Mindful Parenting

“Seven Things Smart Parents Never Say”

Mindful parenting is the concept of being present in the moment with your children. The greatest gift you can ever give to your child is your attention and mindful parenting is a way of doing that.

Children, especially toddlers, live quite naturally in the moment. We, on the other hand think of past or future; what we need to cook, buy and do, which may be important, but it is also taking our attention away from our child who is living in the present moment. We can minimize the damage by avoiding to say the seven things.

1.  “Not Now”. Whenever Laura Stafford, professor of communication, picked up her boys at preschool, she recalls, “I'd see parents hurry around their kids”. A child would show his work and mother says “Not now. I’ll look at it when we get home”. A persistent pattern of “Not Now” communicates to the child, “You and your project aren’t worth my time”.

2.  “You should have done it this way”. In their book, “The Self-Confident Child”, Dr Jean Yoder & William Proctor describe a preschooler who after much effort, learns to tie his shoe laces. He proudly shows of his accomplishment to his father. “That’s great”, the father says, “but you should have made sure you put your shoes on the right feet”. When praise is mixed with criticism, kids focus on the down side.

3. “You look like a Slob”. Children look to their parents to tell them who they are in this world. Teasing creates uncertainty because a child never knows how serious the parent is. This uncertainty goes on to develop a negative self image.

4.  “You don’t mean that”. When we continually deny their feelings, kids think they should not express emotions. On the contrary, we should encourage our children to recognize and empathize with different emotions. A child psychologist can offer various strategies to develop a child’s emotional expression, but it is important to begin at home.

                                                                                             

(To be continued)…..

The Magic of School Trips

School trips are a break from the usual school day. It’s a chance to escape the confines of the classroom and take learning opportunities on the road. They offer an opportunity to interact with classmates and teachers in a slightly more relaxed manner than the normal school environment.


Field trips are an enjoyable and fun treat for students. However, they also offer unparallel learning opportunities to the children. They connect students to the real world as they offer non-experimental research outside their everyday activities. They are an educational experience that the children can never have in the classroom.

School excursions are also an important and effective means of motivating the students and encouraging them in active learning. The children build closer bonds with their classmates and enjoy a day away from the classroom.

Our school too encourages such trips. The Pre -Primary section went to visit places in the neighbourhood. This helped students to interact with what they were learning in the class. The experience went beyond reading about the neighbourhood as the students were able to manipulate it and physically participate in it.

While field trips take a great deal of work and energy, broadening the horizons of the students is worth it as learning and fun makes a great combination.

No Stress Please

In this fast pacing world where the competitive attitude of the people is taking a toll on their minds, children are also getting affected with psychological stress. These young minds are going through peer pressure, family problems, inferiority complex thereby resulting in stress.

Here, we educators, rather facilitators have a special role to play by conducting short stress free activities in school such as yoga, meditation, pranayam, organising counselling sessions for them, helping them with solutions to their problems and I feel honoured to be a part of the institution whose prime motive is the ‘Betterment of Children’. We make each child feel special as every child is a separate individual with a potential which needs to be recognized and developed. We are not only teachers, but mentors too. Don’t worry children; we’re there for you, to guide you and help you grow up into beautiful individuals.

Wonderful start to the Workshop

A beautifully choreographed classical dance performance by our girls on the occasion of the Awakened Citizen Program (ACP) by Rama Krishna Mission gave a wonderful start to the two days workshop. Vaneeta, the dance teacher, couldn't have chosen a better classical song for the occasion. The performance on “Tum Asha Vishwas Hamare” left all mesmerized. The formation and mudras were just perfect. 
Great Going!!!