​"We need an appointment today. It is an emergency."

A mom requested on a call yesterday.

An emergency in parenting?

Are you surprised?

I wasn't. 

Every week I am called to attend to several such emergencies.

And honestly - I appreciate the fact that the parents recognize that something is going terribly wrong - and want to do something to set it right immediately.

It is much better than postponing getting help - to next week - next month and so on - like many others do.

All problems in parenting - at their core - are relationship problems.

With every moment that you postpone correcting that rift between yourself and your child - the gap becomes bigger - the wound in your hearts that started out as minor scratch - becomes a gaping wound - and it bleeds your relationship to death.

This results in children - not listening - not studying - getting into bad company - doing the wrong things - and so on.

And one day there is a HUGE problem in the house.

But like the parents yesterday - if you take action with urgency - you may see a miracle.

Like what happened yesterday - 

I gave the parents an appointment at 4 PM.

We finished consulting at 5 PM

At 6:27 PM I received a message from the mom saying that they had implemented what we had discussed - and it was working wonders.

I had no words to say how grateful I felt to have had an opportunity to help these wonderful parents and their amazing child.

Of course I know there will be ups and downs again - like there are in every relationship

But their urgent action showed them that it is POSSIBLE to repair what seems irreparable at first.

So grateful for this opportunity to contribute meaningfully every day.


PC: Photo by Allen Taylor on Unsplash

​If you are looking for an easy way to ensure that your child falls in love with healthy food 

I recommend you embrace healthy baking.

Yes - it is the easiest way to ensure fuss free healthy eating for the following reasons -

1. Children need snacks to grow

2. The easiest way to give children healthy snacks is - to bake - beacuse it can be done ahead of hunger time

3. Eating healthy bakes as snacks prevents tantrums because of fluctuating blood sugar levels and hormones like dopamine and leptin

Whenever I have recommended that parents make the shift to healthy baking however, most parents have asked - "But how do we do that? Is there a book that we can follow for recipes?"

So far the answer was no.

But now it YES!!!!

Simran Oberoi Multani(@sim_ovenderful) and her band of healthy bakers at the Ovenderful Mom Bakers Community have put their recipes together in a collection of 3 books.

Book 1 - Vegan Gluten free baking recipes

Book 2 - Savouries and wholesome one-pot recipes

Book 3 - Desserts and sweet treat recipes

You can buy one or more books at the following link http://www.stonemill.in/shop

If you prebook by 31st May you get this special book set / book in June! 

So do it now!!!!

Tagging some friends whose recipes are featured in the books

Samantha Lazaro Kalai Rajesh Pv Iyer Vrushali Gite Namita Tiwari Kasturi Neil Sonalkar Pratibha S Gadad Rekha Joseph Jeeva Anna George 

So proud to know you guys. You are changing the world.

​Children are often the 'forgotten mourners'. 

Because they express their grief differently - we often assume that they are over their grief. 

But no child can ever get over the grief of losing a parent - they can only grow through it. 

And as concerned adults we must understand how grief evolves and how we can support grieving children until they learn how to live with the new reality.

Although we cannot take away their pain - by being mindful - we can save them from feeling the shame and guilt that follows grief. 

Grieving children have always been all around us - but the pandemic has made us recognize them and most adults are now trying to acquire the skills they need to cope with grieving children. 

This article discusses what adults can do to make things better

#quoted in this article in the Indian Express on helping children cope with grief.

https://indianexpress.com/article/parenting/family/pandemic-losing-a-parent-what-families-can-do-to-help-children-deal-with-grief-and-loss-7324996

I love it when adults try to understand teenagers. 

Because it is so rare. 

It is so easy to write teenagers off as 'bad' or 'lazy' or 'arrogant' or something else. 

But that is a practice the teachers at Trio World School ICSE make a concious effort to avoid. 

Every year the school invites me to conduct workshops for their teachers and parents to ensure that the 'significant adults' in the lives of their students - understand them. And receive their behavior with empathy and compassion. 

Today I conducted a workshop for the teachers of middle school and high school because they were keen to understand how to keep their middle and high schoolers - engaged and excited during online classes. 

Teaching teenagers is difficult at any time - and teaching them online is a real challenge. 

I loved helping the teachers with strategies to connect with their students during online classes. 

I loved it that they wanted to focus on emotional connection - because it is impossible to learn without an emotional connection. 

Emotions form the bridge over which information travels from the teacher to the student's brain and turns into knowledge. 

It is important to understand 'what makes teenagers tick' if we want to build this bridge. And I was thrilled to receive this opportunity to share that.

#Interviewed by Hindustan Times on "Parenting Teens in the new normal."

Many parents have been reaching out for help with parenting their teenagers - ever since the pandemic began. 

There is no doubt that the pandemic has been a difficult time for parents of teens. 

But it has been even more difficult for teenagers. 

It is important to understand the magnitude of loss that these children have experienced. 

And it is important to build empathy and compassion towards them by understanding their suffering. 

At a time when they are programmed to move away from the home and their parents... And bond with their peers... They are compelled by the pandemic to do the exact opposite. 

In this interview I talk about the struggle teens are experiencing... the reason they are behaving the way they are.... And how parents can make this easier... In various ways... Including by adopting a new approach to screen time.... and friendships.

https://htschool.hindustantimes.com/parenting-teens-in.../

​Can it be COVID? 
What should I do now? 
Sharing a summary of the latest guidelines for parents in this article :  ​What to do if your baby (0-2 years) has COVID-19 - Morisons Baby Dreams Blogs | Baby Care Tips (smartmums.in)

​One of the reasons parenting is so difficult is because - it involves constant decision making for another person - your child.

Parents constantly need to make decisions that may have a long term impact on their children.

And that can be really stressful.

The only way to get past that stress is to be armed with the knowledge necessary to make the right decisions

At today's webinar - organized by EuroKids International(@eurokidsinternational_official) I helped parents understand how they should approach education in the early years through the pandemic.

Yes - starting early is important - because the brain is growing rapidly in the early years.

No - we cannot wait for the pandemic to end to begin educating our children - because the growing brain does not wait for pandemics to end.

So - how should children learn?

Is the digital medium safe for early learners?

How can we ensure learning without addiction?

What about the children who have become restless and aggressive through the pandemic? Will they really learn anything through the digital medium?

I answered these and many more questions today.

And I am absolutely thrilled with the feedback that has been pouring in after that.

"Stress and anxiety can give your child - a flat tyre on the road to success."

I have always said this at my workshops on learning in the past 9 years.

"So what happens now?" 

The teachers of Trio Tots Preschool Sahakar Nagar and Trio World School ICSE asked me

"With the devastation caused by the second wave of the pandemic - so many children will come back to school with anxiety and stress.

What can we do to ensure that they keep learning and are not saddled with the additional stress because of not learning?"

They wanted to know.

After reading several books and many many research papers - I came up with this workshop - and conducted it for them today.

Conducting a workshop for the Trio teachers is always a fun experience because I have been conducting workshops for them for the past 8 years now - and meeting them is like catching up with old friends.

It was an amazing morning of learning with love and laughter.

As always - I learnt as much as I shared. 

Thank you Bela Ma'am, Greshma Geeta Bharat Momaya Bishwajeet Bhattacharya

​A lovely informal meet up with parents yesterday
Organised by Juggernaut Books 
So many questions...on so many topics
From tantrums... To sibling rivalry.... To motivation.... To Device use... And so many more. 
I loved answering the questions. 
And I loved the bonding through the session. 
Looking forward to many more.

​Learning in the new normal is completely different from the way learning has happened for centuries. 

And so it is time to go back to the basics and examine 

1. What children really need to learn

2. What is the neurological mechanism by which learning happens in the brain

So that we can create an environment in which learning happens smoothly and children continue to learn happily. 

At my workshop 

"Learning in the New Normal"

That I conducted today for the parents of Millennium World School Bengaluru North

I helped parents understand the basics of learning in the early years. 

And I was thrilled with the response I received. 

Parents were thrilled to know that every challenge they were facing as their children learnt through devices could be explained and overcome by neuroscience and physiology.

How I love helping parents discover the magical world of the brain.