Parentune.com : Teaching our children the Value of Money

When my son was about 3.5 years old I distinctly remember a very interesting conversation we had and I must share it with you.

On most of our trips to the mall or market it was a punishment for us because he used to put his hand over a toy and we would buy it for him. We loved the smile and happiness that this unnecessary and expensive buy brought on your childs face but gradually we begin to realize that slowly it was burning a big hole in our pocket.

Gradually we even came to a stage where, my son actually could not choose a toy in the shop because he had most of them it was Funny! Or so we thought till the next time when we visited the mall my son said, “Mama I want this toy !” rather than just saying a blatant refusal I told him “it is too expensive and mama is not carrying enough money”.

My mother who was accompanying us (being a wonderful yet indulgent grandparent) was hurt by my statement and said, “this is not right and that he is too small to understand this”. Even before I could give her an explanation, my sunny boy tells me, “mama lets go to the ATM and get money; just put your card in and the money will start coming out”.

I was dumbfounded as he had accompanied me to the ATM only once before. When I answered back that there was no money in the ATM he said lets go to the bank. Everytime I remember this incident a smile comes across my face.

The moment of Truth!!

That night we as parents decided it was time to teach our child the value of money.We decided we would initiate the process of making him understand about “ Money” and we later found out that we were underestimating his ability to understand and comprehend matters regarding Money.

Important Life Lessons that may help in the process:

- Making the child understand that it takes a lot of hours of hard work to give them the comfortable life they lead.
- They must learn the value of money but at the same time not get attached to it. Money is like water it has to flow and flow it does.
- Prioritizing how the money should be spent goes a long way.
- Making the child understand the difference between a Need and a Want.
- It is more valued if you make them work for it.

The next day we made our son sit down and emphasised how there were so many needy kids that did not have a single toy then we further reinstated the same same fact by explaining to him that he could only buy one gift in a month and before that gift came in he would have to to donate any old toy of his to a needy child. At first he did not quite like the idea but over the years now he is on board with it.

Later to further facilitate his understanding we also gave him a piggy bank where he collected his savings ( which was mostly the change that his grandparents gave to him when they visited) and later bought what he wanted.

In the last two years he has learnt that he cannot waste money, infact if I am shopping in the mall he checks me by saying that I am wasting money ( Can you believe that ).

The children need to be explained in a comforting manner that they must take care of their belongings and they are responsible if something happens to them. They should be made aware that buying a thing is neither easy noe appropriate again and again. Asserting that all their toys must go to the appropriate place once they are done playing with them will instill in them a sense of responsibility for taking care of their belongings.

Another instance which further reinforces the point that I am trying to make is when a family friends of ours who have a teenager, lost a camera on a school trip probably because of carelessness. In order to teach him the value of money his parents told him to compensate for the camera that he had lost. Mind you, they belong to a very well off family but the child had to forgo his birthday party .When I heard this I felt a little bad but the child learnt the lesson of his life (though he still got the i-pod he wanted as a birthday Present).

A year ago my son really wanted a WI game so I told him to start saving money in his piggy bank. Everytime he would help us with a household chore we contributed to his piggy bank. We explained to him that he might have to save for the whole year since the game was expensive.Very patiently he collected the money but was very disappointed to see that inspite of saving all through the year he had not collected enough money and his birthday was fast approaching. We told him not to worry and pooled in the balance amount. I am proud to say that by then my son had understood what we wanted him to learn all along.

Another good place to teach children how to spend money well is the supermarket, by giving them a pre fixed amount of money and asking them to make maximum use out of it.It really is an eye opener for them when they see the money spend in realtion to the things that they have bought. Our childrens are born in the age of I Pads , hi tech cell phones , video games and many other gadgets but we as parents need to make them realize the importance of all that they have but at the same time they should not forget how hard their parents have worked to make sure they have access to these things.

A penny saved is a penny earned, how many times have we heard this…. and this is so true.

As soon as our children can learn to count we should start our small lessons in handling little money.We should help them understand how to spend money wisely this will help them take intelligent and well informed decisions in the future.

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Parentune.com - Bone Health in Children

Osteoporosis, a disease which used to be associated with old age is affecting more and more children now. Utmost care for your child’s bone health should be given during his/her formative childhood years. This will go a long way to build a strong framework of bones benefiting the child in later years. If the dietary intake of calcium/vitamin D by children and adolescents is below the recommended levels of adequate intake, the children will be unable to develop their optimal bone mass, which can put them at the risk of osteoporosis.

What exactly is Osteoporosis?

Osteoporosis is sometimes referred as a paediatric disease with geriatric (old age) consequences. Osteoporosis is a condition where the density of the bones decreases resulting in brittle and fragile bones which make them prone to fractures. Your child’s bones mature gradually as they grow, with childhood and early adulthood being the prime periods for bone development. Whatever bone mass your child has attained in childhood and adolescence is a very important determinant for his/her lifelong skeletal health.

What are the main fallouts of undernourished bones?

It’s alarming to know about the increase in incidences of fractures in otherwise healthy children, reflects the unhealthy changes in lifestyle in the past few decades.

    Low bone density
    Brittle Bones/ Fractures
    Avoidance of dairy products/calcium deficiency leads to individual vertebrae becoming out of shape resulting in hunch back appearance.
    A distorted and damaged spine is painful, disabling and disfiguring.
    The distorted bones can compress other organs like the lung and abdomen leading to breathing problems.

How can we Boost Bone Health?

1. Calcium Rich Diet

Milk is rich in calcium and it is an easy way to get the required calcium your child would need. But for those of you whose child is not open to milk there are other sources of calcium too. Whatever the case it’s always better to understand from your paediatrician the recommended calcium intake for your child per day at various stages of his growth.

    Apart from milk, dairy products such as yoghurt and cheese are a great source of Calcium.
    Include plenty of Green Leafy vegetables, Fresh Green Peas, Broccoli, Beans and legumes  in the diet
    Tofu (The calcium content of tofu varies, depending on how it's processed so please check the nutrition label.)
    Replace soft drinks and colas with milk/dairy based smoothies/milkshakes as this will contribute to a significant amount of calcium intake.
    Almonds are a rich source of phosphorus , Calcium and vitamin –E contributing to strong bones and teeth. {20 – 25 almonds( approximately one ounce) contain as much calcium as ¼ cup of milk}
    Check for Calcium fortified breakfast cereals, fruit juices and soya milk.

2. Vitamin D – The Sunshine Vitamin

Sometime ago a popular children’s health drink TV commercial highlighted the importance of Vitamin D for better bone health in children. It sent out a message how Vitamin D is helpful for the absorption of the calcium in the milk you give your child. According to the latest research ,vitamin D deficiency can not only cause rickets (a disease that can lead to bone deformity and fractures), it can also keep a child from reaching her genetically programmed height and peak bone mass.

Sources

    Your child’s skin can make vitamin D from the ultra-violet light in sunlight. So exposure to sunlight even for a short while as ten minutes without applying sunscreen is useful.
    Dietary sources such as certain fatty fish and egg yolks have abundant Vitamin –D.
    Vitamin D fortified cereals and dairy products
    You could consult your paediatrician to prescribe necessary Vitamin D supplements if you are unsure about your child’s adequate intake of vitamin D.

3. Bone Building Physical Activities

Any kind of physical exercise is great for your child but the best ones for their bones are activities like walking, running, hiking, dancing, tennis, basketball and gymnastics. Children who tend to play outside will also have higher vitamin D levels. Any physical workout or activity for one hour everyday will not only help your child in keeping fit but will also help in strengthening his/her bones.

4. Discourage carbonated drinks

Studies have showed that regular/ excessive intake of carbonated drinks is directly associated with lower bone mineral density.We need to encourage our children to have soya milk / milk and juices fortified with calcium and vitamins.

Prevention of osteoporosis begins in childhood. A healthy lifestyle and nutritious diet can be vital in promoting your child’s healthy bone health. Proper care in your child’s bone health will reap him rich rewards of strong bones later in life.

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Parentune.com - 7 Questions to ask when choosing a school

When it comes to choosing the right school for our children, we all want to be super sure of our decision and not make any mistake. After all, schooling is not just about teaching children academics. A good school fosters an overall development for your child, helps a child find his/her expression, and prepares a child for the challenges ahead by instilling the right principles and values.

At parentune, we not only recognize the importance of the right school for your child but also share your concern. And so, we organized a webinar with our Education Expert, Nitin Pandey, on the 15th April, 2014, on Choosing the Right School for your Child. Parents participated actively in this proparent services webinar and got their doubts cleared around a host of issues—from preparing the child for nursery admissions, what education board to choose, changing schools midway through an academic session etc.

We get you a peek into the webinar.

Q- How can I prepare my 1.8 year-old-child for nursery admissions?

A-Assuming that your daughter has started expressing and speaking in words, you could begin with colours, vegetables, things of her liking in the outdoors, picture books, and some initial familiarization with numbers. Make it as playful and interesting as possible. You could also try some clay modeling, pattern games, lego, pictionary, games with numbers, making the learning incidental to the experience.

Q- My daughter Sakshi will be 2 years this June. My concern is which board should I put her into? I am in Mumbai. I am an IT- software professional.

A- Preschool is board independent, but for schools, you would have options between SSC, CBSE as well as ICSE, all three being in good numbers in your area. Let me give you a quick comparison.

SSC- syllabus focused and driven by the same, limited infrastructure, reasonable fees, low on technology and physical infrastructure; CBSE- largest education board in India, focused on syllabus again, off late has got a new assessment called CCE-trying to change, one has to go from school to school to compare; ICSE- Focused on project based learning and understanding right from the beginning, gives more flexibility to learn concepts, not so much biased to syllabus completion, at the same time-competitive enough.

Also, CBSE has a clear structure to foster result based pedagogy, whereas ICSE has a focus on concept understanding. Having said that they are both trying to focus on practical/hands on application of the learning. That makes them a better option compared to a SSC.

Q- I have read that if planning for competitive exams - CBSE (concentrating more on physics, chemistry and maths) and ICSE (concentrating more on art and learning) are better. Is that correct?

A-Actually, ICSE has a good balance between science subjects as well as arts. And compared to SSC, both CBSE and ICSE have evolved and innovated faster.

Q-I know CBSE and ICSE are more into practical knowledge rather than bookish knowledge. But the amount of assignments, projects they ask the child to do and expect it the very next day - makes me re-think, would I be able to give ample time for my kid to deal with this kind of pressure.

A-You are right about the projects becoming a menace off late....but this again has been the case mainly with a few CBSE schools, not all. ICSE board manages this with a good balance. I understand your worry about being able to give enough time....that i hope, you would balance well as Sakshi grows up.

When choosing a school for her, look for a place which gives her a variety of learning in the surrounding rather than just rote learning from the text book. When learning infrastructure is not supported by extra-curricular activities and sports infrastructure, it is a downer....it is good if the school has a balance between the two.

Also do look at schools independent of the board, but on factors like teacher quality, learning and physical infrastructure, feedback mechanism, and most importantly the word from the fellow parents whose children are studying at these schools.

Q- Someone suggested that till primary I put my child in ICSE or CBSE and then from Secondary section onwards, I continue with SSC. That will lay the foundation, enhance the way the child thinks. What is your opinion?

A-I won't recommend that, changing the board to SSC after CBSE/ICSE in primary is a bad idea. That would lead to complete confusion. These two are completely different ecosystems by themselves. In fact, the other way round if so happens at an early grade- say before grade 5, it is still fine to move the child from SSC to CBSE or ICSE.

Q- I am unaware about the admission process after schooling. When you get into Junior colleges, how do they rank the children from different boards and give admissions?

A-For Mumbai- clearly, the pass-outs from CBSE/ICSE schools are doing better in competitive exams, college entrances. But outside of Mumbai too, CBSE/ICSE would be a better entry point at colleges. Now, even exams like IIT, CAT give a percentile weight-age for the school results (XII- results).

Q- What should a preschool be about?

A-I think preschool is a great place for child's physical and mental development, social skills, fostering independence and just to be looked at it to prepare a toddler for a competitive school is not a good thing....one needs to let the child explore his/her surroundings and learn about the world around him/her and not push the child to compete to get into a school

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Parentune.com - Storytelling for children in Pune

Age Group: 5 to 8 Date: 07-Jun-2014 Timings: 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM Address: Plot No. 20, Serial No. 90/2/B & 90/3/B, Koregaon Park, Mundhwa, Behind Bharat Gas, Pune-411036 About the event: Do you like stories? Did you know that stories are more fun when they are shared with friends? Meet other kids, imagine and create. Play a game to get to know one another and then participate in a storytelling session. Imagine, fill your ideas with colour and then make up stories of your own. Read, write and draw - in other words, interact, imagine and innovate!

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Parentune.com - Personality Development Camp in Hyderabad

PERSONALITY DEVELOPMENT CAMP Age Group: 10 to 18 Date: 02-Jun-2014 to 02-Sep-2014 Timings: 05:00 PM - 06:00 PM Address: First Impressions,2nd Floor Apollo Pharmacy Building, Hitech City,Madhapur, Opp Kasani Hotel, Near Madhapur Indian Oil Petrol Pump,Hyderabad-500031 About the event: Personality development camp for 10 to 18 year olds with an aim to unleash their creative skills while having fun. It is the most exciting time to acquire various skills through fun-filled activities. The activities are designed age-appropriately to help kids master various concepts.

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Parentune.com : How to say 'no' effectively to children

 
Saying 'no' and getting a child to obey is perhaps one of the trickiest part of parenting. It can lead to tantrums, tears, angry fits and embarrassing situations. In her blog, a blogger parent shares with us effective ways to say 'no' to a child when to give in and importantly how to manage an outburst when in a public place.

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Parentune.com : Being a Mother

Have a motherhood moment that you feel like expressing? Then, go ahead and express it and you may stand the chance of winning a prize worth Rs 15,000 and gift vouchers too. Participate in our contest and write in no more than 50 words your feelings when you experienced your most precious moment as a mother. Attach a picture of the moment along with it and the most liked entry will be the winner.

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