10 Ways Of How We Are Active Hands-On Parents To Our 6-Year Old

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As parents, both me and my hubby were very sure from the very beginning that we wanted to be hands-on parents.

While work and other commitments do end up taking a toll on us, especially after the arrival of the new baby, we have made it a point to ensure that though it may not be as much as it was earlier, we still give enough time to our first born, and are there with her for most of her interests and activities.

Things of course change when there is a new baby in the house. The demands and need are different, and your temper and crankiness level, not to mention the tiredness and stress levels, shoot up the roof. But that is really no reason to ignore your elder child, or make them feel as if now they are no longer the special ones, as a baby has arrived.

In fact, just the opposite.

While initial few months were difficult for me to constantly be with my elder daughter, now that the younger one is 10 months old, things are great! In fact, I spend a lot of one on one time with her, and also together with the younger one.

There is so much we do together, or if the baby wants to stay home and not participate, one of us is always with the older one.

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Reading to our daughter has been one activity that has continued ever since our first born was a few months old. The fact that I am an avid reader helped, plus it was also a great way to introduce her to the world around her from a very early age. This habit has stayed on over the years, and only grown, and now, even the younger one is super interested in books :) !!!! We make it a point to ensure that we read out stories to our kids on a regular or every day basis. If we can't always read from a book, we tell stories, or make them up, or resort to online story telling too.

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Shower time has always been fun time with our kid, and both me and hubby have had some great parent-child moments doing water splash and tub toys. It's a great way to end the day, helping your child in the shower and taking out some time to play with water. Though we can't do it every day, I ensure I spend some time in the water with her at least on the weekends, if not more.

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No, I don't know how to swim, nor does my hubby, but that doesn't stop us from being in the pool with our daughter! Well, to be honest, the most I can get inside a pool is sit on the edge (safely holding the rails still!!) and dipping my feet in. Hubby happily goes inside, standing and wading through the water and playing all the swimming pool games they can get their hands on. So whether it is the pool in our building our at a hotel we may be staying at, our daughter is always super excited and happy about swimming. Oh, did I mention that she can swim and is great at it too! :)

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Obviously, if we love to read, we love to shop for books too! :)  This is something that I have done a lot lot lot with my daughter, and now that the younger one can stay home without me for some hours, my elder one and I spend quite a lot of great time at the bookstores, browsing through shelves and shelves of books! :D

While these are some of the regular stuff we do, we also love to do the following together:

• cuddle up in bed and chit chat - my daughter shares everything about her day and her thoughts and all with me at bed time, just before she falls off to sleep
• taking her out to watch kiddie movies or plays
• going by the seaside and spending evenings looking out at the waves and the sun
• going for walks
• going shopping at the local market
• cooking together
• sorting out shelves
• watching concerts
• sitting on the couch and watching TV 
• sitting on the couch and reading our respective books
• standing at the balcony and chatting
• play board games and card games
• go for street food 
• going to the mall and window shopping
• doing nail art
• rustling through mamma's makeup (my daughter absolutely loves this!)
• checking out various juice combos at the fresh juice places
• street shopping

These were some of the really basic yet really fun and interesting stuff we do together. All the time! It's simple, random and yet always happening. It's a lot of fun really...does not need much time or money too most of the time.

But in terms of the time spent - it's priceless......


- Debolina Raja Gupta

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And like I always believe in and say:
'Heal the world we live in
Save it for our children' - MJ

Happy Parenting!!!! Be good to your little one, and to the millions of little ones out there who truly need every bit of love and compassion they can get.....Be a grown up...save the little ones.... Debolina Raja Gupta