Author Archives: Vinita Zutshi
Parenting: The Basics, Revisited in 2012 – Be
Be who you are. I can almost see your confusion. “Be who you are?” What could I possibly mean by that? I mean, who else could you be but yourself? But there are so many times when we don’t let … Continue reading
Parenting: The Basics, Revisited in 2012 – Ask
Ask questions. But of course you already ask your child questions! Questions like: “How was your day?” “What happened at school today?” “What did you do all day?” Only, you’ve learnt that there’s no point in asking questions because your child … Continue reading
Parenting: The Basics, Revisited in 2012
It’s that time of the year when we all look inward and try to reorient our lives based on our values and priorities. It is a good time to go over the basics and see how we’ve been doing. Everywhere … Continue reading
Raising Children: Teaching Responsibility
The dictionary defines responsibility as (among other things): the state or fact of being responsible; reliability or dependability. Responsible, according to the dictionary, means: answerable or accountable; having a capacity for moral decisions and therefore accountable; capable of rational thought or action. Here’s … Continue reading
The Loving Parent, the Nice Parent, and the Difference Between Them
You love your child. (Duh! 🙂 ) That makes you a loving parent. Most of the time, you try to be a nice parent as well. You put in a lot of effort to make your child happy, give him … Continue reading
Death of a Loved One – Help Your Child to Cope: 2
When a loved one dies, you are prepared for your child to feel grief. Depending on how you deal with grief, you will help your child deal with it too. At various times, and depending on your child’s personal preferences, … Continue reading
Death of a Loved One – Help Your Child to Cope: 1
A loved one has died. What can I say? What can anyone say? Nothing very much that will make a difference, really. In the first few days and weeks, you barely realize that the person is gone. This, despite being … Continue reading
Talking to Children about Death
Some parents have written to me asking for suggestions on how they could explain the concept of death to their children. There are 2 aspects to explaining death to children (or to anyone else). One is to help them be … Continue reading
8 Tips to Follow When Your Child is Scared – of Darkness, Ghosts etc.
As dusk begins to fall, you draw the curtains closed and switch on the lights. Everything is well-lit and clearly visible. As the evening wears on, you finish your routines of the day, and put your child to bed. You … Continue reading
Why Your Child is Afraid: Nightmares, Darkness and Ghosts
Your child has just begun to sleep through the night (without bed-wetting) and you’re looking forward to doing the same after years of disturbed-sleep nights. A ear-piercing scream shatters your illusions. Your child has had a nightmare, and you are … Continue reading