Do's and Don'ts with your child

Love and respect your child.

Treat him with courtesy.

Treat your child in the same manner as you would treat an adult.

Do not beat, scold or abuse him.

Be consistent in whatever you do, do not change your rules each time.

Be firm in all your dealings with your child.

Do not compare your child with other children. Remember each child is a unique individual develops at his own pace. Hurrying up the child to grow or learn faster will only harm the child’s development.

Allow freedom within limits.

Do not impose your own will on your child.

Do not be over-protective or over-possessive towards your child.

Do not expect your child to do something that you are not prepared to do yourself. E.g. eating in the bedroom.

Do not force your child to do anything that he does not want to do.

Do not be concerned about the quality of your child’s performance.

Children all over the globe, irrespective of class, sex or creed, have a natural urge to learn things by performing activities with their hands. Therefore we see them being active all the time. It is your duty as parents to provide meaningful activities, rather than saying, “don’t do this/that”, all the time.

If you feel that your child does not know how to do a certain job, take his permission and show him how to do it. Do it slowly, so that he observes all the movements involved in performing that job.

Be patient, and as far as possible try to answer all the questions that your child asks. If you do not know the answer, tell him that you will find out and tell later.

Allow your child to do things, whatever he can, by himself, rather than you doing them for him. Remember, the child’s motto is “let me do it myself”. Unnecessary help is harmful to the child’s natural development.

Do not teach your child writing/reading the alphabet (ABCD-------Z) and counting 123----- leave that job for the house of children where they are helped to learn the concepts first.

Do not tell your child unrealistic stories such as myths and fairy tales. Always tell him only facts and truths.

Do not buy toys such as guns and cars for your child to play with. Give him real tools that are proportionate to his size so that he can perform his activities without frustration.

Do not kill living things such as ants at least in front of your child.

Do not disturb your child when he is concentrating on something, be it even watching the rain or a line of ants.

Leave your child alone whenever he is doing something constructive and stop him immediately whenever he is doing something destructive.

Do not exhibit emotions that are unpleasant such as anger and grief in front of your child.

Do not speak ill of others in your child’s presence.

Your child is observing and absorbing many things from you, such as mannerisms, way of talking, behavior, and emotions. Be aware of this and try to set an example.

Children do not know what is right or wrong. When you see your child misusing things, for example, scribbling on the walls, stop him immediately, explain to him why he should not do so, give him required material for scribbling or divert his attention to some other meaningful activity which will help him in his development.

Discourage your child when he uses chairs, pillows and other things as cars, scooters or trains. This too is misusing things.

Discourage your child when he is fighting with his friend, even if it is for fun, as this will grow into a habit, difficult to get rid later.

Discourage your child from jumping on beds, sofas and chairs.

Do not allow your child to watch cartoons and movies that exhibit violence and other negative points. Research indicates that watching television is not only a waste but also harmful, especially for children below six years. When a child is watching TV, he is only passive, not learning or doing anything. There are many alternatives to watching television.

Place the things that your child needs, like toothbrush, paste, soap and clothes within his reach so that he doesn’t have to depend on you every time.

Allow your child to do the activity, e.g. wearing his shoes, as many times as he wants to, because, it is only by repeating can he perfect himself.

Allow your child to eat by him; if you feed your child because he is going to spill food or spoil his dress, then you are only slowing his development. Your child will not be able to develop self-confidence and self-esteem.

Discourage your child from taking money, toys, etc., to the house of children as it will be a source of distraction for him as well as the other children.

If your child brings home anything belonging to the house of children, e.g. the smallest cube of the pink tower or a few beads, do not scold him but tell him that it is needed by all the children in the house of children and ask him to return it.

EATING FRUIT

This is informative!

We all think eating fruit means just buying fruit, cutting it up and popping it into our mouths. It's not that easy. It's important to know how and when to eat fruit.

What's the correct way to eat fruit?

IT MEANS NOT EATING FRUIT AFTER A MEAL! FRUIT SHOULD BE EATEN ON AN EMPTY STOMACH.

Eating fruit like that plays a major role in detoxifying your system, supplying you with a great deal of energy for weight loss and other life activities.

FRUIT IS THE MOST IMPORTANT FOOD.

* Let's say you eat two slices of bread, then a slice of fruit. The slice of fruit is ready to go straight through the stomach into the intestines, but it's prevented from doing so.

* In the meantime, the whole meal rots and ferments, and turns to acid. The minute the fruit comes into contact with the food in the stomach, and digestive juices, the entire mass of food begins to spoil.

* Eat your fruit on an empty stomach, or before your meal! You've heard people complain: Every time I eat watermelon I burp, when I eat durian my stomach bloats, when I eat a banana I feel like running to the toilet, etc. This will not happen if you eat the fruit on an empty stomach. Fruit mixes with the putrefying other food and produces gas. Hence, you bloat!

* Graying hair, balding, nervous outburst, and dark circles under the eyes - all of these will NOT happen if you eat fruit on an empty stomach.

* There's no such thing as some fruits, like orange and lemon are acidic, because all fruit becomes alkaline in our body, according to Dr. Herbert Shelton who did research on this matter. If you have mastered the correct way of eating fruit, you have the Secret of Beauty, Longevity, Health, Energy, Happiness and normal weight.

* When you need to drink fruit juice drink only fresh fruit juice, NOT from the cans. Don't drink juice that has been heated. Don't eat cooked fruit; you don't get the nutrients at all. You get only the taste... Cooking destroys all of the vitamins.

* Eating a whole fruit is better than drinking the juice. If you should drink the juice, drink it mouthful by mouthful slowly, because you must let it mix with your saliva before swallowing it. You can go on a 3-day fruit-fast to cleanse your body. Eat fruit and drink fruit juice for just 3 days, and you will be surprised when your friends say how radiant you look!

KIWI: Tiny but mighty, and a good source of potassium, magnesium, vitamin E & fiber. Its vitamin C content is twice that of an orange!

APPLE a day keeps the doctor away? Although an apple has a low vitamin C content, it has antioxidants & flavonoids which enhances the activity of vitamin C, thereby helping to lower the risk of colon cancer, heart attack & stroke.

STRAWBERRY: Protective Fruit. Strawberries have the highest total antioxidant power among major fruits & protect the body from cancer-causing, blood vessel-clogging free radicals.

EATING 2 - 4 ORANGES orange a day may help keep colds away, lower cholesterol, prevent & dissolve kidney stones, and reduce the risk of colon cancer.

WATERMELON: Coolest thirst quencher. Composed of 92% water, it is also packed with a giant dose of glutathione, which helps boost our immune system. Also a key source of lycopene, the cancer-fighting oxidant. Also found in watermelon: Vitamin C & Potassium.

GUAVA & PAPAYA: Top awards for vitamin C. They are the clear winners for their high vitamin C content. Guava is also rich in fiber, which helps prevent constipation. Papaya is rich in carotene, good for your eyes.