Name: Ila Varma

Designation: Freelancer Writer

Blog name: Keep Smiling, Thoughts Uncovered

Parent to: (Son) Mridul 25-year-old, (Son) Tuktuk 23-year-old

Family details: We are a family of four and we are closely connected with each other.

Background: I am a Freelance Writer & Blogger by profession. I am a voracious reader and a passionate writer. I write on the basis of my experiences as a person, parent and individual. I am a keen observer and my writings reflect my experiences and observations. I believe in the adage, “Never ever give up & Keep trying” and my life revolves around it. I learn from my failures and check not to repeat the mistakes. I started my professional journey with pharmaceuticals and then I moved to financial industry and after shelving my responsibilities, I indulged in my childhood passion for writing and creativity. I am a multitasked and I keep myself occupied with work and passion. I am into Creative & Content Writing and open to working with Brands & Bloggers.

SKP Q1. What top five values do you feel most compelled to instil in your kids?

Ila: To instil good values in our children, we need to follow them first. We need to stick to the adage, “Practice then Preach” and it works well with the kids. They see us following and they unconsciously adapt their lifestyle.

Every parent wants to groom their kids with good values but often parent’s don’t follow the dictum and afterwards blame the kids if they come out ill-behaved or lack something important in their life.

Good manners: Teach them good manners. Follow the etiquettes and manners of acknowledging and responding, they will follow you. Make a habit of greeting them at the start of the day and while resigning to bed. Congratulate them when they excel and be humble to say sorry if you hurt someone. Follow the dictum of members of your family, neighbours and business and slowly they will adopt your way. If they miss, prompt them to follow and make them understand why you want to instil in them the values of good manners. They will take up in their habit because they have seen you doing the same and won’t feel awkward to respond.
Honesty is the best policy and everyone should adopt this policy in their life to be happy and content. Show them the path by sticking to honesty and explain them with reasons the virtues of honesty. Even while answering business calls, don’t use flimsy excuses in front of the kids else they will try to adopt.

Table Manners: Teach them to munch meals without opening their mouth, not to leave leftover in plates and keep the plates at the designated place after finishing the meal.

Personal Hygiene & Cleanliness: Inculcate in them the habit of wearing clean clothes, taking bath at the start of the day and flush the toilet after each use. Put them into the habit of washing hands before and after food, after play or while entering taking out foods to eat.

Generous & Caring: Teach them to respect elders, old, sick, animals, birds and plants. Show them your respect and care for your elders, they will follow your suit. Give them the opportunity to take care of the sick and old, while indulging in such activities, they will develop soft feelings for them and will grow into caring individuals. If you donate things to poor and needy, involve them in such activities, they will learn these virtues and later in life will follow the same. Involve them in the watering of plants, feeding animals and birds, they will learn to value nature.
While raising my kids, I followed the dictum of “Practice then Preach” and involved them in household activities, taking care of the elders and made sure that they followed the golden rules of honesty and hygiene. At times, they strayed but I was firm and polite in my approach and was ready with the explanations what is the value of good values and why one should follow them.

I started instilling these values from the early years of childhood and they adopted in their lifestyle as they felt that it was a practice in our home and neighbourhood.

I am of the view that we can study and learn the textbooks and materialistic affairs later in life but these moral values need to be ingrained from the formative years of life.

SKP Q2. What is your greatest area of weakness as a parent?

Ila: At times, I get over emotional and overprotective and interfere them with their decisions. It is my love for them which makes me weak and I don’t let them spread their wings when they wish to go on adventurous trips. Afterwards, I realize my mistake and mend my ways but if it comes spontaneous, I get adamant in my decisions and I outburst in reaction.

SKP Q3. What is your greatest area of strength as a parent?

Ila: I listen to their advice even if it pertains to check my ways. I give them liberty to choose their subjects and hobbies that they wish to pursue. I lend my ears to listen to them in my busy hours too and be there for them when they need me. I encourage and appreciate them where they do right or trying their best to perform.

SKP Q4. How do you believe other people see your kids? How do you feel about others’ opinions on your kids?

Ila: My relatives, neighbours and friends see them as individuals with great values and quite disciplined in their lifestyle. They are ever ready to help others and cooperate. They never forget to wish them. While raising, I was firm in my approach and never over pampered and people around find them cool and their approach healthy. I feel happy from the positive comments of others and feel proud of my kids and I share my parenting skills when people ask me after meeting my kids.

SKP Q5. How well do your spouse and you work as a team in our parenting?

Ila: My husband has a Marketing job and from the beginning, he has to be on long tours. He is liberal towards kids because he has less time to spend with them. Though I am working, my priorities are my kids and I give time as and when required keeping other things backseat. Major decisions are taken by me though I share my decisions with my better half he has given me the liberty to take decisions in respect of kids. When he is at home, he takes care of them by cooking a special meal for them or takes them for an outing. We work as a team and we don’t fight with each other for the decisions taken for kids and we arrive at the decisions amicably. He cannot give much time but he appreciates my decision and never ever disrespect my decisions. We do disagree on personal matters but in case of kids, we stand as a team.

SKP Q6. How have you felt while pregnant? Enlighten us.

Ila: I have two sons and my pregnancy journey was exciting and I enjoyed every bit of it. In my first pregnancy, I was in my late teens and along with the excitement, there was fear as to how I would sail nine months. The first trimester was a harrowing experience as I had a tendency of vomiting all the time and everything around smelled foul and left me uneasy. I was not able to eat properly nor could dress properly as even I could not bear the smell of fabric. Maximum time, I felt like puking. I had stopped eating spices or non-veg dishes. I was not able to eat properly. After crossing the trimester, gradually the puking tendency subsided and I started feeling better. I was quite skinny but after the first trimester, prominent bodily changes surfaced and I gained in girth. Gradually, my food habits improved and could wear my favourite fabrics. I had to buy new dresses because of bodily changes. I accepted the changes readily and was busy daydreaming about my child and could sense his movements and kicks within me. The experience cannot be summed up in words but the feeling was surreal and could feel the greatness of some unseen supreme power. Last trimester was easy though I had gained a lot of weight in the expected month. I missed the bliss of labour pain as due to some complications, the doctor advised to go for C-Section. When I held my baby close to my bosom, I forgot all the pregnancy blues which I underwent and even could not sense the pain of C-Section, spiritual happiness engulfed me and I was overjoyed.

Second pregnancy was unplanned and suddenly, I missed my periods when my elder one was just 15 months. This time, there was no puking tendency or other discomforts. I was absolutely normal. For 4 months, I did not see the doctor because I was in dual mind and was not decisive to proceed with pregnancy but inner conscience did not let me go for abortion and finally, I landed to my gynaecologist in the fourth month of gestation. During second pregnancy, there were no hiccups. I managed the elder one nicely, no morning sickness or no weakness, I encountered. Many near and dear ones were amazed to find me healthy contrary to my first pregnancy and they expected girl child this time. I was too expecting a daughter this time but again, I was blessed with a healthy baby boy.

The two pregnancy taught me to take life as it comes and I became responsible and patient after been blessed with two cute sons.

Review: SmartyKidsParenting.com

I found the website interesting and helpful and loved the approach of smarty kids parenting and a perfect blend of the bliss of parenting. I wish good luck in the future endeavours and will love to be a part of it.

The post SKParenting Sizzlers with Ila Verma appeared first on SK Parenting.

SKParenting Sizzlers with Vidya Sury

Name: Vidya Sury

Designation: Writer, blogger, editor

Blog: Vidya Sury, Collecting Smiles (plus 6 more)

Parent to: Vidur, 19-year-old

Family details: Live with husband, son in college, studying on campus

Background (what your usual life is like, in brief): After almost two decades in the corporate world, I chose to work from home, to be a hands-on Mom. I write content, blogs for businesses and edit manuscripts for publishers. I do my own housework and enjoy it because of cheapest fitness routine ever with benefits; I love cooking, travel, photography and books. I try and appreciate the present moment because that’s all we can be sure of. I share a wonderful relationship with my son and husband and feel blessed to have them as a family. I am also diabetic and when not working, busy trying to find ways to show my diabetes who’s boss. A typical day in my life consists of all the things I enjoy doing, and sometimes, playing hooky, because—perks of #WFH. I like going on walks with my camera and time-passing with children. And talking to strangers.

SKP Q1. How do you split parenting duties?

Vidya: We like to keep it flexible and don’t believe that a particular duty must be done only by one of us. But yes, we do tend to do more of what we enjoy—and we’ve broadly divided chores between us. When our son was an infant, both of us managed changing diapers, taking care of him, washing his clothes, singing to him, and all those baby-related activities. Husband does the laundry, I enjoy doing things in the kitchen and taking care of shopping. During weekends, we both dust, sweep, swab. We take turns to do the dishes. We fold clothes together, watch TV together (not a chore I know). When our son was in school we took turns to support him, ferry him to and fro. And when he was home, he had a list of chores too. When one of us has a work deadline, the other simply takes over and does stuff.  I know—I am fortunate.

SKP Q2. What top five values do you feel most compelled to instill in your kids?

Vidya: Just asked my husband as well—and here’s our list:

• Equality of all human beings

• Honesty

• Intolerance of injustice

• Compassion

• Scientific temper and rational thinking

• Gratitude

• Never giving up

SKP Q3. How do you believe other people see your kids? How do you feel about others’ opinions on your kids?

Vidya: There are those who criticize and those who praise, and I take both with a large pinch of salt. I know there will always be opinions on why and how we do the things we do in all walks of life, and parenting is no exception. I recall how people found it hilarious that we dropped and picked up our son from school, but that did not stop us from doing it, because, we—and he—were both confident that it did not weaken him in any way. Also, people see and tend to assume a lot of things and feel free to pass judgment. It is best to take everything with a smile.

SKP Q4. In what ways have your kids exceeded your expectations?

Vidya: Our son comes across as a gentle, soft person. I confess that at times, I have secretly wondered if he’ll manage tough situations well. Also, if he would have the confidence to step forward and speak when the situation warrants it. Most of all, my husband and I both worried about how he would manage to study on campus since he was going to be away from home for the first time. But he manages just fine. It was as if he grew up overnight, and we are proud of him. Sure we worry because that’s our privilege, but we’re pleased to see him managing his life, being helpful to others. We are seeing wonderful sides of him we did not see before, perhaps because those situations did not arise.

SKP Q5. What is your greatest area of weakness as a parent?

Vidya: Speaking for myself, I’d say my love for my son. And my secret worry that he should be okay when he’s away from home. That he should not fall sick. That he should be cheerful and strong. A Tall order, but as a Mom, I consider it my right to wish for all good things for my son.

SKP Q6. What is your greatest area of strength as a parent?

Vidya: That same love—my weakness—is my strength. I have faith in my son and am confident he’ll do just fine. Also, I don’t pressurize him with my expectations. That’s my real strength. We communicate comfortably and can talk about almost anything. We’ve always enjoyed each other’s company and I am thrilled that has not changed.

SKP Q7. What did your parents do particularly well?

Vidya: My Mom was a single parent and I think, if I am considered a good Mom, it is mainly because of the relationship we shared. Hard to pinpoint what she did particularly well—but I’d say she taught me to believe in myself and that I could do anything I set my mind to. Also, she was quite strict—in the iron-hand-velvet-glove kind of way. One look from her and I’d know exactly what she was trying to say!

SKP Q8. What do you love about being a parent?

Vidya: Everything. I am filled with awe that I gave birth to a healthy human being. That we love each other, that he trusts me to support him no matter what. That I have the privilege of shaping his life. That he feels free to speak out and share anything with us. And of course, these days, I look forward to his visits home.

SKP Q9. How well do your spouse and you work as a team in our parenting?

Vidya: Pretty well, I think. I have to confess we’ve used the good-cop-bad-cop routine in the nicest ways.  One thing we’ve made a point of us to never argue in front of our son and that’s a non-negotiable rule we are quite proud of. Also, we never scold him in front of others.

SKP Q10. How authentically do you speak with your kids?

Vidya: We’ve been as honest as we possibly could in an age-appropriate way. We have never believed in hiding anything from him. It is better to face the truth and deal with it than live in ignorance. That’s a life lesson instilled in me by my Mom and I am fortunate my husband believes that too.

SKP Q11. Have you dealt with trying to make your kid/s”perfect” at any time?

Vidya: No. We always consciously emphasized to our son that he is who he is, and does not have to be “like” anyone else, or conform to a stereotype.  We think he’s fine exactly as he is.

SKP Q12. How have you felt while pregnant? Enlighten us

Vidya: I got married at 33—considered pretty late by our family tradition—and I know everyone who cared was anxious about whether I’d have kids, and right away. I had just quit my corporate job and everyone expected me to return to work after a short break. So imagine my joy, and everyone else’s when I announced my pregnancy three months later! I felt absolutely wonderful. I did everything by the textbook—taking care to follow a strict diet. No pickles, no fried stuff, none of those “cravings”. My doctor would be so amused during our follow up visits. I did not want to do anything that would not be beneficial for my baby. I’d say I had a very cheerful pregnancy. Oh, there was the morning sickness and all those things, but looking back, I sailed through those. Halfway through, my Mom moved in with us and our happiness was complete. We’d spend warm afternoons sewing clothes. And finally, when he did arrive, he ushered in an era of total happiness. I recall how people in the hospital came and visited him—because he was born on the same day as Sai Baba.

Yes, I am a super-happy Mom.

Vidya’s Review of SmartyKidsParenting.com :

Smarty Kids Parenting is an interesting and useful concept for new and seasoned parents. Because a parent never stops being a parent. Check out the blog section for some thought-provoking posts.

The post SKParenting Sizzlers with Vidya Sury appeared first on SK Parenting.

SKParenting Sizzlers with Shipra Trivedi

Name:  Shipra Trivedi

Designation: A Software Professional (close to 10 years of experience in s/w industry)

Blog name: Abundance of Tasks 

Parent to: Nishkarsh(Vibhu), 3-year-old

Family details: We are working couple so our small family includes my husband and my son other than me here in Delhi

Background (what your usual life is like, in brief): I belong to a very small place in north India. I am the first child of my family and extended family who did any professional course and is working almost 600 Kms away from the hometown. After getting married, I am settled in Delhi with my husband who is also in software field. We both fully support each other in pursuing our ambitions. Ever since our boy has joined the gang, life is about laughs, hugs, kisses and lots of love. My usual day starts with rushing for office with my boy. After coming back, the second role of my life starts and I take care of my house and kitchen. Then we three spend some quality time along and after tucking boy in bed, I resume my next role, a blogger. I am trying my best to give priority wise attention to these three of my roles. And I feel contended when other people admire my efforts. Despite fewer hours of sleep, I love my life.

SKP Q1. How do you split parenting duties?

Shipra: We follow our thumb rule, “who is available, will do the work”. So if I am busy with my office calls or doing extra work at home, my husband takes care of our boy. Similarly, if he is busy or coming home late, I do his jobs. When we both are there, we equally share our duties. Until now, we rarely faced any conflict in terms of our parenting deeds and needs.

SKP Q2. How have you built a relational bridge with your children?

Shipra: I feel, our Indian culture is so designed that it makes a mother the primary caregiver for the child. So, the child automatically gets attached to the mother. Also, they both spend maximum time along, especially after the birth of the child which helps in creating a strong bond between a mother and a child. I did nothing extraordinary. I gave most of my time and attention to my son. And we are best buddies now.

SKP Q3. What top five values do you feel most compelled to instill in your kids?

Shipra: 

• I want him to become a compassionate person. He should be able to confront other people’s emotional needs.

• I want to raise him as a self-sufficient boy. So, from now only, I make him understand the importance of household chores.

• Another thing is clarity of thoughts. I like people who can take decisions and can stand by them. My husband is very good here.

• I also want him to be a family person. I believe in quote “Family is not a thing, it is everything.” I wish he would understand that we need the family to stay happy and successful.

• And I would like to raise him as a creative person. I feel creativity keeps a person lively always.

SKP Q4. How do you believe other people see your kids? How do you feel about others’ opinions on your kids?

Shipra: Other people, like my extended family and my neighbours, treat me a busy person, as they all know that I am a working mother. They don’t expect conventional parenting from my side. Howbeit, I feel blessed that I have such a nice neighbourhood. All of them love my son a lot. Even I often say that my son is raised by them. My boy spends a sufficient amount of time with them every day. Therefore I value their opinions and suggestions. If my son is wrong somewhere and they report me, I try to work on that. I am very positive towards them.

SKP Q5. What part of others’ opinions have you ever learn from?

Shipra: Honestly, I learn something every day from my neighbourhood mothers. My son is almost 15 years younger to their kids. Those mothers have seen so much of parenthood and they always help me with their valuable thoughts.

SKP Q6. What do you love about being a parent?

Shipra: I love that life is chaotic after becoming a mother, but there is an abundance of happiness as well. I am living my childhood again with my son and this is absolutely beautiful.

Shipra’s Review of SmartyKidsParenting.com : 

The concept really made me think for a while. I never thought that the parents should first prepare themselves for raising bright kids. We mostly expect kids to learn and perform. However, the SmartyKidsParenting concept of making parents ready is quite a thoughtful approach towards a rewarding parenting experience. I would definitely try to join their program.

The post SKParenting Sizzlers with Shipra Trivedi appeared first on SK Parenting.

SKParenting Sizzlers with Vasantha Vivek

Name: Vasantha Vivek

Designation: Blogger, Content Creator, Freelance Writer

Blog: My Sweet Nothings

Parent to: Mitesh, 14-year-old

Family details: Vivek works as an HR Corporate Manager at South Africa. Myself stay at home mom and blogger of my teen naughty son Mithu.

Background (what your usual life is like, in brief): As I always enjoy reading, my house is full of books. We are a reading family. Also, I enjoy cooking. Mostly I will be found either cooking, reading or blogging.

SKP Q1. How have you built a relational bridge with your children?

Vasantha: Like all mothers, I would also love to be his friend first then this mother. I always ensure to be available for all his needs at any time. The bond which we build during their early days makes the relationship stronger. And for us, Story Telling time helped much for building our relational bridge.

SKP Q2. What top five values do you feel most compelled to instill in your kids?

Vasantha: Compassion, Empathy, Self Confidence, Resilience, and Mindfulness.

SKP Q3. What life skills would you like your kids to develop this year?

Vasantha: Time Management. I think this is the only life skill he seems to be lacking now. So I would like him to develop this year.

SKP Q4. In what ways have your kids exceeded your expectations?

Vasantha: Being cool always. He used to say that he never had mood off in his lifetime. And it’s true. His mantra is ” It’s ok to be not ok, Amma”. So this attitude of ” Mr Cool” has exceeded my expectations.

SKP Q5. What is your greatest area of weakness as a parent?

Vasantha: At his earlier stage, I was not able to handle motherhood calmly and patiently. My work and family situation made me go into depression. I feel so sorry for not being a compassionate mom during his early stage. But with many failures and pitfalls, learnt the art of parenting now.

SKP Q6. What is your greatest area of strength as a parent?

Vasantha: I always respect my son’s feelings. And I’m sure his decisions won’t go wrong. I trust him for who he is. I wanted to make all his dream come true. Enjoy Parenting Happily. Life is not a video game, and you don’t have any choice to restart it, pause it or delete it !!! So you have to accept and live your life as a parent. Then why can’t you live as a happy parent? The key to Parental Happiness lies in keeping yourself happy and powerful always. This will, in turn, keep your family happy and powerful too.

SKP Q7. In what ways do you hope to be different?

Vasantha: Parenting is the toughest yet most enjoyable journey. You should not worry about the destination but you should enjoy the journey as you travel through. There were times when I cared not to know about my son but went on yelling that he should understand me. How poor was my parenting attitude???

When I was a working mom, I used to hear from many, that my son seemed to be a hyperactive child. Also, I have never gone to any place without getting a complaint about him for his naughtiness and over-talkative behaviour. So I hesitated even for going out with him. Then slowly, I researched and learnt from the net about Mindful Parenting.

Many methods, I tried with him and got a mix of hit and fail results. But all are learning only. In the whole period, I never ever compared my son to anybody. Now he’s such a good lovable teen. Very proud momma moment. All these happened because I made a big decision to be a Mindful Stay At Home Mom (MSAHM), some 5 years back.

My Parenting Mantra – Mindful Parenting To Raise My Words And Not My Voice

SKP Q8. How authentically do you speak with your kids?

Vasantha: Here’s a list of mommy’s resolutions to my son.

Mithu, My boy, I Love You So Much …. You mean the world to me ….
I resolve to offer you unconditional love always with lots of hugs.
I resolve to be more patient than before.
I resolve to set positive boundaries and limits.
I resolve to spend quality time with you daily without any excuses.
I resolve to say no when needed and I should mean it.
I resolve to raise you as a strong, self-assured, confident person.
I resolve to be your friend, not your parent.
I resolve to have more sense of humour and fun with you.
I resolve to cook healthy meals.
I resolve to keep myself cool in any hard situations too.
I resolve to set holistic family environment.
I resolve to be available for you when you really need me.
I resolve to support all your efforts by all means.
I resolve to be your role model.
I resolve to enjoy everything in this world with you.

Vasantha’s Review of SmartyKidsParenting.com :

The website is a boon to new age moms. It discusses a wide range of topics on family and parenting. And the videos of smart Aurius are amazing. Looking forward to more such thought-provoking articles.

The post SKParenting Sizzlers with Vasantha Vivek appeared first on SK Parenting.

The post SKParenting Sizzlers with Shailaja Vishwanath appeared first on SK Parenting.

Name: Vidhi Duggal

Designation: Stay at Home mom and Blogger

Blog Name: Luminosity

Parent to: Kashvi 9- and Yashvi 3-year-old

Family Details: I live in a nuclear family with my husband and two daughters who constitute my whole world.

Background: I have worked as a makeup artist and hairstylist in my mother’s salon for nearly 10 years. After my marriage, I started teaching in primary classes. My love for doing makeups compelled me to work in my salon side by side. I gave up my work completely after the birth of my younger one. Now, I am a stay at home mom devoting my full time to look after my kids.

I started blogging 2 years back. Writing and sharing stories that touched my heart; parenting tips which helped me evolve and grow as a better parent each day. Parenting is something we learn only after becoming a parent, we make mistakes, learn, grow and evolve which is the best part of this journey.

SKP Q1. How do you split parenting duties?

Vidhi: I am a stay at home mom, so I perform all the duties for my kids. My husband has long working hours and reaches home late at night. But whatever time he gets, he tries to make the most out of it by playing, talking and helping them in their studies. He makes it a point to take the kids out on weekends. He shares a very open and loving bond with the kids where they confide in him everything they feel like.

SKP Q2. What top five values do you feel most compelled to instil in your kids?

Vidhi: The top five virtues which I try to instil in my kids are:

• Empathy – The best virtue is to put yourself in other’s shoes which is important to gain a better understanding of yourself and others. Being sensitive to others and knowing that others also feel pain, joy, shame, sorrow and fear is a very important trait.

• Humility – It is very important to think of ourselves as equal to others. A humble attitude helps a lot in keeping ourselves happy and be satisfied with whatever life has to offer us. They should also learn that in order to gain anything in life, they have to put in a lot of effort.

• Be able to stand up for themselves – One very important virtue to learn is to choose the right path which is led by truth and honesty and be strong enough to stand by themselves in order to tread that path despite all the obstacles and opposition they might have to face.

• Respect for others – If they want to gain respect for themselves, they must learn to give respect first. Respecting their elders, listening and obeying them is another very important virtue.

• Self-sufficient – Being self-sufficient is also very important to learn. If they are strong and self-sufficient, they would not need to ask anything to anyone and will always be able to lead their lives with their head held high on their shoulders.

SKP Q3. How do you believe other people see your kids? How do you feel about others’ opinion on your kids?

Vidhi: I have never paid any heed to what other’s think of my children because it is only me who knows their true calibre and innate qualities. It does not matter to me how other’s perceive them for my belief in them is what matters the most for me and for them.

SKP Q4. In what ways have your kids exceeded your expectations?

Vidhi: My kids have very often exceeded my expectations. If once my daughter makes a mistake and understands what she had done wrong, she not only improves but makes sure not to commit the same mistake again. Also, if by chance she gets lesser marks in her assessments, she makes sure to work hard and gets highest marks on the same subject the next time.

SKP Q5. In what ways do you feel disappointed by your children and what have you learnt from this?

Vidhi: I feel disappointed when my kids misbehave with me or with anyone else but then I realise that somewhere it’s me who has to convey the message clearly to them or there has been some sort of communication gap which due to which they are behaving in that way. Then, I try to explain to them clearly what has been told to them and what they are expected to do. I also try to listen to them calmly which helps us a lot.

SKP Q6. What is your greatest area of weakness as a parent?

Vidhi: My greatest area of weakness is that I am short-tempered and get impatient. I have acknowledged my shortcomings and am trying my best to improve them.

SKP Q7. What is your greatest area of strength as a parent?

Vidhi: I give my kids enough space to explore and learn out of their abilities. I also give them a chance to fail, learn, grow and evolve. I keep pushing them but also make sure to stand with them in all their endeavours.

Vidhi’s Review of SmartyKidsParenting.com : 

Vidhi: It is a wonderful venture. The videos of Aurius’ are very inspiring and motivating. It shows that if a child is given an environment of learning with encouragement and stimulation, the child can easily reach his full potential. Teaching the way a child learns is the best way to help a child learn various concepts and make learning fun for him.

The post SKParenting Sizzlers with Vidhi Duggal appeared first on SK Parenting.

Name: Dr Amrita Basu (Misra)

Designation: Clinical Tutor (ENT and Head -Neck Surgery) Malda Medical College, Creative Content Director Healthwealthbridge

Blog name:  Healthwealthbridge

Parent to: Anuprita, 5-year-old

Family details: Married

Background (what your usual life is like, in brief): I am a Doctor, Mommy-Blogger, Author and social media explorer. I love writing about unique and valuable content to spread awareness about health, wellness, parenting and entrepreneurship as a mom. I love collaborating with eco-friendly, socially responsible brands who are interested in creating quality creative content. I also help in finding your brand story and brand goals.

I have written two ebooks:

Picky Eaters: Guaranteed hacks to make you happy co-authored with my Pediatrician hubby

Fruits for Life: Nutrition Secrets your Doctor Won’t Tell

http://www.amazon.in/gp/aw/d/B0725SSB4G/

SKP Q1. How do you split parenting duties?

Dr Amrita: I am very blessed to have an understanding husband who shares work and homework both with me. We both cook, clean-up, teach our daughter and alternately babysit. Our duty hours are shifting and hence to some extent flexible.That’s why I am still able to manage it all.

SKP Q2. What top five values do you feel most compelled to instill in your kids?

Dr Amrita: I think I will be happy if my daughter at least learns:

Persistence and Patience,
Kindness,
Empathy,
Discipline and Value of Hard work.

SKP Q3. What life skills would you like your kids to develop this year?

Dr Amrita: I want my daughter to learn to identify kindness and unkindness in people and make friends accordingly. Kindness is a rarely celebrated quality, but an important one if you want to make relationships of value.

SKP Q4. What is your greatest area of weakness as a parent?

Dr Amrita: I think too much and explain even more. Children need to learn to find out their own answers to take balanced decisions.

SKP Q5. What is your greatest area of strength as a parent?

Dr Amrita: I am a very patient parent. That’s probably why my daughter is very self-assured for her age.

SKP Q6. What do you do to equip your children to love well?

Dr Amrita: Love is felt. So in order to teach love, I love her. Cuddle her and give her hugs and kisses throughout the day. In fact, we have cuddle breaks in between homework.

Dr Amrita’s Review of SmartyKidsParenting.com : 

I have recently come across this parenting website which aims to help make parenting easier. While information is everywhere, its difficult to find experience matching it. SmartyKidsParenting has bridged that divide beautifully. Tips, tricks, and common sense to make learning fun for the little one.

The post SKParenting Sizzlers with Dr Amrita Basu appeared first on SK Parenting.

Name: Swati Verma

Designation: Author (Published Academic Author)

Blog name: The Priviledged Parent

Parent to: Abhitha Shrivastav, 3-year-old

Family details: Mine is a nuclear family, just I, my husband and our daughter. I am a middle child and fit the description of the middle child syndrome word by word.

Background (what your usual life is like, in brief): I have eight years of experience in academic publishing and currently I am working on my new CBSE series for the K8 segment. I love writing stories for kids and that’s how I entered into academic publishing. I try to deal with issues kids face in their life, such as bullying, cyber bullying, partial poverty, child abuse, body image issues in a subtle manner to ensure that the kids understand and learn how to face the challenges and cope up with them. I have a little daughter who has inspired and motivated me to write better. My husband is a wonderful man and has helped me stay focused and taught me to value my dreams as much as I care for others’ happiness.

SKP Q1. What top five values do you feel most compelled to instill in your kids?

Swati: a) I want my child to be comfortable with who she is and how God has made her. I want her to be confident about herself and not bother about who thinks what about her.

b) I want her to be kind enough to understand and feel the pain of others. At the same time, I want her to learn when to first think about herself and not let people around her take advantage of her.

c) I want her to be honest, first and foremost to herself and then to people around her. I strongly believe that lying to oneself is the most harmful thing to do because we start believing those lies. I try my best to teach my daughter that there is absolutely no reason to lie.

d) I want her to be fearless. Her name means ‘Fearless’ because the moment we are afraid of something, or someone we try to hide things, lie or run away from responsibilities. I want her to accept her mistakes and work on them instead of getting scared of anyone.

e) I want her to understand that at the end of the day what matters is her own happiness and if she is doing something that makes her happy, she does not need to worry about others’ opinion.

SKP Q: Why these five values?

Swati: Because it took me years to learn these. I was always a pushover, always worried about others’ opinion and it affected me in worst possible ways.

SKP Q2: What is your greatest area of weakness as a parent?

Swati: As a parent, I still get over competitive. I want my daughter to do well and sometimes I push her a little too much. Thankfully my husband is always there to keep a check on me. I remember when she could not perform on stage with other kids, I was so upset that I could not even fake a smile. Later I felt ashamed of myself and I am working hard not to force anything on my child.

SKP Q3: What is your greatest area of strength as a parent?

Swati: I am emotional and I have always been able to see through a child’s mind and heart ever since I was a teacher. I always knew what my students were thinking and how I could motivate them. This has helped me with my daughter as well. I know what I have to tell her and when.

SKP Q4: What do you love about being a parent?

Swati: The hugs and kisses. My daughter is an expressive child just the way I was. She would hug me and kiss me and tell me that she loves me a lot. Being a parent is a big challenge, a child tests your patience every moment and just when you feel everything is falling apart, your baby would come to you, look at you with so much love in his/ her eyes and you will realise that your child is worth all the challenges you are facing.

SKP Q5: How well do your spouse and you work as a team in our parenting?

Swati: I would be lying if I would say that we have never faced any issues as parents. We are very different as parents but the fact that we want the best for our child has made parenting interesting for us. My husband is extremely helpful and understanding, way more than me. He is always there to help me out even when I lose patience. Not sure how he manages to stay cool and calm all the time right from the start. While I take part of the regular tasks, my husband ensures that I am always happy. He makes sure that I have all the support I need even before I ask for it. He is an adorable dad who spends hours talking to our daughter and playing dolls with her.

Swati Verma’s Review on Aurius and SmartyKidsParenting website:

Aurius is an inspiration and it is fun to watch him. The tips and tricks are extremely useful to make learning fun for my child. Also, I liked how candid the website is. It is honest and talks about real issues we face as parents.

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