contents
aug 2013
9 parenting 10 FEATURE Coping with Divorce 18 ASK THE EXPERT Strength of Introverts
21 wellness
10
22 FEATURE Cord Blood Banking
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24 PRE-TEEN Early Menarche 30 NUTRITION Iron Facts
31 learning 32 FEATURE Problem-Solving 40 CAREERS TV Production 44 EDU SPEAK Asking Questions in School
45 family 46 UPCLOSE Srini Swaminathan 48 ROOTS Rani Abbakka Devi 54 TRAVEL South Africa 58 SNAPSHOTS Photo Contest Winners 60 PARENT CHEF Iron-rich Recipes ON THE COVER
62 OUR PICKS Books: World of Imagination
A MONTHLY MAGAZINE FOR THE INDIAN PARENT
august 2013
VOL 3 | ISSUE 4 | `60
Cord Blood Banking: Lifeline to the Future
22
CORD BLOOD BANKING Lifeline to the future
10
WAYS TO
NURTURE PROBLEM
SOLVING SKILLS
10 Ways to Nurture Problem Solving Skills
32
Expert Speak: The Quiet Strength of Introverts
18
EXPERT SPEAK
The Quiet Strength of Introverts
Helping children cope with divorce PARENT CIRCLE PHOTO CONTEST
Helping Children Cope with Divorce
10
Photo Contest Winners
58
1st WINNING PHOTO
ON THE COVER!
prize
COVER PHOTOGRAPH TA BALAKRISHNA COVER MODEL K YESHPAL REDDY
in every issue 2 EDITOR’S NOTE 4 MAILBOX 6 NEWS YOU CAN USE 8 GOOD STUFF 64 TALKING POINT www.parentcircle.in 1
editor’s note
Captured Emotions There are no seven wonders of the world in the eyes of a child; there are seven million. ~WALT STREIGHTIFF
Publisher & Editor-in-Chief Nalina Ramalakshmi EDITORIAL Managing Editor Nitya Varadarajan Assistant Editor Chitra Satyavasan Senior Editor-Copy Desk Shashwathi Sandeep Content Coordinator Asita Haq DESIGN Creative Head Rangashree Srinivas Senior Designer G Swarupa Graphic Designer M Ravisankar Photo by BHAVNA JERRY
I
n response to our photo contest on the subject of ‘Children and Expressions’, we received hundreds of photos of children with expressions that spoke a million words and eyes that displayed ‘seven million wonders’. It was no easy task selecting the winning photographs that we have presented in our ‘Snapshots’. The first-prize-winning photo, a photo that portrays the innocence and peace inherent in every child, has graced the cover of this issue. We thank all the participants and would like to acknowledge that every photo is a winner in its own special way. Today, with many marriages ending up in divorce for various reasons, children for no fault of theirs are often caught in the middle. If the parents, in spite of their own difficulties, are able to set aside their differences to do what is best for their children, such children of divorce can still grow up secure, loved and confident. Our feature, ‘Coping with Divorce’, discusses this in more detail. We are often quick to label a quiet and observant child as ‘shy’. Aparna S Balachandran, a psychotherapist and a Parent and Child expert, talks about ‘The Quiet Strength of Introverts’ in our Q & A session with her and explains how labelling a child as ‘shy’ is not in the child’s best interests. We, as parents, need to prepare our children for a future that will require knowledge and skill-sets still unknown to us. ‘Encouraging children to be problemsolvers’, talks about the essential skills of critical thinking and problem solving, skills that will help our children face future challenges and expectations. With Independence Day around the corner, it is time to reflect on how each of us, including our children, can make an impact, however small, on our society. This month we have profiled Srini Swaminathan who is making his own impact. Happy Independence Day!
Would love to hear your feedback. Mail me at nalinar@parentcircle.in
PRODUCTION Consultant S Venkataraaman ADMINISTRATION Office Manager Sheeja Sasindran Office Assistant S Thirumalai SALES & DISTRIBUTION Vice-President M R Jayakkar ADVERTISING General Manager S Visalam Manager G Suresh Kumar CIRCULATION Manager C Ganesh SUBSCRIPTION Officer S Saravanan MARKETING Executive Dolly Preethi Martina M PUBLISHED BY Nalina Ramalakshmi, Director, Shri Harini Media Pvt. Ltd., (A Ramco Group Associate), 8/14, First Cross Street, Karpagam Gardens, Adyar, Chennai 600020 PRINTED BY Canara Traders and Printers Pvt. Ltd., Type II/33, V.S.I. Estate, Thiruvanmiyur, Chennai 600 041 Parent Circle is published by Nalina Ramalakshmi, Director, Shri Harini Media Pvt.
Nalina Ramalakshmi, Publisher & Editor-in-Chief
Ltd. All editorial material including editorial comments, opinions and statement of facts appearing in this publication, represent the views of its respective authors and does not necessarily carry the endorsement of the publishers. Information carried in Parent Circle is gathered from sources considered to
FIND US ON 2 ParentCircle / August 2013
be reliable, but the accuracy of all information cannot be guaranteed. The publication of any advertisements or listings is not to be construed as an endorsement of the product or service offered.
parenting feature
coping with by
SHASHWATHI SANDEEP
The process of divorce may be traumatic for parents and children, as also its aftermath. Yet parents should rise above themselves, and provide for their children
10 ParentCircle / August 2013
wellness pre-teen
Early menarche:
Growing up too soon by ARUNA RAGHURAM
Parental awareness is needed to prevent early menarche in the child, or to handle it ably when it does happen
L
atha was alarmed when her daughter Suman started menstruating when she was just 10 years old. She was apprehensive about how her daughter would deal with the physical and psychological changes that menarche (the first menstrual period that occurs during puberty) ushers in. She was also worried whether Suman’s peers would tease her or make her feel ‘different’. Though Latha’s fears are not unfounded, it is not all that unusual today for a girl to reach puberty or mature at 10 or 11 years of age, instead of the expected 13 or 14 years, a good three years early.
Is it a trend? “Yes, there is a trend of early menarche. The average age earlier was 13 to 14 years, now it is anywhere between 9 to13 years. There has been a gradual decline in the age of menarche over the past 100 years,” says gynaecologist and infertility specialist Dr Kanthi Bansal. 24 ParentCircle / August 2013
According to Mumbai-based paediatrician Dr Meena Narayan, “The age of menarche is definitely going down with many girls getting their first period when they are in class IV. Today you will find that 30% of the girls in class V and 70% in class VI have started menstruating.” Not just the parents, even health experts are worried about this trend. The time during and before puberty is one of rapid development and change, which is why even months matter, when it comes to the first menstruation.
Hormonal changes Early puberty in a girl means having the following signs earlier than usual: development of breasts, emergence of pubic and underarm hair, growth spurt, widening of hips and thighs, acne, adult body odour and, most significantly, the starting of menstrual bleeding as the ovaries start producing eggs. It occurs because the pituitary gland in the brain releases hormones called gonadotropins that stimulate the ovaries to produce the sex hormones
learning feature
ENCOURAGING CHILDREN TO BE
PROBLEMSOLVERS by
CHITRA SATYAVSAN
In the last part of our series on essential skills, we see how critical thinking and problem-solving skills help our children find solutions independently, helping them become good decision-makers
E
ight-year-old Indranil loved watching his favourite TV show at 5:30 pm daily. But it was also the time when he was supposed to join his grandmother in the evening prayers. Tired of his evasions, one day his grandmother complained to his mother Debashree that Indranil was watching TV during prayer time. Debashree’s initial reaction was, ‘He is not interested in prayers or helping his old grandmother. He is just lazy!’ She thought of confronting her son, and scolding him for his ‘irresponsible behaviour’ and ‘disobedience’. But with a little thinking, she decided a softer approach may work better. So she casually asked Indranil, “Grandma is saying that you are not helping her with the evening prayers. Can you tell me what the problem is?” To this, her son replied, “How can I help her? I’ll miss my cartoon show!” Immediately, Debashree realized that her son was not saying
32 ParentCircle / August 2013
that he hated prayers or helping his grandma; the problem lay elsewhere. The TV show time and the prayer time were clashing. Being a teacher herself, Debashree decided that the best way to solve this problem was to brainstorm together for the solution, instead of hurling accusations at Indranil. And to her surprise, his 8-year-old mind offered a few solutions, out of which they chose the most doable one. Now, Indranil helps his grandmother with the prayers, and watches his TV show a couple of hours later, when there is a repeat telecast!
COMPONENTS OF PROBLEMSOLVING Like the 8-year-old Indranil, many children have a latent skill for problem-solving. And if researchers are to be believed, children face and solve many problems on their own, as they critically think through their
problems. Some of their daily questions look like – ‘How can I tie my shoelaces correctly? Will my teddy bear sink in a tub of water? How can I prevent my blocks from toppling? What happens when I break a glass? Which chair or box will help me reach the cookie jar on the top shelf?’ Creative thinking and critical thinking are both a part of the problem-solving process. Creativity, as we saw earlier, involves thinking out of the box and risk-taking; while critical or logical thinking involves breaking down a problem or an idea into parts and analyzing them. “Kids have a natural motivation to try to solve problems, but they must learn the problem-solving skill components, how to put the component skills together (see box) and know when to use them,” says Ming Ming Chiu, Professor in the Department of Learning and Instruction, University at Buffalo.
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