Top Health Tips on Caring for Grade-Schoolers (6-11 yrs)

Raising a child with dyslexia can stir up a lot of emotions. You may look ahead and wonder if this learning issue will affect your child's future. But dyslexia is not a prediction of failure. Dyslexia is quite common, and many successful individuals have dyslexia.

Research has proven that there are different ways of teaching that can help people with dyslexia succeed. There's a lot you can do as a parent too.

What are the symptoms of dyslexia?

Because dyslexia affects some people more severely than others, your child's symptoms may look different from those in another child. Some kids with dyslexia have trouble with reading and spelling. Others may struggle to write or to tell left from right.

Dyslexia can also make it difficult for people to express themselves clearly. It can be hard for them to structure their thoughts during conversation. They may have trouble finding the right words to say.

Others struggle to understand what they're hearing. This is especially true when someone uses nonliteral language such as jokes and sarcasm.

The signs you see may also look different at various ages. Some of the warning signs for dyslexia, such as a speech delay, appear before a child reaches kindergarten. More often, though, dyslexia is identified in grade school. As schoolwork gets more demanding, trouble processing language becomes more apparent.

Here are some signs to look out for:

Warning Signs in Preschool or Kindergarten
Has trouble recognizing the letters of the alphabet
Struggles to match letters to sounds, such as not knowing what sounds b or h make
Has difficulty blending sounds into words, such as connecting C-H-A-T to the word chat
Struggles to pronounce words correctly, such as saying 'mawn lower' instead of 'lawn mower'
Has difficulty learning new words
Has a smaller vocabulary than other kids the same age
Has trouble learning to count or say the days of the week and other common word sequences
Has trouble rhyming
Warning Signs in Grade School or Middle School-

Struggles with reading and spelling
Confuses the order of letters, such as writing 'left' instead of 'felt'
Has trouble remembering facts and numbers
Has difficulty gripping a pencil
Has difficulty using proper grammar
Has trouble learning new skills and relies heavily on memorization
Gets tripped up by word problems in math
Has a tough time sounding out unfamiliar words
Has trouble following a sequence of directions
Warning Signs in High School-

Struggles with reading out loud
Doesn't read at the expected grade level
Has trouble understanding jokes or idioms
Has difficulty organizing and managing time
Struggles to summarize a story
Has difficulty learning a foreign language
Skills that are affected by Dyslexia-

Dyslexia doesn't just affect reading and writing. Here are some everyday skills and activities your child may be struggling with because of this learning issue:

General:

Appears bright, highly intelligent, and articulate but unable to read, write, or spell at grade level.
Labelled lazy, dumb, careless, immature, "not trying hard enough," or "behavior problem."
Isn't "behind enough" or "bad enough" to be helped in the school setting.
High in IQ, yet may not test well academically; tests well orally, but not written.
Feels dumb; has poor self-esteem; hides or covers up weaknesses with ingenious compensatory strategies; easily frustrated and emotional about school reading or testing.
Talented in art, drama, music, sports, mechanics, story-telling, sales, business, designing, building, or engineering.
Seems to "Zone out" or daydream often; gets lost easily or loses track of time.
Difficulty sustaining attention; seems "hyper" or "daydreamer."
Learns best through hands-on experience, demonstrations, experimentation, observation, and visual aids.
Vision, Reading, and Spelling Skills:

Complains of dizziness, headaches or stomach aches while reading.
Confused by letters, numbers, words, sequences, or verbal explanations.
Reading or writing shows repetitions, additions, transpositions, omissions, substitutions, and reversals in letters, numbers and/or words.
Complains of feeling or seeing non-existent movement while reading, writing, or copying.
Seems to have difficulty with vision, yet eye exams don't reveal a problem.
Extremely keen sighted and observant, or lacks depth perception and peripheral vision.
Reads and rereads with little comprehension:

Spells phonetically and inconsistently.
Hearing and Speech Skills
Has extended hearing; hears things not said or apparent to others; easily distracted by sounds.
Difficulty putting thoughts into words; speaks in halting phrases; leaves sentences incomplete; stutters under stress; mispronounces long words, or transposes phrases, words, and syllables when speaking.
Writing and Motor Skills:

Trouble with writing or copying; pencil grip is unusual; handwriting varies or is illegible.
Clumsy, uncoordinated, poor at ball or team sports; difficulties with fine and/or gross motor skills and tasks; prone to motion-sickness.
Can be ambidextrous, and often confuses left/right, over/under.
Math and Time Management Skills
Has difficulty telling time, managing time, learning sequenced information or tasks, or being on time.
Computing math shows dependence on finger counting and other tricks; knows answers, but can't do it on paper.
Can count, but has difficulty counting objects and dealing with money.
Can do arithmetic, but fails word problems; cannot grasp algebra or higher math.
Memory and Cognition:

Excellent long-term memory for experiences, locations, and faces.
Poor memory for sequences, facts and information that has not been experienced.
Thinks primarily with images and feeling, not sounds or words (little internal dialogue).
Behavior, Health, Development and Personality
Extremely disorderly or compulsively orderly.
Can be class clown, trouble-maker, or too quiet.
Had unusually early or late developmental stages (talking, crawling, walking, tying shoes).
Prone to ear infections; sensitive to foods, additives, and chemical products.
Can be an extra deep or light sleeper; bedwetting beyond appropriate age.
Unusually high or low tolerance for pain.
Strong sense of justice; emotionally sensitive; strives for perfection.
What can be done at home for dyslexia?

Helping your child with dyslexia can be a challenge, particularly if you're never been confident in your own reading and writing skills. But you don't have to be an expert to help work on certain skills or strengthen your child's self-esteem.

Keep in mind that kids (and families) are all different, so not all options will work for you. Don't panic if the first strategies you try aren't effective. You may need to try several approaches to find what works best for your child. Here are some things you can try at home:

Read out loud every day
Tap into your child's interests
Use audiobooks
Look for apps and other high-tech help
Focus on effort, not outcome
Make your home reader-friendly
Boost confidence
What can make the journey easier?

Dyslexia can present challenges for your child and for you. But with the proper support, almost all people with dyslexia can become accurate readers. Your involvement will help tremendously.

Wherever you are in your journey, whether you're just starting out or are well on your way, this site can help you find more ways to support your child. Here are a few things that can help make the journey easier:

Connect with other parents. Remember that you're not alone. Use our safe online community to find parents like you.
Get behavior advice. Parenting Coach offers expert-approved strategies on a variety of issues that can affect children with dyslexia, including trouble with time management, anxiety and fear, frustration and low self-esteem.
Build a support plan. Come up with a game plan and anticipate what lies ahead.
Understanding dyslexia and looking for ways to help your child is an important first step. There's a lot you can do just don't feel you have to do everything all at once. Pace yourself. If you try a bunch of strategies at the same time, it might be hard to figure out which ones are working. And do your best to stay positive. Your love and support can make a big difference in your child's life.

Parents today are more concerned about their child's healthy diet and hygiene compared to earlier days. They are more inclined towards quality when it comes to providing medical assistance to their children. They are also now well aware of the side effects of conventional drugs and are keener towards trying alternative treatments which come with no side effects. Studies prove that conventional drugs suppress diseases and antibiotics hamper digestion. But homeopathy on the other hand, offers natural remedies, which are safe, and has a long-lasting effect by boosting your body's immunity.

Below are some of the conditions in which homeopathy works wonders with the kids:

1. Acute conditions such as cold, flu, sore throat, stomach infections. These conditions are self-limiting. Homeopathic remedies not only cure these acute problems, but also prevent their recurrence.

2. Chronic diseases like eczema and allergies are cured completely and never recur when treated with homeopathy. In both the above cases, homeopathy works miraculously. Alongside the healing process, it boosts the child's self-defense mechanisms to fight against diseases. While antibiotics may be too harsh for the child's body, homeopathy is a safer option since it does not have any side-effects.

Homeopathy is also effective in treating colic, ear ache and reduces pain and discomforts. Some of the common problems of children where homeopathy works well are fever, teething, vomiting, diarrhea, dysentery, kidney diseases, infant colic, jaundice, eczema, convulsions, ear infection, fungal infections, warts, thyroid problems, and growth related problems.

Not just physical symptoms, homeopathy also treats mental and emotional disturbances.

You can take help of homeopathy treatment if the child is cranky or restless, and it is very beneficial even in case of hyperactive children.
It is also effective in increasing concentration.
Homeopathy works perfectly for specially challenged children as well.
One of the plus points with homeopathic medicine is that it is easy to administer given their light doses and consumable taste.
In addition, injections are not required. Furthermore, homeopathic treatment helps in all stages of childhood.
Homeopathy is a holistic system of medicine. It works on improving immunity rather than only curing the disease. Thus, it is very important to complete courses in homeopathy medication. Even though handy, homeopathy does not allow self-medication. It is always advisable to seek a doctor's help.

The behavior of a child should always be closely monitored during his/her early development. Sometimes signs of several personality disorders tend to show up early in life. Proper monitoring of the child's behavior helps to identify the signs and properly diagnose the condition if the child is suffering from any potential personality disorder. Here are a few facts you should keep in mind:

1. You might often find it difficult to differentiate between the normal and abnormal behavior of your child. You might consult the pediatrician, in this case, to compare the child's general behavioral patterns with that of other children in the same age group.

2. It is very important to understand your child's development process. It helps you to interpret his/her behavior and to identify signs of personality disorder.

3. There are a few common behavior patterns which tend to act as a guide to understanding the behavior of your child. Some of these patterns should be encouraged as they lead to proper behavioral development of your child while patterns of negative behavior should be discouraged.

4. You should also consult a doctor if your child shows negative behavior persistently even after disciplining measures.

5. Being polite, doing chores on a regular basis, the following instructions should be encouraged and rewarded as it helps in the proper personality development of your child.

6. Behavioral patterns like an inclination towards defensive, regressive and aggressive behavior should not be encouraged but can be tolerated in certain situations like illness or in times of stress.

7. Behavioral patterns like an increased inclination to violence or an excessive competitive attitude towards their siblings should never be allowed.

8. Prejudice or racism, stealing or inclination towards substance abuse, angry outbursts point towards problems in the child's mental, physical or social well-being. You are also advised to take your child to a psychological expert to find out whether he/she is suffering from any sort of behavioral disorder.

9. Your behavior also plays a major role in the development of your child and his/her behavioral patterns. It is often seen that if a child is subjected to excessive physical, mental or emotional abuse or is engaged in too many curricular and extra-curricular activities, he/she is likely to develop several behavioral disorders over time.

A child s tantrums, especially during teens, are quite common. However, there could be some children who could be exhibiting an extreme version of these symptoms. This is known as oppositional defiant disorder.
Children with this disorder become easily irritable, angry, argumentative, defiant and feel vindictive against most elders (parents, teachers, and others). While this is something very common and can be ignored to be a part of teenage tantrums, the issue is when these symptoms do not seem to end. If they persist for beyond 6 months, it is time to worry. These may then begin to interfere with their daily activities including schooling, where they may not be easy for the teacher to manage.

Diagnosis of ODD: With the changing behaviour of teenagers, it is often difficult to pinpoint and say there is ODD. However, some guidelines for diagnosis are listed below. Angry/irritable, argumentative, defiant and vindictive. If these symptoms are seen for more than 6 months with no inducing reason, happens with non-siblings, and is affecting learning and playing, it is highly likely the child has ODD.

These symptoms can occur at home, at school, or in other settings seen respectively in one, two, or more settings. Some of the symptoms are listed below.

Repeated temper tantrums
Anger bursts, swearing, using obscene language
Extremely argumentative, especially with people in authority (teachers, parents, etc.)
Annoying others and getting annoyed easily
Noncompliance to rules and regulations at school and institutions
Defending one s mistakes and blaming others for it
These result in poor academic performance, antisocial behavior, substance abuse, and higher suicidal tendencies.
Treatment

Treatment depends on the presenting symptoms, the age of the child, and supportive care available. The child should be able to actively take part in psychotherapy to reap good benefits. It would otherwise be a task with no results.

Psychotherapy will help the child improve its cope and express and control anger. This also improves problem-solving skills.
Cognitive-behavioural therapy tries to mould the behaviour.
If required, the parents also would be involved to improve family s involvement in the treatment. Caretakers are given special training if required so that they can support in long-term medical care.
The child also needs to be trained for appropriate behaviour under different circumstances.
Rewards for positive behaviour and punishments for negative behaviour are useful ways.
Prevention: Early identification can help in minimizing distress to the family and help in the early arrest of the disease. The family is also taught basic and simple steps which can help in supporting therapy. Early rejection at school and loss of learning, can happen which can be managed with early intervention. A nurturing and supportive family can help manage the child very well.

Hello Everyone!

I am Dr. Prachi Goel, MD Homeopathy and a nutritionist, homeopathy consultant at Dr. Goel Care Solution. I am practicing from last 10 years. And today will discuss some common childhood ailments. Children ailments which will encounter commonly at our clinic. So, what are common children ailments? The most commonly, jo bhi parents lekar aate hain apne bacho ko, most common among them is khasi-jukam. Common cough and cold jo ke hum bolte hain. So, what are causes of common cough and cold. First is acute cough and cold, jiska cause hota hai change of whether. Khane peene ki galtiyan. And second is chronic cough and cold. Chronic hum kab bolte hain usko jab koi bhi problem bar bar ho rhi ho. Pichle 6 mahine me, saal me vhi problem thode thode gap me bacha bar bar face kar rha ho. Ya fir vhi problem chalti aa rha ho. Khasi chal rhi hai pichle 2 mahine se, aram nhi aa rha. Jukam chal rha hai pichle 3 mahine se, aram nhi aa rha. Tab hum unko lebel krte hain chronic cough and cold. Now what are the causes of chronic cough and cold. The most common cause are adenoids, tonsillitis, bronchitis, asthma, pneumonia etc.

So, what we hear these days adenoids and tonsils. What are these? Adenoids and tonsils are nothing but protective lymph and tissues present at our upper respiratory tract. Yes, they are protective. They help our immune system. And what are their role? Ye prevent krte hain infection ko lower respiratory tract me jane se. Adenoids and tonsils swell and trapped the infection in upper respiratory tract and they protect our lungs and chest from the severe infections like asthma, pneumonia and bronchitis. It is normal practice nowadays ki bache ko adenoids hai, tonsils hai so please get the surgery and removed. We at Goel Homeopathy, we condemned that this is the wrong practice. We prefer to treat it with compete constitutional homeopathy medicines, which takes care of the child personality. His inbound disorder, his inbound tendency which are causing these problems.

The main route cause which goes down is the low immunity and the allergic reaction. So, we here, advice not to go for surgery. And get your child treated for these problems. What is the other cause of cough and cold. They can be allergic rhinitis, sinusitis, bronchitis. So what to look after. First you have to be very careful. You have to be observant. Ki bache ko baar baar to nhi ho rha problem. Khasi ho rha hi jukam ho rha hai. You please give your child a proper rest during the symptom. Give him the plenty of fluids. Garm pani ke garare, steam. Adenoid me maximum bache ki nak band ho rhi hai, muh se saans leni pad rhi hai. Khane peene me dikkat aa rhi hai. Tonsil me mostly complaint aati hai, galle me dard ho rha hai, khasi, bukhar, sir dard. Rhinitis is the problem jhan pe bhut jldi jldi chiken aati hai kisi bhi vjha se, dust ki vjha se, dhoop ki vjha se, temperature difference ki vjha se. Bhut common hai ye proble March, April, May ke season me. Hay fever bhi bolte hain hum is chiz ko. Sinusitis me hmare sare sinus me dard ho rha hai. Mucus bhar gya hai jiski vjha se khasi, jukam ho rha hai. Bronchitis ki vjha se khasi ho rhi hai. So please be careful of these symptoms when you see and get them treated properly. Uske baad hum aaj kal ke disease pe aa rhen hai. Those are behavioural diseases. Behavioural disorder and eating disorder. So, what are these. ADHD anger disorder, depression, obesity, bhut jyada khana, bhut kam khana, dullness, poor performance and the most important is gadget dependency.

Jhan par bache ko har time phone, TV, laptops, computers chaiye for any certain reason which is more than unnecessary addiction to the gadgets. We treat these cases with proper counselling of the parents, of the child and the best of the medicines which help to boost their personality, confidence and to improve their results. Next, we come on to bed-wetting and worm infestation joki bhut common hai. We in homeopathy, have beautiful medicines and miraculous results in these cases. Bed-wetting is what. Involuntary urination of a child who is above 5 years. Agar bacha 5 saal se chota hai, please wait. Train him or her. He will eventually surpass this. But agar 5 saal se bade bache me bhi ye problem aa rhi hai, to uske causes ho skte hai psychological problem, obesity, constipation, diabetes. Then we take care of these problems and of course provide medicines. Bed-wetting ke lia hmara advice hota hai parents ko, don t give fluid to the child 2-3 hours before the bed time.

Raat ko sulane se pehle usko bathroom kra ke sulao. Or agar usko raat ko bhi jana hai to, wake up your child and get him to the washroom. Worm infestation, tapeworm iska problem jo hai vo hume dikh bhi skti hai or nhi bhi. Bhut sare bache hote hain, unko hoti hai worm infestation, but we ignore them. Because of the mild symptoms. Bacha complaint kar skta hai ki uska nnose rub ho rha hai, pait me dard ho rha hai, ans me itching ho rhi hai, bhut

jyada kha rha hai, bhut kam kha rha hai, weakness, tiredness. Please don t ignore these symptoms. And what is the cure of warm infestation. Bache ke nails regularly cut kren. Usko encourage kren ki vo hath bar bar dhoe khane se pehle. Nail biting na kre, maintain a good hygiene, good sanitary condition, wear fresh cloth daily. Change the beddings regularly. And of course, these things won t help, we are here to help you at Goel Health Care Solutions. We have very nice medicines. We help you and your child to overcome these problems. We believe in a complete constitutional treatment with a complete treatment where we give best of homeopathic medicines. Taking care of your child personality, eating habits and surroundings. I would like to end it with just a suggestion, please be a good example for your children. Encourage your children to play some sport, physical activity is very important and to develop a good communication habit with a child to observe what are the changes your child is having. Are they good or not so good? And be friends with your children.

Thank you. Have a happy and healthy life.

Hello!

I am Dr. R K Lohia. I am an Occupational Therapist. We are dealing with special needs children to make the child capable of daily living and academic problems. And our services are occupational therapy, speech therapy, special education and child physiotherapy. We deal all special needs children as like Autism, ADHD, MR, Dyslexia etc. If you have any queries please come to the centre and meet me and call me anytime.

Thanks.

Child care is often one of the crucial aspects that have to be given due consideration during the growth of a child. Children now are susceptible to a variety of impairments, and even though there are medications and treatments to take care of their needs, they would still require a personal touch. This is where pediatric physiotherapists come in. Their primary job is to work with people of different ages from premature babies to young adolescents to ensure that they interact optimally and address their development stages. Like any physiotherapist, they are also concerned with the movements of the child, their postures and their coordination with the outside world. Let us have a look at their profession in depth.

Role of Pediatric physiotherapists
The major role of the pediatric physiotherapist would be to assess the child and make a detailed physiotherapy plan according to his/her needs. They are also required to work in close collaboration with parents, teachers, doctors and other health care professionals. Based on the length and the gravity of the treatment, it can either be done at home or at the designated health care centers. Some of the conditions they address can include:

Cerebral palsy
Developmental delay
Visual handicaps
Premature babies
Postural problems
Respiratory problems such as asthma
They also give across treatments in older children for:

Brain injury and spinal injury
Neurological diseases
Post trauma injuries, such as fractures, sports injuries
Burns and plastic surgery
Limb deficiency conditions
Chronic pain
The Challenges:
Their major focus would be in imparting guidance for the movement that the child might be hampered with. Since children would not be having the necessary control to fight a disease, they can also focus on strength training in a child. They can also slowly groom up your child to let them feel at ease with the physical world. Most of the exercises and session would focus on one critical issue their confidence level. Pediatric physiotherapists would always concentrate on this aspect, apart from the training. They always encourage the children to take part in a wide variety of activities and will also groom them to be independent. Also in older children when they have the capacity to understand, the pediatric physiotherapist should always inform the child about his/her physical nature and that there is nothing wrong with him. The more open they are to the child, the more the child would reciprocate.

There are also many medications and physical treatment plans that can be given when the child is undergoing the therapy. These can include wheelchair assist, walkers or canes. Most of the children who are affected by the conditions may also have a poor development of their vision. The pediatric physiotherapist should liaise with the ophthalmologist to take care of their needs as a sense of right vision can sometimes go a long way in how the child responds to a treatment. They also have an added commitment of making the child respond to a treatment in which he/she is comfortable in.

Alice in Wonderland Syndrome is referred to as AIWS syndrome and is often called micropsia, is a rare neurological disorder which is often manifested in the form of alterations and/or distortions in body shapes and sizes, including their own, in the mind of the affected. Though this condition is mostly observed in children, a number of adults have also been diagnosed with AIWS.

Causes:
The most common form of AIWS is found among those suffering from an acute form of epilepsy, especially temporal lobe epilepsy.
Another main cause for Alice in Wonderland Syndrome is the presence of the Epstein-Barr virus in the body and mononucleosis (called 'mono' or the 'kissing disease').

Symptoms:

Body image alteration: The most common symptom of Alice in Wonderland syndrome is an untoward alteration in the shape and size of the body images that is perceived by the affected individual. Most reported cases indicate that the individual often sees a distorted size of the hands and the head, usually enlarged from normal size, which is called as 'metamorphosis'.
Untoward alteration in visual perception: The sufferer misconceives the size and shapes of objects in front of them, due to incorrect perception of the things around them. Not only people, even mundane everyday objects such as cars, houses etc. may appear larger or smaller than reality.
Distorted time perception: For several people, reports have suggested time distortions that is time moving slower or quicker than what reality.
Distorted perception of touch: In people who reported this abnormality, familiar objects seemed to have a different feeling or sensation in response to touch, which may be unrecognized or incorrect.
Distorted sound perception: Unfamiliarity to familiar sounds and non-recognition has also been reported in several cases.
Headaches: The diseases often manifests itself through an excessively high number of migraines.

Having children is a challenging and full time job. Whether you have one child or four of them, the mental and emotional implications of raising a child will always be tremendous. This is mainly due to the fact that children have a way of becoming your greatest challenge. They are a life altering addition to your home and life and you would do well to understand this as you evolve as a parent, rather than letting it hinder the other quarters of your life.

Read on to know the surprising ways in which kids can affect your relationship, and what you can do about it!

Sharing Responsibilities: While marriage or cohabiting may change the way you look at the person you dated, having a child with that partner completely changes the logistics in the relationship. This is because the unsaid rule of responsibility comes into the picture. While both parents are equally responsible for the child, a delicate rhythm and routine tends to fall into place. Yet, the setting of this very routine can take the mickey out of the most compatible couples when it comes to figuring out expectations and the unsaid pressure. For example, as per medical studies, it has been proven that fathers tend to have a less active role when the couple is raising a daughter. So, in case you are facing a laid back partner, you may want to discuss sharing responsibilities that would have little to do with gender centric roles.

Full Time Job: Your relationship with your partner and spouse is one of the things that will get heavily impacted by the addition of a child or children to your equation. This is because raising a child is a full time job that requires the commitment of two people who are unique and were drawn to each other for certain reasons that may seem very different when a third individual is in the equation, especially one who requires full time care and raising. Here, you can remember to show your emotions in a less judgmental manner and discuss things on a regular basis to avoid strife.

Career: While most women go through the pain of labour and delivery, men may go through the guilt of tying down a woman who might have been career oriented. In such cases, it is best to talk about getting back to a career and the support that the father can render, beforehand.

There are a number of ways in which child rearing affects individual households. So, it is best to go in for counselling in case things get too difficult to handle.

As a parent, we all love our children deeply, and most of us will agree that these days parenting is very demanding and exhausting instead of pleasurable and joyous process. What has changed? It is not that children are any different. The difference is in the environment around them with stronger social influences; and this also affects the way we parent. In today's more democratic and egalitarian world; 'Do as I say and not as I do' style of parenting does not work. But, 'I will do as I see you doing' phrase from kids define our parent-child relationship.

With change in social environment and influence, our strategies for correcting their behaviour and impart discipline has to undergo adaptation! When there are so many confusing and conflicting signals reaching out to our kids from their environment, whether we like it or not, we are still their role models.

How positive parenting style will help?

The core principle of positive parenting is to accept your child as an individual. We are in a democratic society and family is a small yet important part of society. Democracy does not mean allowing disrespectful and irresponsible behaviour; rather to effectively help kids change their behaviour and create harmonious and cooperative relationship with them. It also means that we as a parent need to learn to think, act and react in a different way.

Through positive parenting, you will learn respectful disciplining methods, which would work better than demanding compliance. Through these principles and tips, you will get your child to listen without screaming, nagging, reminding or evoking rebellious behaviour. More importantly, this is all about building stronger relationship with your children and nurture them through early childhood to teenage years as they become independent, responsible, capable, kind, happy and successful young adults.

Tips to get you started:

1. Everyone deserves to be treated with respect and dignity, including children.

2. When your kid misbehaves, instead of shouting or hitting, control your anger and respond in a calm and respectful way. Calmer but firmer tone and lower voice, yet not giving into their repeated demand, is much more effective as a discipline tool compare to nagging.

3. Understandable that you have a lot on your plate, such as work, managing and keeping the home in order, managing meals and other outside responsibilities, kids sports or extracurricular activities, family obligations and so on. It is easy to get lost in all these 'have to do' activities. Parenting shouldn't be just one more task to deal with. Reconnecting with your parenting goals and aspirations periodically will help take the stress out of it and add fun into it. Spend some time daily (10 minutes will do as well!) to just listen and enjoy your child (without correcting them or giving them suggestion to improve!).

4. Let your love for them be the driving force. Shift your internal conversations from 'have to' to 'want to'. As you do enormous things for your child each day, think how you are supporting their ambitions. How you are helping them become independent and strong. How you are nurturing qualities like compassion and deep listening by extending yourself.

5. Give promises and keep them. As your children grow, they need much more than your words to trust and rely on you. Keeping your promises, letting them know if you need to change the plan, taking their opinion in appropriate matter will go a long way.

6. Seek to understand and do not impose yourself on your child. Especially when they are in their teenage, as a parent, you have a lot of worries, you are afraid of them making mistakes and of course you want to protect them from vices. Listening to them while keeping your focus on genuinely understanding them is the only way to go, when they know you understand them and they can trust you, the street between both of you turns two way street! They will be open to your wisdom and suggestion when they are at the cross road.

7. Last but not the least, 'be a role model'. Don't preach. If they see you disrespecting others, they will not respect you. If they see you hooked on your smart phone; that is their license to keep theirs in front of their eyes 24/7. If you are hooked in front of the TV till late night and haven't picked up a book in last 6 months. Advice about reading is going to fall on dumb ears. In short, be the change you want to see in your children.

8. Have family nights at least once in a week, play cards, board games or go for a walk together. Talk and listen. Just be there and listen without judgement and criticism, without thinking about how to correct them. Just enjoy each other's company and see how they are changing their opinion about you. Positive parenting doesn't mean you will never have problems in your family. You will? if you are alive and growing family. Positive parenting style will open up the avenues to keep communication alive; it will open your children to your influence. Isn't it something that we all wish for!!