The trouble with many parents is that they love their kids but just can’t wait for them to grow up. “Why are they so childish?” parents lament. My answer is simple: Children are entitled to be childish. This is the only time in their life they can be so without looking stupid. One day, they’ll grow up to be adults without fully utilising their childish quota. Now isn’t that scary?

Here are some things you could do: (more…)

Like adults, children also have occasions where they are anxiety-ridden. As a parent, it is your duty to look out for these SOS (signs of stress) and address them. Fast. Some signs of stress could be: withdrawal from conversation, a state of blurness where your child is slow to respond to stimuli, shouting or seemingly-unprovoked aggression, and nervous repetitive habits (biting of nails is a classic example). (more…)

A favourite ploy of parents in bringing their child up is putting them down by comparison. It goes something like this:

“Joey doesn’t talk like that to his parents

or

Your sister Cindy never did that when she was your age.

Well perhaps the facts are right. But are Joey and Cindy perfect in every way? Chances are, they’re not. In the meantime, you’ve signalled your disapproval of a child and made him/her resent another. (more…)

For me, telling stories or narrating incidents (conjured or otherwise) to my kids has built a rapport so great, it’s unbelievable. Not a day goes by without my kids requesting for a story to be told. It’s tremendously taxing for sure, but the personal satisfaction is amazing. The days that I cannot tell them a bedtime story because of other commitments do leave a vacuum in my heart. (more…)