The weather is hot and humid, the cool breeze is not exactly cool and you are struggling to be comfortable in any attire and location. Welcome to summer in India! Kay sweats a lot and as a mother, I want her to feel and look fresh and confident through the day. Since she is a footballer and an athlete, physical activity and strenuous exercises are a part of our everyday routine- I have done a lot of reading and research on how to help her feel and look fresh even when the weather is not conducive for it. Excessive sweating, usually, happens when children hit or are about to hit puberty. This c ..read more

When you are raising a girl child, nobody ever tells you how fast they will grow up. How fast they will change. How fast they will evolve. How fast they will mature. How fast their baby looks will transform into a beautiful and grown woman. You blink and they turn 10 years old. You blink and the cuddles and story time turns to late night conversations with friends and reading on the Kindle. You blink and onesies turn to one piece swimsuits and overnight sleepovers. Nobody tells you, Nobody prepares you For the heartbreak that you cannot avoid As the years pass by in a matter of days And,  ..read more

I remember when Kay was a newborn, I waited and prayed for her to grow up fast. I thought as she grew up, my life would get easier. When she was a toddler, a fun, naughty and exhausting stage- I would look with envy at other parents with kids older than mine. I used to think to myself, how fun and stress free it would be once she starts going to school. When she was in nursery school, I used to tell myself that life would get easier once she starts regular school. And now, she will be reaching middle school soon and how I wish, I had not prayed so hard for her to grow up so fast. And oh gosh ..read more

It is a misconception that as your child grows older, you won’t be needed much.  Sure, they may not fit in your lap. They may not need you to run after them to get stuff done. You will still be their late night call, though. They would still talk to you about their worries and fears, insecurities and problems. Your strawberry smoothie and pancakes would still be their comfort meal. Your child may grow older And the way, they seek you will change But don’t worry, seek they will. They won’t hold your hand But they will go for long walks with you They won’t sit on your lap But they will hug ..read more

All it takes is 18 years, 18 summers And  18 winters For, Tiny fingers that clutch your hands, Tottering legs that follow you everywhere, To, Wandering souls, Expressive minds Your tiny tot To be a grown person There are times, When days stretch, Hours cease to end But like all things, Good and bad, They come to an end And one day, You will be lost in thoughts, In old pictures, In memories When you were still needed, When you were still their ‘No.1’ And you will realize, Those calls and meetings could have been prolonged, Those ‘time out’ sessions weren’t really necessary, That extra five ..read more

With Kay growing up in the blink of an eye, I find myself with more time than ever. While I am proud of the girl she is growing up to be, seeing her discover new roles, responsibilities and independence everyday; I know while my girl grows up, she’s going to be needing her parents less and that is something we need to come to terms with. The truth and the irony of life is,  while kids grow up, we don’t. As grown ups, we grow older, depending on our kids more and more each day; we have to simultaneously come to terms with them needing us less as the days pass. When life plays such cruel ir ..read more

The complexity of our bodies and the pressure that we put on ourselves is exhausting. We have reached a stage, where, be it the thinnest or fattest, curvy or athletic, tall or short, dusky or fair- we are just not happy with ourselves. The definition of looking good and perfect is to each their own and when that is the case, how are we supposed to teach our kids, the future generation, to be happy with themselves? In a generation where kids aged 5 and 6 years old have their own sparties i.e. spa parties and 12-13 year olds are coloring their hair and following a fashion and beauty routine- how ..read more

As a mother of a to-be 9 year old girl, I am constantly attending, dropping and picking her up from multiple parties and playdates. Honestly, I feel the pressure these days is intense and the need to throw a ‘hit’ party is a vicious social cycle that I seem to have got sucked into, despite vouching earlier that I never will.  With her 9th birthday approaching next month, the question of where, what, when and how many kids have started again. Unlike the other birthdays, this birthday will only have her close friends,  her ‘gang’ and with the same gang attending all parties and gatheri ..read more

My daughter is an avid reader and while she exchanges books with her friends often and we have a library membership which we visit once a week; I have noticed her gravitating towards her favorite authors always and picking up a certain genre of books. While I make it a point to cross check the content and storyline of the books before she picks them up, I am well aware that at nine and growing fast, she’s going to be reaching out to the rom coms and teen love stories soon and I will enjoy seeing her read ‘cute’ and ‘funny’ books for as long as she does. Here are a few of her favorite books and ..read more

I have done a lot of research on kids smartwatches. For my daughter’s upcoming birthday, she wished to have a smartwatch and that brought out a lot of digging around. She’s obviously too young for an Apple Watch or anything very expensive as there are high chances, it would get lost, misplaced, get scratched and stepped upon or even all! A few specifications that I was looking for in every watch was GPS tracking and location calling, emergency calling/SOS button, battery life, keypad and number dial lock Here are a few of the watches that I found best suitable for 9-11 year olds: Noise: Noise ..read more