• Parentsphere

    Screwing Up as a Parent is the Most Important Lesson

    April 12, 2023 - By 

    I can’t believe I am writing this, but hear me out. Screwing up as a parent is an important lesson. Growing up, I saw my parents as two perfect humans who never made any mistake. The benchmark set by them was unattainable and unrealistic. Each one of us has a different definition of parenting. For me, parenting is similar to an orchestra. As a parent, I must orchestrate (carefully and consciously) the different stages of my kid’s life with a grand scheme in mind. Usually, people would say that journey is more important than the destination. Sometimes, the journey is…

  • Parentsphere

    Gentle parenting- the myths, facts, and everything you need to know

    April 10, 2023 - By 

    When I usually speak about gentle parenting to my fellow mommy friends, I see a hint of disbelief in their eyes. Some even voice out their displeasure about gentle parenting. They all often ask the same question. ‘Do you not believe in disciplining a child?’ ‘I do. But there is no relation between a gentle parent and an undisciplined child.’ When the answer does not satisfy them, I ask about their methods or ways of disciplining the kid. It involves screaming, yelling, hitting or shaming a kid. As a society, we have problems believing that love is enough to teach…

  • Mental Health - Parentsphere

    Healthy Boundaries 101: Stand up for yourself

    October 14, 2022 - By 

    Healthy boundaries are set when the kids learn to say NO. To learn to say NO efficiently, the kids must start establishing healthy boundaries in the family. Creating healthy boundaries is like creating a wall around ourselves, and putting a door, so people can knock before walking in… Let me recall something that happened in my neighbourhood. In the apartment I live, a girl (of my daughter’s age) hit and disdained other kids. She was rude and unkind to everyone. The kids who felt bullied by her often came to me to talk about it. They wanted a solution. However,…

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    Fred Andrews of Netflix’s Riverdale: Single Dad of the Year

    March 30, 2022 - By 

    Writing this after watching the funeral service of Fred Andrews, the best father of the Netflix series ‘Riverdale’, makes it more emotional and sad. But, it was refreshing to see the positive aspects of gentle parenting in the series that I want to write about it. With a common misconception around Indian households that parenting is almost always the mother’s expertise, this series, and especially Fred Andrews, proved it otherwise. We normally believe that cooking, disciplining and supporting a kid emotionally and morally are a mother’s responsibilities. Sometimes, we go further by imagining that single fathers are terrible at parenting.…

  • Feminism - Parentsphere

    7 Lessons of Patriarchy I would Unteach My Daughter

    March 26, 2022 - By 

    Last week, I asked my friends if they had anything they would like to unteach the girl children they know- of patriarchy and gender stereotypes. We think that we no longer follow patriarchy, and maybe we don’t consciously. But, there are small lessons imbibed and cultured into our day-to-day activities. We are not aware of them because we think it is normal, and that’s how it is supposed to be done. So, when I asked, I heard a lot of common practices that could be missed as normal routines but are ideas inherited from patriarchy. Some of them are easily…

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    Parentsphere

    The Power of Language: Proven ways to improve child development

    February 17, 2021 - By 

    Certainly, action speaks louder than words. But, do we know the importance of the words, especially in the development of a child? Do you believe in: ‘language shapes thoughts’? If not, why not? There is no single answer for the debate on which came first: thoughts or language. Ludwig Wittgenstein‘s perspective of language, “The limits of my language are the limits of my world,” might sound exaggerated to some of us. Do you know about the indigenous people of Himba Tribe of Namibia or the Kuuk Thaayorre tribe of Aborigine? Language shapes the cognitive abilities subtly, but profoundly, say the…

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    Parentsphere

    Dreams are a luxury to SAHMs

    November 22, 2020 - By 

    Ta-da! How are you all today? I know this quarantine might drive you all crazy, especially those mothers who stay at home all day. I knew it because it drives me insane a little every day. Dreams are a luxury to people who have a full-time career, especially when the job is to take care of the house. My mom aspired to be a singer, and honestly, she has a great voice. When she couldn’t achieve it, like most of the parents, she wished one of her daughters to become a musician. Neither me nor my sister pictured us as…

  • Parentsphere

    Prenatal depression is relatively unknown compared to postpartum depression

    November 22, 2020 - By 

    Ta-da! If you are feeling blues because of mundane activities all through the day after delivery, remember that this is just a phase. It shall pass, and you are not walking alone. While we hear a lot about postpartum depression these days, we still have a long way to go to understand antenatal or prenatal depression. Prenatal depression is a depression that a mother experiences during her pregnancy. Though the mood swings are typical due to pregnancy hormones, a few mothers might encounter it on a larger scale. Pregnancy is a smooth and joyful experience for some mothers, while some…

  • Parentsphere

    Is it okay to not have a nesting phase during pregnancy?

    November 22, 2020 - By 

    Ta-da! I am here today with another interesting topic called nesting. If you are in mid terms of your pregnancy, you will know what I am talking about. The fact that I only googled about it, and never felt it during the pregnancy surprises me even now. I had full-time pregnancy (delivered my daughter on due date) yet did not have a nesting phase anytime during the pregnancy. Nesting, in clinical terms, is defined as a period during the second or third trimesters of the pregnancy where a mother feels a massive energy spurt. When I talked to my friends…

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    Parentsphere

    Do you have new-mom friends in your friends list?

    November 22, 2020 - By 

    Ta-da! Here, I am with another tip about postpartum recovery. Though, this one is for the friends of the new-mom. It takes a village to raise a child, after all, doesn’t it? The journey of motherhood is overwhelming. It is quite natural to feel down and tired most of the time during pregnancy and after childbirth. I felt left out after getting pregnant. The closest of my friends stopped texting or calling me to ask how I was doing. With so many things happening, I hardly noticed the change and didn’t bother to call them back. After the delivery, I…