Debmita Dutta's Blog, page 83

In the face of air pollution these cilia cannot move well.

Will air pollution increase your chances of getting a viral infection?

The answer is Yes.

When a virus tries to enter your body through through your nose or mouth,

Under normal circumstances,

They are pushed back outwards by hair like structures called cilia which line your respiratory tract.

In the face of air pollution these cilia cannot move well.

The reason is the mucus that is secreted to keep out the pollution particles

The mucus that you feel as a runny nose or that irritation in your throat

Swamps the cilia

Weighs them down

And does not allow them to move and do their work of lashing out and pushing the virus back outside your body.

Is it important then to spend as much time as possible in a pollution free or at least minimally polluted place.

Yes it is.

If you live in highly polluted place... Consider moving.

Viruses are not going away anytime soon.

PC: Pixabay

Published in the Elephant Journal

#Published in the Elephant Journal

My article on "How to prevent Parenting Burnout"

As the pandemic stretches out - a frightening number of parents are getting close to #ParentingBurnout

Almost every day I have a parent reach out to me for a consultation because they are exhausted - overwhelmed - and drowning in guilt.

Yes - parenting is a lot of physical and emotional work.

But there are ways to make things easier.

I have shared 5 things that you can do instantly to lighten your load in this article.

Do read.

And do share - because you never know who is struggling.

Let's stand with each other and hold hands so that we can stay afloat.

Link: https://www.elephantjournal.com/2020/12/how-to-prevent-parenting-burnout-debmita-dutta

I am now at a place where I don't need to say it anymore.

"I am sorry - I don't gossip"

I said this for the first time many years ago to an acquaintance who had dropped in for coffee 

And over the years I have said it many times. 

I am now at a place where I don't need to say it anymore. 

People who gossip... Stay away from me.... Or at least keep their gossip away from me. 

Gossip in my opinion...is a tool.....used to pull down anyone who dares to be different. 

Exclude anyone who steps out of line .... Is the principle it works on. 

Of course it has the potential to damage the person we are gossiping about

But more than that.... It fills us with fear. 

When we gossip .... We know that we will be gossiped about as well.....and that frightens us and 
keeps us from being different. 

And that is dangerous. 

Because if we are afraid to be different.. If we embrace stereotypes.... 

How can we live life fully?

How can we allow our children to live life fully? 

As a parent... This is what I tell my daughter..

Someone or the other.... Will always have something or the other.... To say about everything you do.... 

So do what you think is right. 

It is not easy to be different

But if you are kind, fair, and inclusive it will give you the courage that you need. 
"Rudolph the red nosed reindeer" Is my favorite Christmas Carol because it says.. 

Dare to be different..

Embrace diversity.. 

Be  inclusive... 

I love to use songs that I learnt as a child to reinforce ideas in my head. 

What do you do to steer clear of gossip?



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Control will never work with teenagers.

"She chats with her friends during class."... A worried parent tells me at a consultation

"I want to take away her phone... But I am not sure I should." 

No. You should not. I reply. 

Control will never work with teenagers. 

If you take away the phone... She will find another way to communicate. 

Because communicating with friends is a teenager's oxygen. 

Talk to your child and help her find a way to chat while completing what she needs to do in school. 

Yes... You are worried about grades. 

Believe me.... So is your child. 

But can she pursue grades at the cost of her friendships? 

No she can't. 

The teens are about getting the balancing act right. 

Before every action...ask yourself....Am I helping or hampering that?

-- Photo by Sven on Unsplash

"Every time we start studying.... My child comes up with some story

The exams are almost here. 

Time is of essence. 

Those parents who know that their children have not studied too much in the past year... Have 
decided to sit and teach their children. 

Of course parents don't have all the time in the world... And they are struggling to find an hour or two to invest into teaching. 

They are hoping to teach... ensure that the child has learnt.... and then get on with everything else they need to do. 

But they get stuck with.... 

"Every time we start studying.... My child comes up with some story... And that is the end of the study session."

Parents think that children are trying to waste time. 

But that is not true. 

What children are trying to do is.....transform INFORMATION into EXPERIENCE. 

A story does just that. 

So allow stories. Steer them towards what you are teaching. 

You will save more time......if you teach a little that will be remembered... Rather than a lot that 
will immediately be forgotten. 

Understand how the brain learns if you are taking on teaching. 

Photo by Nong Vang on Unsplash

"Surround your child with books and they will learn to read."

There are so many myths about learning to read. 

Unfortunately many parents believe them. 

The commonest is... 

"Surround your child with books and they will learn to read."

Does that happen? 

No. Never!! 

Unlike learning to 'understand' language and learning to 'speak' language.... Learning to 'read' a language.... MUST be taught. 

When you teach a child to read... You are teaching them to LISTEN with their EYES. 

As you teach... Major changes happen in the brain.... Nerves move and shift.... New areas are constructed.... And that is how a child learns how to read. 

I have been helping parents learn how to teach their children reading in my "Teach your child how to read" Workshops. 

I have also created resources for them to use on my website. 

The workshops have received a lot of appreciation from all those who have attended them.

And it feels really good when the resources are appreciated.... Like in this post on FB by a busy 
Entrepreneur mom who says she finds it really easy to revise sounds with this worksheet that is available on my website. 

All of us are busy. 

All of us need everything we can possibly get to make parenting easy and fun

I am so happy I am able to help.

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Isolation because of the pandemic has been around for too long now.

"Wake your child up by drawing back the curtains and letting in sunlight."

I am saying this more and more at my consultations with parents who are trying to manage cranky children at home. 

Isolation because of the pandemic has been around for too long now. 

In many studies people have reported feeling  confused because they feel that time is moving slowly and fast at the same time. 

The day seems to drag on... But the weeks and months are flying by... A lot of people have admitted. 

Adults are able to put this feeling of confusion into words... But children can only show this through cranky behavior. 

There are many ways to get past this challenge.

And one of the important ones... Is to wake up to sunlight streaming into the room.

Large windows that bring in lots of light is something I recommend looking out for as one of the first features in a house that a family is planning to buy. 

Because daylight is an important physiological requirement that will ensure happiness in the house. 

How big are your windows? 

How do you wake up every morning? 

How does it makes you feel?

-- Photo by Maxim Shklyaev on Unsplash

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It is Sunday and many of you may be shopping for vegetables today....

From my talk on #OMBCDIscover2020 today. 

It is Sunday and many of you may be shopping for vegetables today.... 

Buy your cauliflower and carrot and radish with their leaves. 

The reason the leaves are removed is that they wilt and make it very obvious how old the vegetable really is. 

But you need those leaves there - 
1. Because fresh leaves tell you that the farm to table journey has not been very long and the vegetable is still packed with vitamins and phytonutrients. 
2. The leaves have a whole bunch of nutrients in them and you should eat them. 

Now more than ever before we need to focus on what we are eating.

Because our immune systems need the strength to fight for our survival. 

It was a pleasure to share this and many other tips with the Ovenderful Mom Baker's 
Community today. 

Thank you Simran Oberoi Multani for the opportunity. 

Thank you Vinod Chakravarti for doing this session with me and adding magic to the session with your demo

Do you cook or does your Mom cook?"

"Who cooks in your house?

Do you cook or does your Mom cook?"

My daughter's friend asks her. 

I somehow just love the question. 

Thinking seems to have evolved tremendously in the past few years. 

When we were growing up I remember "Moms" being thought of as literal 
'cooking and cleaning machines'

I remember the hushed gossip about working women who employed cooks or ate out. 

I even recall a time when a neighbour judged my mom (a very busy doctor) for using a pressure cooker to cook 'fast'

Her tone was one of pity for our family because we were supposedly living on boiled food because my mother 'worked'

From there to this point where a teenager can easily imagine a mom sitting at home all day... 
And yet not cooking. 

And another huge perception change....perhaps because of the pandemic  - 

Assuming that another teen should be perfectly capable of cooking a full meal if her mom doesn't. 

I like the way things are changing. 

Don't you? 

Disclaimer before someone asks about why my husband doesn't cook. He does. But there are only the two of us at home right now.

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The virtual world is now REAL!

"Red is kinda sus" Says my 14 year old

"What???" I ask. 

She looks at me as if I have just landed from Mars. 

"Oho!!!" She exclaims. 

And then takes pity on me and starts explaining. 

"When we play 'Among Us' (for the uninitiated - this is an online game) the red guy is usually the imposter and needs to be caught. 

So when you think that something is suspicious.... You say 'red is kinda sus'"

Wow!! This is a different language!! 

Are you rolling your eyes and thinking... 

"How can she allow her child to play online games?"

Let me tell you this..... 

This is the new world. 

The post Corona virtually connected world. 

It is almost like a different planet. 

Our children are growing up on this planet. 

If you step onto this planet you will find that.... 

You just CANNOT understand what they are saying OR writing. 

This is the language of the virtual world. 

And those who don't play online games can't understand it. 

Can children afford to not understand what their friends are saying? 

No way!! 

And so... You can be sure that every child.. Is  DEFINITELY playing online games

Are they doing it with your permission or without? 

Are you trying to learn the games Or are you pretending that they don't exist? 

The virtual world is now REAL!

We need to accept it. 

We need to learn more about it. 

Otherwise we will soon have no way to communicate with our children. 

Parenting is changing. 

Are you still operating by the old rules?

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