As parents, we rarely expect things in return for all the things we do for our kids. This not-expecting clause, is simply a part of the parent job profile. However, as adults, we do learn to expect some things in life. We take luxuries such as having our own room, our own bed in whichContinueContinue reading “Becoming Unroomed: Becoming a Rolling Stone”
Category Archives: Parenting
Will I ever learn…
…that my child is extremely impressionable and that what I do and how I behave absolutely and directly influences what he then does and how he behaves. …that my yelling may seem like a great release for me but may do irreparable damage to his ability to learn the action-consequence-reaction dynamic. …that my throwing thingsContinueContinue reading “Will I ever learn…”
Fragile Lives: Fragile Moments – Cherishing the last times
Whoever said “Cherish every moment with your newborn. These moments don’t last forever” deserves the “Most Cliched Statement of the Parenting World” award, after having battled it out with “Sleep when the baby sleeps” for the top spot. First of all, if you are a new mom and this is your first baby, forget cherishingContinueContinue reading “Fragile Lives: Fragile Moments – Cherishing the last times”
What you don’t know as a parent and a child…
There are a LOT of things I don’t know about raising kids but like most people, I raise them anyway, making mistakes along the way and sometimes, miraculously, just getting a few things right. Therefore, in a twist of sorts, rather than write about what I do and don’t know about raising kids/parenting/mothering, I wantContinueContinue reading “What you don’t know as a parent and a child…”
A Reality that is Stranger than Fiction
Being a parent invariably makes me nostalgic about my own childhood in the most surreal way. I look at my older child, careless and carefree, frolicking through life without so much of a frown or a grimace on his cherubic face (if you take away the expressions he makes when he has tantrums or justContinueContinue reading “A Reality that is Stranger than Fiction”
Navigating the delicate waters of rewards and punishment
It began in the most mundanely boring and predictable way possible. As parents, we started punishing bad behavior with time outs and rewarding good behavior with praises, and even more hugs and kisses than we did usually. Then somehow, I am not sure how or when, we started giving incentives (material objects as presents) randomlyContinueContinue reading “Navigating the delicate waters of rewards and punishment”
Just a quick note: What do you do when…?
Your toddler keeps saying, “Mommy ‘tay…mommy ‘tay…mommy…” asking you to stay just a little longer for nap times and bed times and insists on just one more book? Not sure if he really wants to read another book or wants to prolong bed time? Should I enforce his bed time give or take 15 minutesContinueContinue reading “Just a quick note: What do you do when…?”
Please stop growing…not really…yes, really…no..
TJ will be 2.5 years next month. Yes, my little boy whom I can still remember holding as a newborn, is going to be two-and-a-half years old!!! My other little one, my munchmuffin will turn 4 months this week…the kids are growing up and every day, I feel just a little bit nostalgic for whatContinueContinue reading “Please stop growing…not really…yes, really…no..”
5 Challenges of being a Firstborn
Most people, myself included, will be forgiven for thinking that firstborns have all the advantages over their younger siblings. After all, they got their parents’ undivided attention for a while before the next one came along. They were fussed over, hovered over, and attended to perhaps far more than any of their siblings. Parents couldContinueContinue reading “5 Challenges of being a Firstborn”
How my second born child’s life is different from (or similar to) her older brother – Part 1
It was under five years ago that I began a beautiful journey with Aaron. As soon as we got engaged and got married three months later, we knew we wanted kids. Plural. We both wanted two kids. Baby J now Toddler J or TJ was born two years later. In fact, I was pregnant onContinueContinue reading “How my second born child’s life is different from (or similar to) her older brother – Part 1”
I love my rug more than my kid apparently…
It was one of those insane moments. Trying to manage the napping schedules of an infant and a toddler can be a little complicated but usually skews in the direction of neglect toward the toddler or at least that is the case in my home. I’ll get to the rug story in a little bitContinueContinue reading “I love my rug more than my kid apparently…”
Concerted Cultivation: What Middle-Class Parents do for their Kids
Note: Using ‘middle-class’ is not my choice of word here. I use it as conceptualized by Annette Lareau in her explanation of the term, ‘Concerted Cultivation’. If popular media, public commentary, and recent articles on parenting are to be believed, middle-class parents are actively engaged in the lives of their children and nowhere is thisContinueContinue reading “Concerted Cultivation: What Middle-Class Parents do for their Kids”