HYDERABAD: The year that was packed several hits, misses and misfortunes for several of us. As one kickstarts this year with hope and positivity, City Express asks parents what their New Year resolutions are.
“I have made certain resolutions that will allow my seven-month-old daughter to more adjusting and compassionate in life,” says Vibhor Raman Gupta.
Vibhor will practise baby-led weaning to give his daughter the control over what she wants to eat and how much. In baby-led weaning the parent does the cooking, the cutting or mashing, the serving and the baby feeds self. With this approach, you allow your baby to make his or her own food choices.
Vibhor says, “I learnt about this from my seven-year-old niece and it made so much sense. My wife and I don’t eat non-veg but we will make sure that our daughter tries it. She should eat and decide if she likes it or not.”
Gina Kumar, mother of a 10-year-old, has never let her son watch movies with her. She says, “We also don’t usually let him watch a movie of his choice.” But this year, she has promised to have one family movie night every week, “I will make sure he has more freedom and say in this matter everytime we watch a movie together.”
Another parent, Mamta Kohli, wants to give her children healthy junk food once a week. She says, “My mother-in-law never lets them have anything but Indian food, rotis and parathas with vegetables. As a result, they have junk behind my back. So this year, I will prepare junk food in a healthy way to please both my mother-in-law and my daughters.” Another resolution taken by Mamta is to give her children family dinners as much as possible. She continues, “My husband comes home by 9.30 pm. By then, my kids already go to bed. I’ve asked my husband to come home early so that they get to have at least one family meal everyday.”
Kavitha Rajagopalan, mother of a daughter with cerebral palsy, says, “My daughter is going to enter her teens and this year, I don’t want to stick to just supporting her, but also help her with experimenting with different activities.
This year will be about what she wants,” says Kavitha. Another parent, Deepa Vijay, has a son with cerebral palsy. She says, “I want to open a book club in my son’s school so that he can meet more children his age. I want to develop his interest in extra-curricular activities.”