The Teenager Talks

  Being a mother of daughters, I never got a chance to apprehend that parenting boys and girls can be so different. After a lot of observation, research and discussion with boy moms, I came up with this piece of writing. National Girl Child Day is observed on 24 January which was initiated in 2008 by Government of India and ministry of women and child welfare. The idea behind this initiative was “Beti bachao, Beti padao” , which means- ”save the girl child, educate the girl child”. This was started to bring awareness among people of the importance of girl child, the health and nutrition necessities along with their rights in the society. Various programs have made it possible for girls to grow and accomplish what they deserve, of course exceptions do exist. The patriarchal pattern still has some disparaging consequences for both men and women. “I am not the woman president of Harvard; I am the president of Harvard.” - Drew Gilpin Faust . The globe today has need of a gener...

  Let us consider a situation and decide who the better performer is. Sagar and Tara walked a distance of 2 km. Sagar finished it in 25 minutes while Tara took 45 minutes. So clearly, Sagar wins. Right? Adding to the details- Tara walked on coarse pathway while Sagar walked on flat lane- you will now say that Tara did better. Oh! Did I mention Sagar is 115 kg while Tara is 65 kg- it is obvious that Sagar did better? Now if I tell you that Sagar is 25 years old while Tara is 60 years old. Your answer will change to Tara! So, it is apparent by the above instance that comparison is useless as situation or circumstances can never be the same for a fair judgment. “Stop comparing yourself to others. You have your own race to run. Finish well.” ~ Moore What is comparison? Comparison is an act to assess two or more things or situations, taking into consideration their similarities and dissimilarities to determine their suitability for a particular purpose. Humans have the...

 "When your heart is pure and intention is sincere, the Almighty has a way of making sure that everything works out for you". Parul experienced this quote in real life. When she decided to discuss yet again with Keshav, he could comprehend the need of her relaxation. He immediately agreed as well as began to plan a safe and fulfilling vacation for his wife. Nothing could be more thrilling for her. She was clear on her necessities and this helped them find a grand place.   Reservations were done and time to commence the journey. The excitement turned into nervousness on thought of travelling 7 hours alone. But children reminded her of the confidence. The thought of leaving children was making her sad too. It is not easy to leave family to go to have fun, but this time, she was unapologetic about putting herself first.   Parul boarded the bus at 4am. Family dropped her at the bus station. The loving husband also prepared a sandwich for her to have while on the way. Sinc...

 Parul has been married for 17 years into a typical Indian household. While her parents in law have changed from being traditional to more freethinking, her husband has not been able to accept the changing times for the women. He still believes that women are better at home, taking care of family . Though he confesses that it’s a fantastic habit of his wife to stay away from chitchat world, he is not very comfortable with the idea of an earning venture for her. Parul and Keshav had a love marriage. Keshav has always been a hard core romantic, protective and caring person. They have a good life full of love, laughter, arguments and celebration. Yet, after 17 years , Parul feels as if she is losing her identity being the shadow of the man. And then the pandemic fuelled the fire in her. 2020 was relatively better like a long family holiday. Kehsav is extremely fun loving and children enjoy his company. Oh, kids! They have two daughters, a teenager and a pre-teen. The prolongation o...

 We are well aware of the phrase “two sides of a coin” which imply looking at a particular situation from two different viewpoints. Here we shall discuss some such situations which are considered negative by the majority of people. But of course, there exists the positive aspect as well. CRITICISM Most often we come across people who are always criticizing which sometimes reflect their envy or insecurity. However, parents try not to criticize too much to boost the morale of their children. Both these scenarios can be harmful. While too much criticism is unhealthy for the relationship, or for the person to whom it is referred to, too little criticism does not allow anyone to grow. If you are a parent who is always finding flaws in the work done by your child, they will be demotivated or lose intertest in that activity. However, if you do not criticize at all, or are over appreciating every little thing done by them, they will get habitual of such a response and won’t be able to ...

  “I am not addicted to coffee; we are in a relationship” “A morning without coffee is not a Good morning” “A yawn is a silent scream for coffee” Any coffee lover will be able to associate with these quotes. More so, as they all celebrate the International day of coffee on October 1 every year. Why is the day celebrated? The farmers and growers of coffee are appreciated on this day, and their services along with difficulties they face is shared with the world. There are millions of producers of coffee in the world who desire fair trade practices and other such aid. This day endorses coffee as the favorite drink. Who invented Coffee? Coffee was discovered by a goad herder in Ethiopia in the 9 th century named Kaldi . Arabia got the taste of coffee with Ahmed-al-Ghaffar of Yemen in the 15 th century. The name has also travelled a journey with popular as ‘qahwah’ in Yemen to ‘Turkish kahveh’, to ‘Dutch koffie’ to the present day ‘coffee’ in English. Several name of coff...