Kids are learning to read and write at a very early age in today’s times. Thanks to over ambitious parents aspirations!

I came across this interesting article which will definitely open our parent’s mind. This article is written by Susan R. Johnson MD, FAAP, 5/7/2007-

There is a widely-held belief that if we just start teaching children to write, read, and spell in preschool, they will become better writers, readers, and spellers by the time they reach the first and second grades. This is, however, not true. The truth is that children only should be taught to write, read, and spell when their neurological pathways for writing, reading, and spelling have fully formed. There are many neuropsychologists, developmental specialists, occupational therapists and teachers who are concerned that our current trend in this country of pushing “academics” in preschool and kindergarten will result in even greater increases in the number of children, particularly boys, diagnosed with attentional problems and visual processing types of learning disabilities.

In order for children to be able to sit still, pay attention, and remember abstract shapes, like letters and numbers, they first need to have developed their proprioceptive system. In my clinical practice, I see children who are being asked to sit still at a desk who can’t yet “feel” where they are in space. They have to keep their muscles and body moving all the time or sit on their feet or wrap their feet around the legs of their chair in order for their mind to locate the position of their body. They also have difficulty balancing on one foot while their eyes are closed. Their drawing of a person is more like that of a younger child, being stick-like in form and lacking hands and feet. These children are often given the label of Attention Deficit Disorder because they appear fidgety in their movements, have difficulty paying attention, and have poorly developed fine-motor skills. In addition, these same children are often labeled as having learning disabilities in visual processing (for example, dyslexia or other types of non-verbal learning disabilities). They have difficulty recalling letters, numbers, and shapes that are shown to them, and they are unable to recognize letters, numbers, and shapes that are drawn with a finger on their back. These children have difficulty remembering the orientation and direction of letters and numbers when writing, reading, or spelling. They often will confuse the letter “b” with the letter “d” and may write the number 2 or number 3 backward and not even notice.

The proprioceptive system is strengthened by physical movements, like sweeping with a broom, pushing a wheelbarrow, carrying groceries, emptying the trash, pulling weeds, or hanging from monkey bars. When children do these types of activities they stimulate pressure receptors within their muscles, tendons, and joints, thereby allowing their minds to make a map of the location of these various pressure receptors within the body. A connection is made between the mind of children and the various parts of their physical body. In this way, children develop a sense of where their body is in space (proprioception), and even if their eyes are closed, the children will be able to feel or sense the location of muscles, joints, and tendons within their trunk, arms, legs, fingers, and toes.

Charu Mehrotra

Promoting Excellence in Women!

Kitty parties have been very popular among the womenfolk for quite some time. Kitty party has been a way to enjoy them, go out and try different restaurants and have some savings for themselves in form of kitties for every month. Quite interesting isn’t it!

I explored around to find out other interesting facts regarding kitty party.In 1719, kitty was a variant of a kitten, perhaps influenced by kitty “girl, young woman.” (c.1500), it was originally a pet form of Catherine.

A HEN party is a party where women only are invited.

Kitty could refer to different things.

There’s a character called “Hello Kitty.” That character is frequently a “party theme.” Some people never outgrow “hello kitty”

There are groups where the members would host small “kitty” parties amongst themselves for the purpose of raising a “kitty” (nest egg) to pay for the big public charity event.

In India, there was a hit TV serial named Kitty Party, written by famous writer Shobha De’s incisive pen which created eight women who are catty, full of gossip, often hypocritical and crafty. This proves that the premise of female bonding and women meeting one another to discuss their lives is being accepted in several places in the country. In fact, within a metro city, there are suburban kitty parties, multi-millionaire kitty parties, and middle-class kitty parties.

On 2nd May 2009, A Kitty Party was organized and sponsored by Grehlakshmi Magazine in India, which went on in an enthusiastic and joyous manner. This party was organized at Hotel Sheraton, New Delhi. This event was said to be the Largest Kitty Party in the world as more than 4500 females participated and enjoyed the event. Though we may have heard of several Kitty Party’s organized by housewives or several women’s clubs this was a unique event where such a large crowd was gathered to enjoy the day which is full of fun and masti. The object was clearly being to offer these women a platform where they can be away from the day to day stress, gossip with one another and pamper themselves but also get to meet the much a way television celebrities, witness scintillating fashion shows, interact with the topmost people from various fields and the like.

The trend of kitty parties is picking up fast. It’s the angle with which women want to have fun in these parties matters. Women lines will share some new ideas to make such parties meaningful for womenfolk.Don’t miss it!

Charu Mehrotra

Promoting Excellence in Women!

Shakun Narang wants to share this interesting information regarding women’s shopping habits with Womenlines readers-

According to the findings of the most recent poll, it takes women almost one year of their lives to decide what to wear. Picking outfits for work, dating, gym, dinner parties, holidays and many other activities means that the average woman will be spending about 287 days rifling through her closet.

The survey, carried out by the UK clothes giant Matalan, was based on an adult lifetime and compiled the results after polling nearly 2,500 women between the ages between 16 and 60 years. The results revealed that most women will be spending approximately 16 minutes on weekday mornings and 14 minutes on a Saturday or Sunday mornings selecting the correct ensembles to wear. According to the study authors, women spend an average of twenty minutes when deciding what to wear on a Friday or Saturday nights and the same amount of time is needed for an outfit selection during a weeknight.

The researchers behind the study also found that women spend about 52 minutes in front of their closet when it comes to choosing clothes for a vacation at sea. While on vacation, ten minutes a morning will be taken up when a lady is trying to find an acceptable outfit, with another 10 minutes spent on selecting clothes for the evening. In addition to that, dinner parties, Christmas parties and black tie occasions – at approximately 36 minutes a time 6 times throughout a year – adds up to three and a half days.

The results of the poll also demonstrate that, on average, most of the women will try on two different outfits every single morning before making up their mind and coming to a final decision. In addition, one in every two women spends about 15 minutes the night before work trying to figure out what clothes to select. Among other findings of the survey is that about 64 hours per year women spend on talking about clothes to their female counterparts.

Sarah Gilmore, a spokesman for Matalan, said that what a woman wears is directly linked to how she feels about herself and it is very important a woman feels exceptional in what she wears. “Whatever the occasion your clothes portray an image and we understand this is fundamentally important to women,” Gilmore said.

It goes with every kid I suppose. Most frequent question my kid is asking “When I can watch a cartoon on TV mom?”

Quite strange. I never watch TV in front of him. My husband watches only news and he is having very controlled viewing time for cartoons but the most fascinated time of whole daily routine is cartoon time. I am worried about his stressed eyes, waste of time, no movements, no eyeball movement (as all these reasons are given by doctors against TV).

Then I have a look at my kid’s happy face, the bliss he is into when he is watching the cartoon, some general awareness which he gets while watching an educational cartoon-like one on Disney clubhouse, his various new expressive ways of speaking. I am confused which school of thought to follow. I always was in favour of controlled cartoon viewing for kids. As there are many things which we as a parent are not able to teach our kids. Kids come to know about those things through cartoon only.

I just surfed the internet to get some information what the researchers are saying. Researchers show that the first 2 years of life are considered a critical time for brain development. Kids should not be exposed to TV and other electronic media which can get in the way of exploring, playing, and interact with parents and others, which encourages learning and healthy physical and social development.

As kids get older, too much screen time can interfere with activities such as being physically active, reading, doing homework, playing with friends, and spending time with family.

• Children who consistently spend more than 4 hours per day watching TV are more likely to be overweight.
• Kids who view violent acts are more likely to show aggressive behavior but also fear that the world is scary and that something bad will happen to them.
• TV characters often depict risky behaviors, such as smoking and drinking, and also reinforce gender-role and racial stereotypes.

Children’s advocates are divided when it comes to solutions. Although many urge for more hours per week of educational programming, others assert that no TV is the best solution. And some say it’s better for parents to control the use of TV and to teach kids that it’s for occasional entertainment, not for constant escapism.

Just have a look at these facts-

The average American child will witness 200,000 violent acts on television by age 18. Kids may become desensitized to violence and more aggressive. TV violence sometimes begs for imitation because violence is often promoted as a fun and effective way to get what you want.

· According to the AAP, kids in the United States see 40,000 commercials each year. From the junk food and toy advertisements during Saturday morning cartoons to the appealing promos on the backs of cereal boxes, marketing messages inundate kids of all ages. And to them, everything looks ideal — like something they simply have to have. It all sounds so appealing — often, so much better than it really is.

The other school of thought which speaks about positive effects of TV says, in moderation, can be a good thing: Preschoolers can get help learning the alphabet on public television, grade schoolers can learn about wildlife on nature shows, and parents can keep up with current events on the evening news. No doubt about it — TV can be an excellent educator and entertainer.

Good points are-

· Because of its ability to create powerful touchstones, TV enables young people to share cultural experiences with others.

· Shared viewing gives family members of all ages an opportunity to spend time together.

· Parents can use the TV as a catalyst to get kids reading—following up on TV programs by getting books on the same subjects or reading authors whose work was adapted for the programs.

· Great television can teach kids important values and life lessons.

· TV programs often explore controversial or sensitive issues, which can make it easier for parents and kids to discuss them.

· Educational programming can develop young children’s socialization and learning skills.

· News, current events, and historical programming can help make young people more aware of other cultures and people.

· Documentaries can help develop critical thinking about society and the world. TV can help introduce your family to classic Hollywood films and foreign movies that may not be available in your local video store.

To watch TV or not that we will always be in dilemma, but if we can really have controlled viewing hours for our kids then we can have benefited from both school of thoughts!

Charu Mehrotra

Promoting Excellence in Women!

Indian women spread their charm everywhere they are, why not in Singapore!

Indian women Association of Singapore organized a shopping fare, IWA Bazaar, on 11 September, at Holiday Inn Singapore with much fun fare. It was a lovely experience participating in the shopping fair and meeting such enterprising ladies. This fair gave a platform to all those entrepreneur ladies who are trying to create a niche for themselves by using their creativity or doing some business. There were various stalls put up by different vendors in the bazaar showcasing jewellery, clothing, paintings and much more such items.

The Indian Women’s Association (IWA) of Singapore is a non-profit organization under the patronage of the High Commission of India. Founded in 1998 IWA comprises of a large exclusive member body representative of both the expatriate as well as local Indian Community. IWA is managed by a volunteer executive committee elected annually.IWA endeavours to bring the Indian community together by giving them a platform to connect, support, and network with each other whilst living in Singapore.  Through IWA members participate in social, cultural, educational and philanthropic activities. IWA’s mission is not only to present a cultural platform but also to provide a networking interface to its working members. Membership is open to all women of Indian origin or married to men of Indian origin residing in Singapore.

The organizing committee led by Ms Ranjeeta and Ms Monisha had put lots of hard work in organizing such an event on such a bigger scale. The show was glamorized by the ramp walk by lovely ladies displaying their brands of clothes and jewellery. There were some unique stalls which displayed the creativity of our womenfolk. The gifts stall by Ms Shraddha Agarwal was unique in itself. She displayed her creativity through her baby diaper gift cakes which is an innovative idea in itself. Ms Georgie displayed her own designed jewellery in a very creative manner. She designs jewellery with gems and stones.

Events like IWA Bazaar are really helpful in promoting the entrepreneurship spirit of our womenfolk. Womenlines hats off to all those lovely ladies who took the initiative to organize this event.

Charu Mehrotra

Promoting Excellence in Women!

As a parent we want our kids to be happy and if we are able to provide them with a beautiful corner done with some creative touch it can help them to enjoy their childhood much better way. Here are certainly creative ways which can help you-

1.  www.wallwords.com provides fantastic quotes and printed words to apply directly to your child’s walls. If you are feeling thrifty and adventurous, use a transparent sheet to print your favorite inspiring quote or word collection. Simply choose your favorite font, then using a projector – simply display your quote on the wall, ready to trace and paint!

2. Paint walls your favorite soothing color and then create an entire wall of various family members. Choose photo frames that offer either a uniform look (i.e. all black square, all silver, all gold, etc.) or choose a varied and quirky collection of frames. Place photos of family members and dear friends inside and arrange photos in a collage format on the wall. Whenever your child spends time in his/her room, they will be surrounded by the faces of those that love them the most!

3.  Whether you choose bright paint or muted paint, see your painting options at a different angle. Start at the bottom corner of one wall and paint a solid color in a diagonal line up to the opposite corner, near the ceiling. Create diagonal lines throughout the room.

4. Stripes without the fuss. Choose your paint color and purchase half of the required paint in a high gloss finish, the other half in a flat finish. Using painter’s tape, mark off your stripes (in the width you prefer). Starting with the flat finish paint, create an every-other stripe pattern. When dry, remove tape and repeat process with the high gloss paint, finishing all stripes. What a simple, fast and easy way to create a striped illusion without confusing too many colors in the room!

5. Choose favorite childhood board games. Purchase them from various sources (www.craigslist.com) or thrift stores. Be creative! Taking the game-board portion of the game, mount directly on the wall using either hooks, double-stick tape or nails. Place in an appealing arrangement for a fun and playful mood setter.

6. Instead of a wallpaper border near the top of the wall, take many photos of your child during any stage of their life. Focus on specific parts of their little bodies (ears, eyes, lips, belly buttons, toes, etc.). Frame each photo in a 5×7 frame and hang at the top of the wall, nearly next to each other for a unique and very creative decorative statement.

7. Using your child’s favorite storybook, enlist the assistance of a local artist. Recreate the pages of the book directly on the walls of your child’s room.

8. Hang fabric in a variety of ways. Mount curtain rods at various distances from each other around the room. Hang fabric from curtain rods or affix directly to the ceiling or wall with staples or heavy-duty double-sided tape. Create a swag effect by draping fabric from a canopy (hanging over your child’s bed or crib) to nearby corners of the room for a dreamy, fairytale feeling.

9. Create a mural! www.walldecorshops.com Many companies provide wonderful wall art that is easy to apply and simple to remove. Check out their many designs, options and suggestions.

10. Most of all – put a bit of yourself into your nursery project. Write an intimate note to your child near the portion of the wall where the door hinge meets the wall. Visitors to your home won’t notice it, and it will provide a special “hidden” love note to your child. Sign and date it . . . your precious child will treasure it forever!

Charu Mehrotra

Promoting Excellence in Women! 

Market research is the most important part of any business to grow!

While reading about the elements necessary for success in any business set up for women, this was a clear message that proper market research can help you to achieve success. You will come to know about your potential customers and where to locate them. Networking, contacting potential customers via e-mails, direct mail questionnaires, telemarketing, can help you get the feedback for your business. In the library, there are many books which can provide you information regarding research related to your business, studies conducted by colleges, universities, search on the internet, can bring many types of research in front of you.

Point to be noted is that there is a big difference in marketing and advertising. Some books explain that marketing is to determine where and to whom you will sell your goods or services, while advertising is the method you will use to publicly acquaint your customers with your goods or services in order to get them buy what your business is offering.

Market research will help to gather that information which will guide you to plan your business goals, objectives, and marketing strategies. One should start with free or low-cost advertising methods like press releases, referrals, business cards, fliers, donations to charity events, and so on.

One of the very effective advertising methods which I found interesting is Newsletters. A promotional newsletter to your customer mailing list can keep your business in your customer’s mind, give them tips that how to use the product and alert them to upcoming sales.

Charu Mehrotra

Promoting Excellence in Women!

Kids grow up fast and there are so many things and habits which we want them to develop!

Responsibility and promotion of daily good habits are two of the most important one. These activities will kids to be personally more responsible and how to develop personal good hygiene-

1. BEING RESPONSIBLE-

This activity is interaction based. Talk with your kid about what happens when people don’t do what they are responsible to do. For example, if plants that don’t get watered wilt, garbage smells if not taken outside, animals and children that don’t get food get hungry. Discuss with them is it fair to expect others to do our work. Decide together on the tasks of each family member. Should people be able to do only things they like. If your child is not agreeing to perform the assigned task then discuss the consequences if parents are not working or they don’t prepare a meal. Give him a variety of real-life examples so that he can really understand the importance of the assigned task.

2.PROMOTION OF DAILY GOOD HABITS-

Take a chart and with help of your child write two headings on the top.”Friends of teeth”, “enemies of teeth”. List all good things you can do for your teeth under Friends of teeth. Under enemies of teeth include the danger signals of bleeding, swollen gums, a hole in the tooth, sensitivity to hot and cold water. Talk about what hurts teeth like hard candy, not brushing at bedtime, using teeth as bottle openers. Post the chart where children brush their teeth as a reminder of good health habits.

Charu Mehrotra

Promoting Excellence in Women! 

Kudos to members of  Women Executive Committee (WEC)  Sengkang, Singapore for organizing a   fun-filled Tea party for Immigrants in the neighbourhood area of Sengkang!

Tea party for Immigrants was a fantastic event to attend as it gave an opportunity to mingle with people from other countries.Mr.  Charles Chong, MP Punggol GRC Singapore, was the chief guest for the party. Immigrants got a chance to interact with him openly. He was very well mingling with the crowd and was asking about experiences of immigrants in Singapore. This event was to create a one-community mindset that can help Immigrants assimilate with Singaporeans in a more effective way. All who attended this event got a chance to meet fellow immigrants from different countries, now sharing Singapore as their home. Party was well planned with games, inter-cultural dance performances, delicious snacks and other activities. Children participated very actively in games and were thrilled with the performances. The programme was very well anchored by Ms Azeeza Jalaludeen, Co-Founder of SHINE- A Social Enterprise.

Immigrants meet in Sengkang is an example of the liberal mindset of Singaporeans. Women Executive Community headed by Madam Samantha Wong is quite aggressive in organizing such events. A regular get-together for immigrants can really help in diminishing the line of difference between Singaporeans (existing & immigrants) so that they can mutually benefit each other by exchanging knowledge and outreaching to help the local society together.

Immigrants take time to settle in any new country. Singapore is a very immigrant friendly country. I never really felt as an immigrant in Singapore until I was addressed as while attending some community affair. Strange, but true. Singapore embraces every immigrant in her bosom like her own child. Singapore government has created such a wonderful arrangement for all immigrants’ settlement, which helps them to settle down easily in this new country. There are so many bad experience stories from immigrants in other countries. Immigrants in Singapore always have wonderful stories to share with the world. Whenever immigrant arrives in any new country he is insecure, suffers from cultural shock, is lonely, is looking for avenues to socialize and above all he wants to relate himself to the society around. Initially, it is difficult in any country, but Singapore government has done a wonderful job keeping in mind all these points and making proper channels for the immigrants to solve their problems. Singaporeans are very open-hearted and friendly by nature.

Tea party for immigrants is a really a brilliant concept which should be replicated throughout Singapore. It should become a regular affair to give all immigrants a chance to open up to society and be a part of it.

Charu Mehrotra

Promoting Excellence in Women!