Let’s look into Parenting and it’s aspects.

Q-How to make sure your kids are cyber safe, now that the world is evolving digitally?

Keya- Internet can be a wonderful tool for kids. They can use it to make research, school reports.
Parents should inform kids about the internet safety laws like do not share any personal information online. Bookmark the sites kids like to use for easy access. Apart from switching on the parental controls, spend time online together to teach them online appropriate behavior. Secondly, keep the laptop/computer in a common area where you can monitor their activities.

Q- There is lack of awareness about sex in India. So, many children take the unsafe ways to find answers to their curiosity. How should parents educate their kid about sex?

Keya- Start by teaching your kids the appropriate name for their genitals and later when your kid is around 3-5 years of age focus on talking about good and bad touch.
It’s always better to sit with your kids and talk about the changes in their bodies when they enter adolescence. If they get answers to their curiosity from their parents they won’t go to any third person or wrong website. Parents should give their children proper sexual education and guidance so that they are capable of accepting their sexual identity.

Q-Like the curiosity of sex, children also get curious about alcohol, cigarette, drugs. How to educate the children about these substances and save them from falling prey to it?

Keya-Take advantage of “teachable moments” If you see a character in a movie or on TV with a cigarette, talk about smoking and what it does to a person’s body. This can lead to a talk about other drugs and how they can harm. Keep your tone calm and use terms that your child can understand. Explain that drugs are dangerous and can cause lots of problems in the body. Teach kids early on how to say no if someone offers them something they know is dangerous.

Q-What is the importance of career counselling for children as well as their parents? Why parents should take guidance from a counsellor for their child’s career?

Keya- Its important to identify your child’s strength, weakness, the personality. Based on all these and their IQ score, you will understand what your child is meant for and then you can guide them. In today’s extremely tough competitive world people are continuously losing hope to survive on this planet, due to various reasons like large population, tough competitions, and various difficulties that children are facing but gradually parents and students are realizing that they want to pursue a career in which they are passionate about. But in reality, most of the students unable to identify this passion and for that the most reliable way to find out their career passion.

Q- How should parents deal with their child’s failure and address their mental health issues as they are growing up in this competitive world?

Keya- Parents should try to understand where and why the child is having such difficulty. Ask them about their problems and listen to them calmly and patiently. Do not panic instead boost their confidence and sit together and find a solution for the same.

Q- Why should parents avoid comparing?

Keya- Parents should keep in mind that every child is unique and different. Every child is creative in certain fields.
When you compare you child with anyone may it be siblings or their friends it lowers their self esteem and confidence. Always motivate and support them in a positive way on the right path.

Q- How criticizing and appreciating affects a child and how can a parent apply these things for a healthy growth of their child?

Keya-The terms of appreciation and criticism work together in building a better life of a child. When a child does something wrong they must be criticized in such a manner that they realize their mistake and try to correct that in a positive manner. Similarly, appreciation also plays a major role in building a child’s confidence and motivates them to work better each and every time they get praised by their parents. So, it can be seen that if both the term used in a proper manner it will help in shaping a child’s future.

Q- What is the right way to handle a situation when you as a parent make mistake and your child tries to correct you?

Keya– Let the child explain what went wrong. Listen and understand the situation with a calm mind. If you were wrong apologize for the same and ensure them that you will work on it. This will be an example for them to know that everyone makes mistakes and we can find a solution to it and they will learn acceptance from this.

Q– Generation gap often causes misunderstanding which results into communication gap between a parent and child. What is the solution for this?

Keya- Coming from an Indian society it’s evident that we hold a cultural background and we should teach it to our kids as well but at the same time we as parents need to understand and update ourselves with new things as well. The solution to this is that you speak to your child and take their views into consideration as well rather than just sticking to the traditional thoughts.

Q- What is the right balance between control and freedom that parents should give to their children?

Keya- Freedom should not only be given gradually according to age, but also according to the individual, and there shouldn’t be a sudden change in giving or taking away freedom. Also, it is important that parents don’t become too controlling or give too much freedom suddenly. This can be damaging. If parents give too much freedom to the child and curb it in adolescence, relations between the child and the parents may sour. There should be mutual trust and respect between parents and children. Parents should show trust in their children so that they are automatically obliged to take actions after careful consideration.

Q- How to raise kids to become independent, take their own decisions without loosing the connection?

Keya- Start by giving small tasks since childhood so that you  know how that manage things and would
also be able to help them if they go wrong. By this they will have an idea that there is someone to support me but at the same time they will have the confidence on making decisions on their own with losing any connection.

Q- How important it is to give their children the right to choose their career, their life partner and the right to accept their sexual identity?

Keya- people are derived by the choices they make and so are children , the freedom to explore the possibility of decision – making in the right manner will only be possible if we allow our children to make choices on their own , the right to make important decisions in someone’s life is solely theirs as making choices teaches our children to take responsibility of certain actions that are derived by pursuing the decision made and also facing the consequences.   allowing your child to make major choices about what they want to pursue as their career for living and the freedom to let them select the person they want to lead a life with allows them to get out of their comfort zone and pursue better things willingly . It is so important that they design and work towards a life they are interested to build their financial stability should be derived by the work they are passionate to do and their emotional quotient happiness in a relationship  would be derived by the partner they choose considering their sexual identity acceptance and also having the strength to build a safer and aware space in the society where we as humans would respect choices of each other and accept differences as well as similarities of each other the power of decision making is an important step to shape young minds to rational adults to lead a great life ahead

Q- What advice would you like to give parents ?
Keya- Parenting is a simple yet complicated circle of learning for parents , it is important that you create a comfort zone for your children in the long run to understand their process of thinking and deriving conclusions about their life choices , a proper mentoring and grooming is required for a child to grow as a wise adult and that can only be done if they are given the freedom to live and also find comfort in sharing about their issues and parts of their lives with their parents comfortably without the fear of being called out for choosing a different way to live . A great mentoring and a friendly environment and comfort zone for a child to grow and learn should be initiated by the parents to foster positive growth  of young adolescents.

These are all the questions answered by Keya Raje. If you have any more questions or if you need help in career counseling, you can book an appointment with Brain Checker Techno services. Details are given below-