Category Archives: Communication

Give Your Child the Reading Habit: 5 Ways

When the talk veers around to what children enjoy doing, I will invariably say, “My daughter enjoys reading — and that is putting it mildly.” Almost immediately, the person I’m speaking with responds in one of 2 ways: “Reading is a … Continue reading

Posted in Academics / Achievement, Communication, Parenting | 7 Comments

What Parents Need to Tell Children about Growing Up

“No! I don’t want to sleep.” “Why not? You’re tired and sleepy. Look! You’re rubbing your eyes. Come, get into bed.” “No! I want to stay awake.” You’ve had this conversation with your child. If you haven’t yet, you will … Continue reading

Posted in Communication, Parenting | 2 Comments

Should You Share the Blog with Your Child?

Carefree Parenting: clearly a blog meant for parents, to make parenting easier, carefree. Then, the other day, a friend wondered if it would be a good idea for him to share one of my posts with his child. He shot … Continue reading

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Respond To Your Child – Parenting: The Basics, Revisited

Respond to the situation. How do you respond to your child? How response-able are you? How good are you at responding to situations? Not as good as you’d like to be, I’m sure. I know I’m not as good at … Continue reading

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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

Posted in Communication | 7 Comments

How to Help Your Child Speak Well: 5 Tips

As a parent, you know that effective communication is one of the essential skills of modern life. Success, whether at school or in a profession; whether in personal or social relationships, depends on your ability to communicate well. Communication means … Continue reading

Posted in Communication | 3 Comments

Communicating With Your Child in an Impossible Situation

“Umm – Vinita, can I speak with you privately?” I was teaching a course on fashion, and one of my students walked up to me at the end of class. (This wasn’t in India, where it is not done to … Continue reading

Posted in Communication, Puberty / Sex | 7 Comments

Knowing Your Child

Here’s a scenario you would have lived through as a parent: Your friend has called to invite you over for a meal. “What will the little one eat?” they ask. “She eats most things, but is particularly fond of spinach, … Continue reading

Posted in Communication | 10 Comments

Listen!

Your baby is born! Some kind friend has gifted you a Baby Book to record all her ‘firsts’ – if you haven’t already bought such a book yourself. You keep the Baby Book open, with the pen ready in it, … Continue reading

Posted in Communication | 16 Comments

What to Do When You Can’t Set an Example

One of the ways you show your love for your child is by telling him things which are good for him. Like ‘eat healthy food’, ‘get enough exercise and sleep’, ‘plan your work so you can get things done on … Continue reading

Posted in Communication | 15 Comments