Which Parent Will I Be?

Which Parent Will I Be?
~Author Unknown~

"I got two A's," the small boy cried.
His voice was filled with glee.
His father very bluntly asked,
"Why didn't you get three?"

"Mom, I've got the dishes done,"
The girl called from the door.
Her mother very calmly said,
"Did you sweep the floor?"

"I've mowed the grass," the tall boy said,
"And put the mower away."
His father asked him, with a shrug,
"Did you clean off the clay?"

The children in the house next door
seem happy and content.
The same thing happened over there,
And this is how it went:

"I got two A's,"
the small boy cried,
His voice was filled with glee.
His father very proudly said,
"That's great, I'm glad you belong to me."

"Mom, I've got the dishes done,"
The girl called from the door.
Her mother smiled and softly said,
"Each day I love you more."

"I've mowed the grass," the tall boy said,
"And put the mower away."
His father answered with much joy,
"You've made my day happy."

Children deserve a little praise
For tasks they're asked to do.
If they're to lead a happy life,
So much depends on you

I Believe

I Believe
by Jane Daugherty

I believe in children's laughter, the sweet perfume of a newborn baby's skin and that every child is entitled to happiness, decent housing, health care, proper nutrition and good education.

I believe that out schools should be places of discovery and growth, not of danger, that teachers should be paid more than lawyers and that parenting should be a required course in every high school.

I believe that "quality time" is a phony notion that cannot substitute for substantial time spent with our children.

I believe that baseball and other children's games can be magical and should be wrestled from screaming, competitive coaches and returned to play.

I believe that childhood should be a time of sand castles and celebration and that the defense of innocence is as important as the defense of our borders.

And I believe that our most urgent mission should be putting the needs of our children first.

Memo from Your Child

Memo from Your Child~Author Unknown~

1. Don't spoil me. I know quit well that I ought not have all that I ask for, I'm only testing you.

2. Don't be afraid to be firm with me, I prefer it. It makes me feel more secure.

3. Don't let me form bad habits, I have to rely on you to detect them in the early stages.

4. Don't make me feel smaller than I am, It only makes me behave stupidly big.

5. Don't correct me in front of people if you can help it.

6. Don't make me feel that my mistakes are sins, it upsets my set of values.

7. Don't be upset when I say "I hate you", it's not you I hate, but your power to hinder.

8. Don't protect me from consequences, I need to learn the painful way sometimes.

9. Don't nag, if you do I will need to protect myself by appearing deaf.

10. Don't make rash promises, remember I feel badly let down when promises are broken.

11. Don't tax my honesty too much, I am easily frightened into telling lies.

12. Don't be inconsistent, that completely confuses me and makes me lose faith in you.

13. Don't tell me my fears are silly, they are terribly real to me and you can do much to reassure me if you try to understand.

14. Don't ever suggest that you are perfect or infallible. It gives me to great a shock when I discover that you are neither.

15. Don't forget that I can't thrive without lots of love and understanding, but I don't need to tell you that, do I?

LET ME GIVE

LET ME GIVE
~Author Unknown~

I do not know how long I'll live
But while I live, Lord, let me give
Some comfort to someone in need
By smile or nod, kind word or deed.

And let me do what 'ere I can
To ease things for my fellow man.
I want naught but to do my part
to lift a tired or weary heart.

To change folks' frowns to smiles again.
Then will I not have lived in vain.
And I'll not care how long I'll live
If I can give... and give... and give.

To My Grown Up Son

To My Grown Up Son
Alice E. Chase

My hands were busy through the day,
I didn't have much time to play,
The little games you asked me to.
I didn't have much time for you.

I'd wash your clothes, I'd sew and cook,
But when you'd bring your picture book
And ask me please to share your fun,
I'd say "a little later son."

I'd tuck you in all safe at night
And hear your prayers, turn out the lights,
Then tiptoe softly to the door.
I wish I'd stayed a minute more.

For life is short, the years rush past.
A little boy grows up so fast.
No longer is he at your side,
His precious secrets to confide.

The picture book is put away:
There are no longer games to play.
No goodnight kiss, no prayers to hear,
That all belongs to yesteryear.

My hands once busy now are still,
The days are long and hard to fill.
I wish I could go back and do,
The little things you asked me to.

HEAVY SCHOOL BAGS

Recently I saw a cartoon where a father was carrying the school bag of his child in a perambulator stating “it is a nice use after the child has began going to lower KG.
This has been well discussed and said that the weight of the school bag must be reduced. But on the contrary, the same is going bigger and heavier.
Bigger weight of school bag has definitely few advantages. India can win few medals in Olympics weight lifting as the child is getting trained to do so form very beginning. It also makes the child healthy as this provides an automatic exercise every day. But we must do some thing sincerely so that young ones are not put to this agonizing task.
I have few brainwaves. These could reduce the weight of school bags. The ideas can be discussed, modified and suitably tried out.
1 Replace note books by file:
Presently there are separate note books for each subject. Normally a child carries 8-10 note books every day. On average each note book weighs 150 Gms. This makes total weight of note books appox. 1 to 1.5 kg.
In case the suggested file system is introduced, the child need carry only one file having separate leaves for each subject. In house, he can file them subject wise periodically.
It will also save cost of unused pages in the note books which are wasted every year.
For teachers, it will mean less weight carried with them for checking the answers of the students. The parents will also avoid the monotonous task of putting covers on the notebooks every year.
However, every sheet has to be stamped with a rubber stamp showing the name, roll no and other details of the student.
Isn’t this idea novel and revolutionary!
2 Divide and rule for text books
In this section, we shall discuss as how to reduce the weight of text books .Normally the syllabus of each year is divided in unit tests, say four units per year. The syllabus can also be divided in four or six sections.
To reduce the weight of text books, the books for each subject can be broken in four or six sections and one common book for all subjects can be printed for each unit or section.
This mean that there will be one common book for say-English, Hindi, Marathi, History, Geography, Mathematics etc. the books can called by any suitable suffix after the standard e.g. Text Book Standard Eight part 1. part 2 etc.
This suggestion has to be implemented by School Board of each state as the boards are publishing agencies for text books.
The alternative for this could be to print books for each subject unit wise. This means there will 4 or 6 books for English , Hindi etc the books will become thinner and the weight effect will remain as above.
The third alternative for the problem is to print each topic for the subject in separate sheet and all the sheets filed together in subject wise books. The student can pick up the sheets as per the requirement of each day and carry to school.
3 No water bottles in school bags
The parents add one kg, of weight in the school bag as water bottle. To reduce this weight, the schools must provide reliable and safe drinking water. The first step is to provide water filters of reliable quality and then strictly discourage water bottles from home.
Summary
If the authorities think seriously in this regard, definitely some solution can be arrived. The suggestion given here can be further refined to tackle this weight problem. I imagine a child going to school carrying his books on a finger tip in a mall carry bag.
B L DHANDHANIA
Mobile 93256444471

Education system : A huge disconnect with real world

Author: Banwari L Dhandhania, Engineer (IIT, Kharagpur), 40 yrs work experience

As per a report 5.3 lacs students compete for admission to IITs/IIMs. Total number of seats available in these institutions are only 4700 which is only 0.89 % of seats available.
A candidate spends an estimated amount of Rs. 10000/- . It may be more but let us take an conservative figure. Thus Rs.530 crores are spent in the admission process.
This amount consists of
1 Application money
2 Study material
3 Coaching fees
4 Traveling expenditure
5 Other expenses
Besides monetary part, this also causes a lot of frustration amid the parents and candidates. One spends a lot time and effort in preparing for the various types of tests for the admission. As one is not sure of the admission, one tries at multiple places and for years. My own relatives have gone through this exercise and several more are still under going. I came across one candidate who was desperately trying to secure un some management institute by spending few lacs of rupees.
Can this be stopped ? Our academicians have to think in this line. But one thing is sure. If this huge amount of money is invested in some productive / social , our country can progress by leaps and bounds. It not the money part only but also the energy wasted in the effort.
I do not know how many of seen the papers for such tests. I had a chance of going through study material for CAT tests. And believe me that without specific preparation for CAT without coaching classes , one may not score even 25% marks.
I hope that most of us must have seen at least few episodes of SRK’s “kya ap panchvi …” This serial brings a lot of thinking about the type of education that we all go thorough.
I wonder what percentage of education imparted is really useful in practical life. At least I can say only a negligible fraction is used in real life. The higher you go in the pyramid, the less you use your education. Definitely the education broadens your general knowledge.
Take for example, a mechanical engineer is taught subjects like steam engine, aerodynes. Organic chemistry etc etc. but if he is engaged in a manufacturing industry, hr has to do the work of a qualified pusher. He follows up the shortages, production schedule and meets production targets. Here all the strength of material, aerodynamics and many other subjects are just forgotten.
So is the case with primary, secondary education? The SRK’s programme has amply proved that. Even the highly qualified and well placed participants could not reply few simple questions.
Why is it so?
The basic reason is the type of education imparted to all of us starting from lower KG to highest education. We are still teaching ourselves the subjects which have no relevance in the real life. To an average Indian child “Jack & Jill” or “Humpty Dumpy” has no meaning. A child will love some Indian song much more than the ones being taught today. A song like “Chug Chug karti Aai Gadi” or so will be more amusing to a child.
So is the matter with Language subjects. Questions are asked as such “who said to whom” or “fill in the blanks “from a particular text. The child has to mug up all the future irrelevant things and forget after the examinations are over.
No body learns a language by studying grammar but one learns merely by speaking. A child starts speaking his mother tongue by listening and speaking. I do not mean that do not teach grammar at all but just teach at macro level and not micro level. There is no point straining one at examination by question which are of no use in future life.
After graduating in Engineering or Management course, one is appointed in an organization and there he is to follow the work practice. I had done many in house training courses. As far as implementing them , practically non could be done. In an organisation, you are supposed to follow the directives from the top despite your liking or not. I remember while reporting some figures, the boss asked to change scale of the graph to his benefit.
Computer education is a must for all of us but what is the use of mugging the definition of “Space Bar on key board” in history , the student is supposed to remember the dates of wars, birth days, period of rule etc for the purpose of examination. Once the exams are over, so are the dates etc. we should stress on things that are of use in long run. Other things may be taught for the information but should not be put in examination.
Before making any comments about the article, I want to emphasize that I am a graduate engineer from one of the top ranking institutes in India and having an experience of over 40 years. As such, the views expressed by me are based on practical experience and not only theoretical.

Some foods to use in recipes and ideas

Some foods to use in recipes and ideas, compiled by Sonal Vartak
· Whole grain bread(brown bread) sandwiches.
· Mixed vegetable cutlets( you can store pre-chopped and boiled vegetables in the freezer to use at the last minute)
· Pasta salads with boiled (dried beans)/ red/yellow bell pepper/peas/ sweet corn/boiled egg some mayonnaise.
· Vegetarians make sure to add a good amount of protein to your child foods with variety of beans, paneer, nuts etc.
· Bhel with dry fruits(anjeer/figs, raisins, apricots) and nuts(peanuts, almonds etc)
· Dalia with sprouted moong
· Stuffed Parathas with veggies/paneer etc
· Fruit yogurt(dahi, chopped strawberry, vanilla essence, sugar/honey/jiggery)
· Mixed fruit salad
· Chopped mixed fruits with honey
· Add dry fruits and nuts to ur salads kids will love them
· Idli with some shredded or pulped veggies(use bright colors)
· Soups(Palak, cauliflower with some cheese and cream, crushed corn, mixed veggie, tomato)
· Laughing cow cheese triangles or cheese slices for snack
· Make sweet pickles/chundas and add with the veggies to watch them disappear from the plates
· Mash watery daal and offer as a soup. Add some toasted crouton(bread pieces)
· Dosa made from ground daals ( chaana, moong, massor, toor, rice, ginger, some green chilli(optional), salt let it ferment a bit)
· Palak, besan, whole wheat flour thepla/paratha.
· Make fruit milk shakes or smoothies with yogurt
· Popcorn made at home. Not the packaged with hydrogenated oils. Buy the corn kernels add oil to a thick bottomed vessel, heat then add corn cover, shake the vessel from time to time. After the popping slows, remove from heat. Add salt and done.
· Chopped up vegetables such as carrot, celery and pepper sticks and cherry tomatoes with a favourite dip (look for those low in salt and fat if you’re buying ready-made dips)
· Mixed veg pulavs. Don’t shy from adding nuts.

Answers to your Food Fights

Compiled by Sonal Vartak
. Don’t force younger children to eat everything on their plate – kids quickly get tired of the same taste, which is why they often only eat half of their main course but still want a pudding – they’ve simply got bored with the taste of the main course.
· Offer a variety of healthy foods in small quantities. Seeing too much food on the plate overwhelms the child and discourages eating.
· Offer food for 15 min, if rejected (in older kids warn that food will be served at …time) keep it away. Do not offer food again till the assigned eating time. The child will eventually get trained to eat when offered.
· Always and yes Always follow what you say. Consistently doing so will make the child take you seriously when you say so. It is tough in the beginning but it will save you a lot of heart ache later.
· Young children are in tune with their appetite. They are still natural or close to nature than us. Force feeding them will kill their basic instinct to stop eating when they are full, which is the cause of most health problems later in life. If your child is gaining healthy weight and is active, let him decide when he is full.
· Offer more clean raw foods like fruits, vegetables (slightly boiled peas, carrots, cauliflower, potatoes)
· Are you nuts about nuts? Well, then we've got some good news for you: nuts are cholesterol-free, generally low in sodium and a great source of vitamins and minerals. Offer nuts to a child who can eat them safely. They are yummy snacks.
· As a rule of thumb, avoid processed foods, sugars and sugary foods, refined carbohydrates (maida, white rice).
· In place of a kurkure, which is a store bought fried food full of trans fats ( the worst kind of fat) offer homemade fried food in peanut oil(avoid reusing the oil as it converts into trans fat).
· Ghee is good. Use that to fatten your kids. Latest research shows ghee promotes memory, intelligence and enhances digestion. Modern science tells us that ghee also harbors phenolic antioxidants, which bolster the immune system. It has anti-carcinogenic properties.
· Get children involved at mealtimes – younger children in particular are far more likely to eat something they’ve made themselves so let them help you cook healthy meals such as homemade burgers, fruit muffins, whole meal scones, smoothies and sandwiches. Meanwhile, encourage them to eat with the family.
· Avoid using food as a reward – it simply becomes more desirable. But that’s not all – other foods become less desirable, too. In other words, telling children they can have some sweets if they eat their veg simply makes the sweets more alluring and the veg less appealing!
· Use peanut, canola (not corn), ricebran or olive oil. Or a mixture of these and other healthy oils.
· The recommendation for fat consumption for a child age 2 years or more is the same as for adults.

Online library link

Friends you may find this link useful
http://www.ipl.org/kidspace
Below is some extract from the library website on what they are and associations. Happy reading! Celebrate parenthood and enjoy parenting ... Cheers
The Internet Public Library is a public service organization and a learning/teaching environment founded at the University of Michigan School of Information and hosted by Drexel University's College of Information Science & Technology.
The IPL Consortium — Members and Membership Information
Managing Partner Universities
The iSchool at Drexel College of Information Science and Technology (2007-2009)
Florida State University College of Information (2007-2009)
University of Michigan School of Information (2007)


Partner Universities
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Graduate School of Library and Information Science (2007-2009)
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Information and Library Science (2007-2009)
University of Pittsburgh School of Information Sciences (2008-2009)
Rutgers School of Communication, Information and Library Studies (2007-2009)
Syracuse University — The School of Information Studies (2007-2009)
University of Washington Information School (2007-2009)


Participating Universities
University of Maryland College of Information Studies (2007-2008)
Pratt Institute, School of Information and Library Science (2008-2009)
San Jose State University School of Library and Information Science (2009)
St. John's University — Division of Library and Information Science (2009)
Die Hochschule der Medien in Stuttgart (2008)
University of Western Ontario - Faculty of Information & Media Studies (2009)
University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee School of Information Studies (2007-2009)

On Children by Kahlil Gibran

Your children are not your children.
They are the sons and daughters of Life's longing for itself.
They come through you but not from you,
And though they are with you yet they belong not to you.
You may give them your love but not your thoughts,
For they have their own thoughts.
You may house their bodies but not their souls,
For their souls dwell in the house of tomorrow,
which you cannot visit, not even in your dreams.
You may strive to be like them,
but seek not to make them like you.
For life goes not backward nor tarries with yesterday.
You are the bows from which your children
as living arrows are sent forth.
The archer sees the mark upon the path of the infinite,
and He bends you with His might
that His arrows may go swift and far.
Let your bending in the archer's hand be for gladness;
For even as He loves the arrow that flies,
so He loves also the bow that is stable.

On parenting

Thought of a parent

If I had my child to raise all over again,
I’d finger paint more, and point the finger less.
I’d do less correcting, and more connecting.
I’d take my eyes off my watch,
and watch with my eyes.
I would care to know less,
and know to care more.
I’d take more hikes, and fly more kites.
I’d stop playing serious, and seriously play.
I’d run through more fields, and gaze at more stars.
I’d do more hugging, and less tugging.
I would be firm less often, and affirm much more.
I’d build self-esteem first, and the house later.
I’d teach less about the love of power,
And more about the power of love.
Anonymous

"The Reading Mother" by Strickland Gillilan

This is a popular poem "The Reading Mother"
I had a Mother who read to me
Sagas of pirates who scoured the sea,
Cutlasses clenched in their yellow teeth,
"Blackbirds" stowed in the hold beneath.

I had a Mother who read me lays
Of ancient and gallant and golden days;
Stories of Marmion and Ivanhoe,
Which every boy has a right to know.

I had a Mother who read me tales
Of Gelert the hound of the hills of Wales,
True to his trust till his tragic death,
Faithfulness blent with his final breath.

I had a Mother who read me the things
That wholesome life to the boy heart brings--
Stories that stir with an upward touch,
Oh, that each mother of boys were such!

You may have tangible wealth untold;
Caskets of jewels and coffers of gold.
Richer than I you can never be--
I had a Mother who read to me.

-Strickland Gillilan

Reading Aloud and Children’s Literacy Development

Literacy development begins prior to reading. Early language and literacy experiences form the foundation for later reading and language competencies
Benefits of Reading Aloud includes:
–Stimulates imagination
–Fosters language development
–Promotes reading skills
–Prepares children for school success
–Motivates children to love books
•Increases “face time” with parents
•Promotes physical contact and positive interactions
•Promotes social/emotional development
•May reduce television exposure
•May be linked to bedtime routines

Reading to child- Facts& figures

FACTS & FIGURES (from the National Center for Family Literacy Research Department, January, 2003)

oChildren who are read to 3 or more times a week by a family member are more likely to recognize all letters of the alphabet than children who read less frequently.
oChildren who are read to frequently are more likely than those who are not to count to 20 or higher, write their own names, and read or pretend to read.
oHearing a parent talk is your baby’s first step toward becoming a reader.
oOral reading at home to parents, guardians, or other family members promotes better readers.
oLearning to read and write is critical to your child’s success in school and beyond.

More astonishing facts!
Did you know that unless a
a child is exposed to
stimulation through all the
senses, up to 500 trillion
or half of the brain cell
connections will die off
by the age of ten?

By eight months, a baby’s brain
has about 1,000 trillion brain cell
connections. After that, the
number of connections begins to
decline. This decline is proportional
to the lack of sensory stimulation.


Did you know that language learning is a natural process during the first four years?
During the first six months of life, babies babble using a combination of 70 sounds that make up all the languages in the world. They will then learn to talk using only the sounds and words they pick up from their environment. For this reason, the first few years is the best time for a child to learn another language.


Preschool years are vital years!
50 percent of the ability to learn is developed in the first four years of life and another 30 percent by the age of eight. This does not mean that 50 to 80 percent of one’s intelligence, wisdom, or knowledge is formed during early childhood. But it does mean that during these years, children form the main learning pathways in their brains. Everything we learn later grows from the patterns established during these years.

Udaan Library dedicated to child development & reading

UDAAN Let’s fly high with wings of Wisdom
Our motto is to promote children’s early development through reading in partnership with child’s greatest mentor ‘PARENTS’.
“The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn the more places you'll go.” -- Dr. Seuss, Author of child development books
“The most important thing that parents can do is talk and read to their children. During the toddler and preschool years, it is critical to provide children with different language and reading experiences …lap-time reading, bed-time reading.”-- G. Reid Lyon, Ph. D., Chief of the Child Development, National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. Advisor to President George W. Bush on child development.

PARENTS have a big responsibility to make the best of the formative years of their child
· The moment you began speaking to your child, you became your child’s first reading teacher.
· The most formative years are before a child enters school.
· Language learning is a natural process during the first four years.
· Your child spends more than twice as much time at home as in school.

PARENTS can make the best of the early years of their child
1. Develop reading skills and a love of learning in your child
2. Utilize the amount of time spent at home more productively
3. Convert playtime into learning opportunities
4. Prepare your child for an increasingly competitive world
5. Raise a well-rounded, happy and successful individual



Simple Rules for Raising a Reader
1 Read to Your Child everyday
2 Have plenty of books
3 Model reading for your children by being a reader yourself

Simple ways of reading together
• Read in a cozy place. Read anything the child likes. Read and sing.
• Select books with colorful pictures. Involve the child. Develop reading rituals.
• Allow ½ hour before bed to read. Set aside a family time for reading together.
• Put your child into the story by asking, “what would you have done?”
• Ask questions about illustrations and play games: examples, Find all the red things that you can see. Find all square shapes. Count the cars. Where do you think the bird is flying?

UDAAN wants to reach out to PARENTS
TO make the global books conveniently available at PARENTS doorstep
TO make the best reading material and books available at affordable price
TO appropriately make the books selection for your kid’s age
We have global books from renowned publications which also are used by world’s best schools. Majority of our books are imported. We home deliver three books every fortnight. Our books are age specific and carefully selected.
Our books collection includes:
Collection of Dr. Seuss, Scholastics books, Flash-Cards, Flip-through sentence/word builder, Self-Read books, Fun Books, Encyclopedias, Animal/Environment, Machines and Tools,
Fairy Tales and Story, Lift-the-flap books, Board Books
Membership : Rs.3500 / year ...We home deliver three books every fortnight
Udaan library Kolkata Contact S. Nemani # 9903011611; 9831090303;
email : udaanchild@in.com
Reading Gym library Pune Contact S Vartak # 9967779129