Top 4 ways to get more out of your child's school

Today progressive schools are more open to constructive feedback and suggestions than in the past. As parents it is perhaps important to create a positive connection with your child's school so as to collaborate for your child’s all round development. A positive and open dialogue rather than a tug and pull, which may result in bitter feelings; may compromise the child's learning experience. Here are top 4 ways to collaborate with your child’s school actively.

1. Parent-Teacher Meeting (PTM)

A Parent-Teacher Meeting is an opportunity to connect with individuals who are making an important contribution to your child’s life and perhaps playing an active role in shaping the person that s/he will become. It is a window to the other side - how your child behaves and deals with situations when you are not around. At several occasions, I myself have discovered some really fascinating (and sometimes unnerving) bits about my child.
With time one learns that a PTM is not just about asking questions, it is equally important for us parents to be able to listen to the teacher patiently. Also, it helps not to turn defensive when the teacher points out issues (behavioral or academic) that need to be addressed on the home front.
Taking a list of the things you want to discuss helps steer the meeting in the right direction. It helps to prioritize things that you want to discuss at length. In my own experience, I have to constantly remind myself that there are other equally anxious parents waiting in line.
And there have been times when I have carried a long list of questions that I thought would require a debate or end up in an argument, but were patiently addressed by the teachers who, for our benefit, are trained to handle our queries.

2. Give feedback, Voice your woes

Gone are those days, when walking in to meet the Nursery school admission in Delhi NCR administration was perhaps the only way to communicate. Today there are various channels through which, you may convey your dissatisfaction, such as the almanac (school diary), email, feedback drop box at the school, phone call to the teachers, online and offline feedback forms and social media.
Interestingly, we have a tendency to reach out to the school only when we are unhappy about something. I have done that myself when my child was younger. However, through the years I have learnt that once in a while, we can use the same communication tools to convey our appreciation for the teachers or the school at large.
For example, feeling overwhelmed by the radical changes that have recently taken place in my child’s school, I figured that the easiest and the most effective way to convey my appreciation to the teachers was to send a diary note. The teachers were equally overwhelmed and reverted saying that the genuine praise motivated them to do better.

3. Volunteer; Lend a Helping Hand

For parents who wish to participate in the school's activities, there are plenty of opportunities and some schools even invite parents to volunteer for certain events. Since many of these events are organized over the weekend, working parents can also join in as per their convenience. Here are some ways you can offer support to your child’s school:

1. Assist on the Sports day
2. Help in organizing Science and literature fairs
3. Accompany and assist the teachers on field trips
4. Volunteer for Picnics and Excursions
5. Help organize Fund Raisers and community events
6. Assist in Art festivals
7. Volunteer to night stay during Night Camps
8. Offer to assist children with special needs
9. Contribute content for school magazine, media coverage

Apart from the above, you may also share your own unique ideas with the school, such as:

• Organize career guidance sessions for senior classes; share your experience and expertise from your field of work.
• Offer to volunteer for an activity the school does not usually organize – technical workshops, theater, reading sessions, culinary (chocolate-making, cake making etc).
• Offer to arrange events such as:
- Dialogue between the City Councilor and students
- Dialogue between students and key social helpers to sensitize students
towards our social support system
- Sessions on tricky issues such as child sexual abuse, bullying in school, dealing with peer pressure, exam stress and similar areas by sharing your own experience

4. Parents’ Groups – Team up for positive change

You can connect with like-minded fellow parents and form a parents’ group wherein periodical meetings may be held to discuss and collate constructive feedback, improvement suggestions that may be presented to the school. Parents have found that this is a great platform to share best practices and / or problems with fellow parents. You may even do that on Parentune by forming a circle of fellow parents and by engaging on a regular basis.
However, the true spirit of any parents’ group lies in creating a healthy dialogue with the school. Many times, being a harbinger of complaints and criticism of the school’s policies robs parents' associations of their original purpose.
Since schooling is such an important part of a child's lives, making friends with the school can be a great way to involve your self in the child's growth and learning. When the intent at both ends is to nurture future citizens, partnership is better than working in isolation, as together parents and schools can do much more for the child than in isolation. I hope that you found the articles (a series of two) of utility. Please share your views in the comments section below.

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Being a Mother - The most wonderful creation of God

Mother – One of the most wonderful creations of God.

When I look back at the past 25 years of my life, I can hardly count the number of times I would have thanked my mother for all that she did for me. The selfless love, care and respect that she has given me is invaluable. She has gone through everything- sleepless nights to changing nappies, making us gobble down our food 3 times a day, resolving our tantrums while managing the household chores- all with a smile.

She is a huge reserve of patience such that we always saw a smile on her face even after a hard day at work. I wonder how many times had we thought of helping her??

The “toddler me” never noticed her sacrifices, the “teenage me” ignored it by branding it as her duty, but as I step into her shoes today, I realize that she genuinely deserves more than what I have given her. She taught me lessons of life which I will treasure; she always stood by me in times of need even before she was asked. She guided me when I was wrong, supported me when I was right, appreciated each small tasks that I did - be it cooking, stitching, painting or knitting (which I finally never learnt). How many times would I have acknowledged her support???

As I see my little son come up to me with his beautiful eyes filled with love and admiration, I realize how life changes when you become the world for your little one, it would have for my mother too…

Its better late than never!!!

Dedicating this article to my mother, I thank her wholeheartedly for being my inspiration.

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10 Ways To Have Fun With Your Child on April Fools’ Day

Why should children have all the fun? This April Fools’ Day give them a peak to the prankster in you and enjoy some great family time. We get you some fun ideas to surprise your children today.

1) Pick up your kid from school wearing a funny wig.
2) Call up in your most authoritative voice, on the landline, getting the child to think the principal called with a list of complaints.
3) Stick a helium balloon in the toilet seat and close the lid over it.
4) Fill the cereal bowl with water and stick a spoon in it a couple of hours before. Place it in the freezer. Serve the milk and cornflakes over the ice and have fun.
5) Put a gummy bug in his sandwich or plant a big picture of a geeky hero in their wallet.
6) Leave a funny note on the toilet paper.
7) When the child is out of home, use the opportunity to turn as many things as possible upside down—photographs, chairs, tricycles etc.
8) Draw on their faces with washable markers. Paint big dots or hearts on the faces or an exaggerated smile.
9) Sprinkle some baking soda in the toilet bowl and ensure your young scientist of a child is the first to use it. He will be flummoxed by all the foam.
10) Stuff some newspaper in the toes of the shoes.

Try our ideas and write in to us sharing your moment of fun.

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Summer Recipes

Summer recipes, especially when created for children, may be made keeping in mind a few factors, like:

    1.The heat effects the body in many ways, one of those being that it slows down the digestive system, so we may think of “easy to digest” food
    2.Some food groups help to keep the body temperature down
    3.In spite of the sweltering heat, children don’t slow down so their need for carbs and energy remains steady, and that needs to be catered to
    4.Hot weather is also the cause for food going bad faster, so we must be extra careful
    5.Cold food is often not been cooked through a high temperature process, therefore bacteria and germs may have remained behind, since kids will crave for cold food in summer, we need to be mindful of its appropriateness and hygiene

Now some recipes that I think are tasty in spite of being light:

    1.Paneer Tikkas, home style

Nutrients - 100 gms of paneer made from cow milk provides 18.3 gms of protein, 20.8 gms of fat, 2.6 gms of minerals, 1.2 gms of carbohydrates, 265 kcal of energy, 208 mgs of calcium, 138 mg of phosphorous and reasonably good amounts of fat and cholesterol.

This is a good snack before they run out for their round of evening activities.

    Buy one block of Le Bon/Amul/Mother Dairy cottage cheese, cut it into blocks, the size paneer tikkas usually are
    Brush these generously with rock salt, coarsely ground pepper, lime juice and chat masala, if you happen to have that at home. Use rock salt instead of normal salt, it has more minerals and is therefore healthy, it adds a sourish taste that normal salt does not and rock salt has a characteristic flavour that enhances taste. Do not use chilly powder for heat, but just coarsely ground pepper corn.
    Sprinkle olive oil on your non-stick fry pan and sauté these cubes till they are golden brown.
    Serve at an edible temperature, if you make slices instead of cubes, you can put this between 2 slices of bread and make a light sandwich.

    2.Fish, light & easy

Nutrients – 1 serving of Rohu fish contains approximately 97 calories, 101 mg sodium, 1 g total fat, when raw,288 mg potassium, 0 g of saturated fat, 4 g total carbs, 0 g poly-saturated fat, 0 g dietary fibre, 17 g protein, 0 mg cholesterol, 5% Vitamin A, 30% calcium, 0% Vitamin C and 1% iron.

    As opposed to red meat, fish is lighter and easier to digest during summers. Buy a river fish like the Rohu or Katla and cut into largish stake style pieces
    Brush with olive oil, coarsely ground garlic, pepper, salt, lime juice, thyme and put in the refrigerator for 5 – 7 minutes, not on the chill tray or ice tray though.
    Take out and bake in your OTG or Microwave, set the timings as appropriate in your machine. You can add some more Olive oil at this stage.
    Serve with mashed potatoes and sautéed veggies.

    3.Summer Mango Sandesh

Nutrients - The same calorie content in paneer as specified before, added to that will be the approximately 774 calories of a cup of sugar.

    Add lime juice to milk and make cottage cheese at home.
    Add 3 cubes (or whatever number will add flavour according to the quantity of paneer you are using) of mango and ½ to ¾ cup powdered sugar ( decide quantity based on your families preference and quantity of paneer) and knead the mixture in a food grinder or an ordinary mixie. Set aside
    Grease a big utensil that can be accommodated inside a pressure cooker and has a tight lid, arrange the kneaded mixture in cubes or rounds inside this utensil , close the lid tightly, put this inside a pressure cooker, take off the weight and let the cooker wheeze for 10 minutes
    Put the container with the sweets inside the refrigerator, eat cold.

Tell me if these healthy summer recipes appeal to you, and then respond by posting some of your own, let us help each other to plan the right meals this summer.

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Is Bowling an under rated sport for Children ?

When I am brainstorming for ideas about what to do with my child on a weekend, bowling is the last thing my mommy instincts would allow. Why? Because bowling means going to a mall, paying up for a pastime which is located inconveniently close to a video gaming area full of money minting machines. I am a ‘thinking parent’ and I don’t take my child too often for such activities. Until recently!

Having a preteen at home has its advantages; they can enlighten you with information which you otherwise choose to avoid. So the last time I turned down a request to go bowling, I was informed that bowling is a sport with health benefits that I am completely oblivious of.

What is Bowling?

Bowling is a sport for the entire family. It is an excellent recreational activity which is fairly simple to understand and does not require much physical effort.
Ten-pin bowling is the most common form of this popular sport in which each player throws a ball aiming for a set of ten bowling pins placed at the other end of the bowling lane. Every player gets a total of 20 chances in a game of ten frames. Indoors, bowling is played on flat wooden floors and outdoors, it can be played on grass or concrete. Now it is also available as video games and mobile apps.

What Are The Health Benefits of Bowling?

So long that any activity has the word ‘health’ associated with it, most mums are happy to comply. Many parents are unaware that there is more to bowling than being just a fun family outing.
1. Bowling helps to build muscle mass and promotes physical strength and speed.
2. It works a range of muscles that are not usually exercised and improves flexibility.
3. Strengthens arm and leg muscles, bone tissue, joints and ligaments.
4. Improves a child’s balance, hand-eye coordination and motor skills.
5. Increases endurance and helps release stress.
6. There is no age bar. A novel way for children to spend some quality time with their grandparents. The automatic scoring system means that even a first timer can play with ease.
7. For mums looking to shed a few extra pounds, bowling helps burn fat. Each game can burn about 180-250 calories.
8. A family sport where everyone can get together and enjoy, irrespective of gender, age, size or physical strength.

Safety Tips For Young Bowlers

Hygiene

Bowling alleys offer shoes which are to be compulsorily worn by each participant. For hygiene, it is advisable to carry a pair of socks to wear inside the shoes.

The right bowling ball

To avoid injury, the child should be given bowling balls which are of the right weight and size for his/her age. Most bowling balls have the weight mentioned in lbs or pounds. Children and new bowlers should use a bowl weighing 10 lbs or less. If you cannot figure out which ones to pick, ask the attendant. The thumb rule -1 lb. of weight per year of child's age. Hence an 8 year old should use an 8 lb ball, or close.

The return rack

Make sure that the child does not put fingers between bowling balls on the return rack. A ball on its way back can severely injure little fingers.

Picking and throwing the ball

The child must know the correct hand and wrist position to avoid wrist and back injury. Do not hesitate to ask the bowling attendant to teach your child how to pick and throw the ball correctly. When releasing the ball, ask the child to follow the arrow marks on the bowling lane.

The approach line

Children tend to collect near the approach line to get the best view when someone else is bowling. A child can get seriously hurt by a swinging ball. Also, children and even adults can drop a ball or release it backwards accidently. Ensure that your child stays off the rolling area when it’s not their turn.

The Climax

Compiling all this information ended in the most wonderful way – An unusual birthday party for my child where we took 7 of his best buddies to the nearest bowling alley for a super fun filled (and healthy) birthday. The picture is a proof!

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Conceiving, Healthy Pregnancy & Childcare in Early Years

Becoming a parent is perhaps the most anticipated moment of the lifetime. All most all couples at the prospect of becoming parents experience joy and excitement with a tinge of anxiety, which may turn into pangs of fear if not armed with the facts/truth and knowledge/awareness about the whole process around having a child. It has been seen that the modern day lifestyle related stress and the phenomenon of late parenthood seem to be adding more twists and turns to the road destined to 'newborn's first cry and parents' tears of joy'. 

With the vision of supporting parents in their journey to parenthood, Parentune, organized a workshop on conceiving a child, healthy pregnancy and childcare in early years. 

The parentune team wishes the very best to all those would be parents who participated in the workshop however for those parents who could not become a part of this workshop but are keen to know the finer details as elaborated by our experts this write up may be the way to go.

This workshop was conducted by Gynecologist & IVF Expert Mrs. Rita Bakshi & Parentune child care expert and Neonatologist Dr.Vaneet Parmar. The experts addressed important areas like conceiving a child, best practices to follow from conceiving to birthing, birthing options; normal or cesarean, care of the new born, tips on a healthy pregnancy, tips on early childhood care and also clarified the several myths around the issue.

Experts made an invigorating start by assigning a role-modeling task to two volunteers from participants. One played a mother-in-law and the other played the daughter in law already on the road to motherhood (read 2 months pregnant). The participants played their parts enthusiastically and brought up real time issues concerning pregnancy on the surface. The role play showcased a caring know-it-all mother in law directing her daughter in law to eat for two, add oodles of ghee to the diet and mop the floor as a good exercise to easy delivery, whereas the daughter in law couldn't eat much and felt unexcited about the suggested mopping the floor exercise. 

Would be parents' reflection: While reflecting on the enacted role play a soon-to-be a mother shared, " I am 4 months into pregnancy, I feel confused when family members and elders prescribe various to do's like what and what not to eat, what to and what not to watch on T.V and what and what not to do of house hold work. Some times their opinions are contradictory to what the doctor says. So what should I do? I often wonder."  

Experts take: Experts reflected that the scenario depicted by the role modeling task is quite common where in lack of clarity on "How to have a healthy pregnancy" leads to confusion and conflicts. They suggested that a safe and healthy pregnancy is simple to achieve and suggested a couple of tips in order to facilitate the same. Below are some of the tips that the experts shared:

1) Ensure that the routine Scans are done as per schedule to monitor child development and health of the mother.

2) It is beneficial if the Pre-conception diet includes folic acid supplement for a minimum three months prior to conception and should be continued all the way into the second trimester.

3) Eating nutritious food in only as much quantity that the body can retain is ideal for the mother and child.

4) Second trimester diet should include protein rich foods that can be eggs, soya, nuts, oats and pulses to name a few, supplemented by iron and calcium.

5) Third trimester diet should include all supplements. Nutritional needs and increasing appetite of the mother due to growing fetus can be well satiated by including more number of nutrients rich smaller meals. 

6) Fat rich foods in large quantities may be avoided however the consumption of some fats in moderation may be consumed.

7) Keep tab on weight gain. The ideal weight gain during pregnancy should be around 10 -11 kgs

8) Engage only in pregnancy safe exercises like brisk walk, swimming, yoga and breathing exercises to name a few. Must consult a doctor before starting.

9) Any exercise that puts pressure on the abdomen must be avoided.

10) House hold work and other activities are safe unless otherwise prescribed by the doctor.

11) Two hours resting period a day is a good option.

11) Avoiding standing at a stretch and bad postures like slouching. Bending the knees as well when bending to pick something off the floor is the ideal way.

12) Keeping oneself well-hydrated and wearing comfortable attire and foot wears may also led to positive results.

13) Relaxing activities like reading, watching T.V, listening to music, singing, art and others are beneficial to the mother as well as the baby as long as they are not loud or shocking (roaring music, war films).

14) Most importantly - Be Happy and Positive

15) Completely avoid smoking and alcohol 

Further in the workshop, experts endorsed the fact that the new-generation couples face more challenges in conceiving a child naturally in comparison to their counterparts from previous generations primarily due modern day lifestyle. However, at the same time, the experts quipped that becoming a parent is increasingly becoming a matter of choice driven by awareness about the science behind fertility, perfect timing of ovulation, intricacies of pregnancy and various birthing options. Dr. Rita Bakshi sealed the discussion with the declaration that,"with IVF (In vitro fertilization), availability of surrogate wombs, sperm and ova banks, nothing can stop a couple from having a child." Here are a number of points that Dr. Bakshi shared when it came to conceiving a child:

1) Problems in conception can be because of causes like - low sperm count in males, poor quality ova in female, blocked fallopian tubes and lack of awareness about the prime days of fertilization for a couple. The cause can be singled out through diagnostic tests.

2) Cause specific treatment and options can be considered then in consultation with gynecologists and fertility experts. Those couples who cannot go in for natural conception because of specific reason can very well plan for surrogacy, IVF, donated sperms and eggs.

3) Couples who are not able to conceive can make sure that they are getting their timing right for fertilization to happen. They could take the help of "ovulation prediction kit' available locally to ensure the right days. They can take the assistance of a gynecologist for complete understanding of this issue.

Once the child is safely conceived and pregnancy moves on smoothly, couples can plan for the mode of delivery. Experts recommended natural birth as the best option, unless otherwise suggested by the gynecologist. Various pregnancy condition makes it necessary to go for a caesarean birth. Couples can certainly make an informed and prepared choice. 

After the above mentioned discussion Dr. Vaneet Parmar was asked a number of questions around childcare in the first couple of months after birth. These included questions like, how do I (as a mother) know that my child is consuming appropriate amounts of milk (when being exclusively nursed)? Another mother of a 4-month baby asked, " Is it true that whatever i eat will go to my baby? if true than what should i avoid eating?"

The list of questions was endless but our experts tried to answer most of them, below are some of the consolidated points that Dr. Vaneet Parmar made while addressing the questions of the young mothers:

    Breast-feeding the baby as soon as possible after the birth is ideal for milk formation in the mother's body.
    The first 3 days milk after delivery is called colostrum, which is crucial for immunity of the newborn, and then it changes to milk on its own.
    Learning proper latching technique may ease out early breast-feeding issues.
    Feeding the baby every 2 hours for first 2 to 3 weeks is beneficial for lactation adjustment.
    Maintaining good hygiene of the self, surroundings and the baby is a necessity.
    Learn skills like giving bath to the newborn, cleaning the genitals and burping the baby to name a few is important.
    In an ideal scenario a baby should be exclusively breast fed for 6 months and continue till 1 year along with semi solid foods.
    While breast-feeding spicy food, foods of cabbage family, tea and coffee may be avoided.
    After 6 months introduction of semi-solid foods can be done to the child.
    Introduce solid foods after one year.

11. It is important to make sure that the baby is given all the prescribed standard immunizations and be informed about vaccines and their corresponding diseases. 

The session became more captivating when experts busted some of the commonly held myths:

Myth 1: After adopting a child the couple will conceive a child naturally. The fact is that in many cases medical intervention is a must.

Myth 2: Ultrasounds are harmful for the baby. The fact is that this myth is baseless and unsupported by any research.

Myth 3: A pregnant woman should eat for 2. A normal weight woman requires only about 300 calories more than usual to support the growing baby. However, those women who are having twins or were underweight or overweight prior pregnancy have different calorie needs that can be ascertained by a health practitioner.

Myth 4: Consuming large amount of ghee in the last days of pregnancy will lead to easy delivery. The fact is that ghee only adds more kilos to mother’s body and doesn't ease labor at all.  

Myth 5: Feed the baby every 2 to 3 hours. The fact is the baby needs to be fed every 2 to 3 hours during the first 2 to 3 weeks. After that it should be as per the baby's need and overfeeding would only cause problems.

Myth 6: Feeding the baby in lying down position is not good for the baby. The fact is that any position that ensures comfortable and proper latching of the baby is safe.

Before concluding the workshop the experts answered some interesting questions in the question and answer session: 

Question: A would be mother asked, " I am a social drinker, is consuming alcohol safe during breastfeeding?"

Expert's Answer: Nutrients from the mother’s food reach the breast milk. Consuming alcohol rarely is permissible as far as the sanctity of the definition of 'rare' is maintained otherwise it is indeed harmful for the baby.

Question: Can breast-feeding be continued longer?

Expert's Answer: Yes it cam be continued up to 2 to 3 years but not as a substitute to food, else the baby's growth will be compromised due to nutritional deficiencies.

Question: Should the baby's milk be added with supplements like Horlicks, Bournvita and Pediasure?

Expert's Answer: These can be started around 2 years. Supplement containing DHA should be preferred. 

Question: How to check if the baby is having enough milk?

Expert's Answer: Check for certain pointers like:

a) If the baby is urinating 6 to 10 times in 12 hours, it indicates normal feeding.

b) The baby is feeding normally if the baby gains 20 to 30 grams per day or 600 grams - 1 kilogram per month

Question: If the baby refuses mother's feed and bottle-feed as well then how to feed the baby?

Expert's Answer: Spoon-feeding may be tried in such cases.

Question: How to manage breast-feeding when not possible at times?

Expert's Answer: Such situations can be effectively managed by using the expressed milk of the mother by using breast pumps. It can be used up to 2 to 3 hours when kept at room temperature and can be used up to 24 hours when refrigerated. It should be warmed before giving to the baby by keeping the bottle in warm water for some time. It is imperative to warm it indirectly and not directly as heating it over the stove or in a microwave can compromise the nutrient quotient of the milk.

Question: How is breast-feeding possible in cases of babies born through surrogacy?

Expert's Answer: Willing mothers can breast feed by undergoing a hormonal therapy.

Right from the decision to have a child, the news that confirms pregnancy, the nine months journey there after, giving birth and finally caring for a newborn is exciting inter-play of whole gamut of delicate emotions and pro-active action. The future parents said good-bye and commended Parentune, for this supportive initiative. I hope that the expert tips and insights from this blog would empower soon-to-be-parents to embark on their parenting journey with more ease and confidence.

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Children and Internet

My father had gifted me, an Oxford English Dictionary when I had passed out of class 12 (1995). It still has a prominent place on my book shelf and I consult it from time to time but truth be told the Oxford English dictionary gets updated every year and if I need to consult for a word that is not in my version of the dictionary I have to either buy a dictionary or log on to the internet which will have the latest/updated version of the dictionary and it is accessible on a single click.

Times today have changed and our children have access to the Internet that they use in all phases of their lives. Children and Internet are walking hand in hand towards the future. There are positives with regard to children and Internet while at the same time the evils that come along with the Internet cannot be ignored.

Children and Internet – Some Positives

1.Entertainment and Information leading up to edutainment

2.Knowledge and mental stimulation

3.Fostering creativity, self-expression and a feeling of validation in children

4.Information and research helps with the school work

Internet for children has led to a parallel world where communication, learning and fun all happen at the same time.

Children and Internet: Some Negatives

1.Exposure to media that may carry sexual, hateful or Violent content

2.In some cases, children have been introduced to Internet sites promoting drugs, alcohol and tobacco.

3.Internet has led children at times to receiving persecuting messages that are demeaning and lead to harassment leaving psychological damage on the innocent minds

4.Children on Internet have created this alternate reality world where lack of contact with the real world may lead to anti-social behavior and the real potential of the child is not harnessed

5.Physical development of a Child may get affected as children spend most of their free time indoors hunched before computer screens.

Children and Internet – Signs to watch out for.

1.Screen Switching: When you notice that your child has switched screens the moment you have entered the room, you should know it is not a good sign.

2.Odd times for calls: If you notice that your child is receiving phone calls at odd times or from people unknown to you that it is time for your intervention. Most often sexual predators try to form some sort of a connect with the children and talking to them is the easiest first step.

3.Indoor-all-the-time syndrome: If your child starts to stay indoors and is not interested in interacting with friends and family, it is a clear warning that he/she is being harassed in some way through the Internet.

4.Unidentified gifts: If your child suddenly has unaccounted gifts, new clothes or excess cash then it again means that your attention and intervention is required.

Children and Internet - What can we do as Parents.

1.Filter and Block Programs that a have offensive content

2.Keep a check on the download folder on the computer and watch out for any files with endings as .jpg, .gif, .bmp, .tif and .pcx these can be graphic files with inappropriate content

3.Participate with your child online to know more about your child’s Internet behaviour

4.Have the computer in a common Place that is accessible to all, that way you can keep an eye too

5.Be a role model for your child, if you respect piracy laws then most likely your child will also do the same.

Tips that we can have our children adhere to:

1.Children need to understand the financial and legal implications, if they give out information on the Internet. We need to let them be aware of how innocent information can be used against them/ to harm them

2.Children need to have clarity on the purpose of Internet Usage. It should be defined clearly that the Internet is to be used mostly for research and education

3.Children cannot respond to mails from unknown people for their own safety and the safety of the computer as sometimes these unknown mails are the carriers of viruses that can steal valuable financial and social information from your computer

4.Children need to follow the guidelines and time rules that have been set by the Parents

5.Children need to know the importance of passwords and personal information-Under no condition can they divulge these to anyone on the Internet for personal protection

As children and Internet walk hand in hand towards the future, we as Parents can try our best to protect them from Cyber Predators and at the same time enrich their lives with the vast ocean of knowledge that is out there within their grasp.

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