confident person.
I resolve to be your friend, not your parent.
I resolve to have more sense of humour and fun with you.
I resolve to cook healthy meals.
I resolve to keep myself cool in any hard situations too.
I resolve to set holistic family environment.
I resolve to be available for you when you really need me.
I resolve to support all your efforts by all means.
I resolve to be your role model.
I resolve to enjoy everything in this world with you.

Vasantha’s Review of SmartyKidsParenting.com :

The website is a boon to new age moms. It discusses a wide range of topics on family and parenting. And the videos of smart Aurius are amazing. Looking forward to more such thought-provoking articles.

The post SKParenting Sizzlers with Vasantha Vivek appeared first on SK Parenting.

When it comes to raising smarty kids the one thing we vouch for is that the parents have to be really smart at this age and time. No, you do not need someone with a streak of Einstein but we cannot discard research that reveals that when you read to young children and discuss the contents of a book, it comes across as the best way for increasing the IQ of your child while also instilling the love for reading in him or her.

One thing to consider while you try to practice proper breathing with your child is asking yourself if your child actually reads every day without the binder of an assignment or a project.

Reading independently or being read to does more than getting better grades in tests across all subjects and help develop more content knowledge in kids, over those who do not read on a regular basis. And gradually you hone love for reading.

A number of parents would be buying huge books for the babies and expect them to read but then that according to Annie E. Casey Foundation, just across the USA about 65% of children in Grade 4, across Public Schools were at the lower level of proficiency in the last 2 years.

In India, we found that parents are willing to make their children voracious reader because many moms were voracious readers, but then again the one block here would be that children do not understand the importance of reading and thus, do not pay ample attention. This eats away their love of reading.

When did you guys start #reading out to your kids?  #mommyblogger #ParentingTips #effectiveparenting pic.twitter.com/EXW8P7JNvA

— Satarupa B Kaur (@BeingAKaur) December 11, 2017

I used to tell my kids stories during mealtime, highly dramatised versions, right from when they were toddlers. Reading out was a family activity, not limited to bedtime. https://t.co/vEM6IZsyV0

— Cybermum India (@Cybermum_India) December 11, 2017

Here are top tips that could inspire your kid to take up reading as something they enjoy-

Age specifics – It is never too early to read and make sure you do not just read fairy tales and bedtime. Instead of wasting a lot of money on just soft toys on educational games go ahead and invest in some books with lots of illustrations so that kids can find a connection with the contents and their age. This boosts a kid’s love for reading.

Lessons learnt – You simply have to make it a habit to implement the lessons, post reading a story or a parable. Unless you do this, your child will never get the hang of reading and will not be able to retain the real impact of the skill.

Develop the habit on a regular basis – Make sure you do not make reading a weekend-only activity. We’d rather get it promoted as a daily habit or as a matter of fact make it a ritual before dinner time.

No pushing ever – Something you will have to be very careful because once your child begins to read naturally that is where you should be satisfied with having developed a preliminary skill. However, in case you want to push your child, he or she will be feeling put out a right on the spot and will actually end up feeling dumb. This actually puts the child of reading for a long long time.

P.S.  While Kindle is a boon, we will believe that a paperback cannot be replaced with technology for children at an early age. We will talk about this sometime soon. 

The post Rearing Readers—How To Make Your Kids Take Interest In Reading? appeared first on SK Parenting.

Mridula: Skola Toys is sister concern of Kido Enterprises, a brand that has been in the Montessori and pre-school space for over 25 years. We have been providing a variety of products and solutions to our customers aiming to nurture and develop young minds for a very long time. Keeping this mind, the Kreedo curriculum was established as an effective solution to someone who wants to set up a world-class preschool. We have also worked with thousands of children in Early Years in this process, thus being very clear about the developmental needs of a young child while also understanding what interests them. While we were working for the past many years in the school space, we realized that 9/10 a young child’s time is spent at home, and there is a huge dearth of quality toys for them to play with.

This led to the creation of Skola Toys, where play leads to exploration, exploration leads to discovery and discovery leads to learning. Skola Toys believes that every child should be treated with utmost respect for nurturing him or her through self-learning and discovery. We are probably the only manufacturing company in the world that understands the developmental needs of children in Early Years and combining it with design and manufacturing capability to deliver value to the customer at immensely competitive prices.

SKP Q2. What’s the current consumer base for Skola and the trends or demand graph like?

Mridula: Skola Toys has just entered the market with an approach to widen the reach to as many children as possible including parents. At present we are at a 100% monthly growth rate.

SKP Q3. How responsible do you create and market your products?

Mridula: The products marketed by Skola are made keeping in mind the following:

a) Material – Toys manufactured by Skola are made keeping in mind the inclination of children. As we know children are attracted towards natural materials in comparison to man-made materials. Skola Toys are made from wood, sourced from renewable resources making them natural and environmentally friendly.

b) Use of non-toxic paints – All toys at Skola is painted with eco-friendly paints, decreasing the risk of health in children. The paints are made from natural materials and because of this they do not have any harmful emissions during manufacturing.

c) Certified – All toys at Skola are compliant with international safety standards and ATSM standards.

d) Lastly, toys at Skola are made to help the child achieve developmental milestones that will enable her/him become a problem solver. We also strongly believe in creating awareness in parents in terms of helping them understand the working of children’s minds. Today with nuclear families, and a whole new world that children have to face compared to the set up 30 years ago, parents are struggling to know the right things, since at times this is beyond the realm of grandparents.

SKP Q4. From 1992 to 2017, what have been the biggest challenges you’ve faced?

Mridula: The biggest and the only challenged faced by us is “Awareness”. Even after all this time, and a lot of talk about children’s development, parents and schools are still unaware of the effect of Early Learning, the right way. While there is focus on health and safety to some extent, there are not many who take learning at this stage seriously. There is a lot of information present online, but it is all cluttered. It creates a chaos in the mind of a consumer. It is important to get through this clutter, nourishing each child to be an independent thinker.

SKP Q5. What innovation do you think is on way for STEM learning and early childhood development plus education in India?

Mridula: There has been a buzz in India with regards to robotics, science-based experience centres to come up for the age of 7+. Skola has imbibed in it many traits that make it an ideal pre-STEM toy, basically enhancing cognitive ability through fine motor skills and play. We aim at creating thinkers, confident learners which are critical and essential STEM skills.

Nowadays, early childhood development has gained a lot of importance in India. There are a lot of start-ups that have come up in the education sector to educate about 100 million children in pre-school. However, many of them are adopting technology as a learning tool for children which might actually cause additional problems instead of alleviating the current one. We have adopted using technology to train teachers which we feel is a better way to reach out to our vast geography, rather than using technology with children. All of us in the Education sector has a huge role to fulfil with teacher training. And must try to fill in the gap as much as possible.

Considering the large geography and differences in the culture we have a long way to go.

The post SKParenting Sizzlers with Skola Toys’ Co-founder Mridula Shridhar appeared first on SK Parenting.

While we talk about developing strong roots in our kids, we often ignore the stem bit of early childhood development. All the pun apart, a parent needs to understand that STEM learning is now a vital bit of #ECD that cannot be ignored. Additionally, with the hullabaloo around STEM toys, videos and so much popularity, STEM learning is one thing you can’t distance your child from.

For understanding how easily STEM can find a way into interactive or imaginative play, check these tweets and videos. 

Toddler learning activity- sensory activity for learning to write and developing eye hand coordination #ToddlerLife #activityfortoddler pic.twitter.com/lnE2sSvS0O

— vidhi duggal (@VidhiDuggal) 6 October 2017

Learning numbers on a plate filled with rice grains @BeingAKaur #STEM #Innovativelearning @SKParenting pic.twitter.com/qFd27RSxQX

— vidhi duggal (@VidhiDuggal) 25 October 2017

Numbered stairs for teaching numbers to kids in a play way method @BeingAKaur @SKParenting #STEM #learninginnovation pic.twitter.com/o6API2pbz1

— vidhi duggal (@VidhiDuggal) 25 October 2017

We caught up with two Smarty Moms who we think are bridging the gap between parenting and effective parenting pretty effectively. Let’s see how these smarty moms are implementing such stuff for better early childhood development and effective parenting.

Here’s what Vidhi Duggal has to say-

“STEM is important because science, technology, engineering and mathematics are present in every sphere of our daily life. STEM-based education and activities help in reducing the gap between the theoretical ways of teaching and practical implementation of these subjects. STEM activities help in making these subjects more interesting for children.

I try to implement STEM learning by planning and creating various activities for teaching different concepts to my children. I believe in giving them more hands-on experience for learning rather than theoretical learning. I plan an activity every day for every concept and involve my children actively with me in performing those activities.” Read: SKParenting Sizzlers with Vidhi Duggal

Doc mommy Amrita Basu Misra says–

“STEM is in, is an understatement. STEM was always in, we just didn’t know what to call it. When you follow a child-led learning process that’s STEM.

When you help make your child a little explorer, that’s STEM education. Some children will be born with a higher innate intelligence. But the early environment, parental education and interest in child go a long way of improving various skills in children. The importance here is to make children learn by exploring.”

Here’s how she started with Pre STEM-

“From the time my daughter was two years old she used to help me water the plant. This little munchkin has never taken a flower off a plant or torn a leaf. She knows how much to water and how to talk to the plants. At any moment she can tell you names of all the flowers in the garden. She also knows that plants release oxygen when they have sunlight and water. It is oxygen that helps us live. The easiest way to help children intellectually stronger is to let them be curious. Nature helps you do just that. I started my daughter’s education with nature. I believe there’s no better teacher than Mother nature.” Read: SKParenting Sizzlers with Dr Amrita Basu

The post STEM -ing Childhoods – What Moms think these days about STEM learning appeared first on SK Parenting.

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