Thailand Cave Rescue: Why I am following it and what my kids are talking about

For the past couple of weeks now, the one news that I have religiously been following each day is that of the boys stuck deep inside in the caves at Thailand.

I am not alone.

The world is out there, trying to provide all means of help and support to the Thailand government, so that the young boys, and their coach (who is all of 25 himself) can come out of the caves safely and be reunited with their family and loved ones.

What started off as a day of outdoor exploration and a fun birthday celebration of one of the boys along with friend aged between 11 and 16 and their young assistant coach, has turned a nightmare that the world is keenly watching.

There is so much going on there. Rescue teams have been created from different parts of the world, some of the best divers from around the world are already there, experienced and ready to help at each step, while one of the rescuers, a Navy SEAL, lost his life trying to rescue the boys.

Last heard, 4 of the children from the group have been brought out alive and have been sent to hospital for treatment and medical care. Efforts are on to bring out the remaining boys, which will begin soon.

For now, I have made sure both my kids, aged 4 and 10, are aware of what is going on.

Some of the things they discussed among themselves and with me are:

• the importance of not going out without informing parents of the exact location
• the need to learn swimming (my elder one is super comfortable in swimming, while the younger one too has now learnt swimming and can swim on her own, without any need of a float)
• assessing your surroundings and not going in places that you are not comfortable in (this is something the elder one is speaking about, after she saw the footage and how deep inside the boys were) - she means that she would try and avoid going so inside the cave, and would rather stay out and get wet

Of course we are not aware of the exact reasons that prompted the boys to go so deep into the caves, but can just hope they all come out safe.

For now, my kids seem to be keen on staying safe and understanding the risks around them, so I hope things will get better, for those kids, and for the safety of mine too.

- Debolina Raja 

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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!!!!

Debolina Raja

For all the mothers out there....

To all you moms out there,

just wanted to say hello,
you all are special
and lovely and wonderful

we are all fighting our own battles
sometimes alone
sometimes hiding it deliberately from others
sometimes with the support of someone we trust
but mainly,
doing it on our own

but amidst all of that,
we're all also trying and constantly working hard
to give the best of ourselves to our darling little ones
to give them the mostest of love and affection and care that we have within us
to muster all our strength and be their strength
to help them move ahead in a world
that is filled with its good and its bad and its beauty
and to make them ready

whatever it is,
whatever battles you are fighting
whatever it takes
whatever it is doing to you
don't give up

find your love and your strength
in your little ones
if not in anything or anyone else
and remember,
to your little one
you are more than perfect can ever be
you are the definition of perfect
you are the definition of love
of care, of home, of strength, of beauty, of hard work, of determination
you are the role model
you are the mother
the ma
you are their world

take care of their ma
take care of you ......

- Debolina Raja


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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!!!!

- Debolina Raja

Let your child learn with loads of fun at the British Council Summer Workshop for kids in Mumbai

image source

The summer vacations are on and the heat is on at home too, what with trying to manage the two kids and completing all the work deadlines.

I am really having a challenging time I tell you!

So it was really interesting to see that the British Council has organized a workshop around this time that will be a week long thing.

Of course my older one is excited and she is looking forward to be a part of it, as well as write about it on her blog once the workshop kicks in. You could also take a look at it here on her blog Little Girl Talks To The World

Here's a look at what all British Council says you can expect to have there at the workshop.

This summer, we bring you theme-based workshops for young learners (8-14 years). The two exciting themes for the workshops are, Explorers and Media Magic.  Here’s what children will learn through the themes: 

Explorers: Through a virtual trip around the world, children will learn about different cultures, develop language skills and build confidence through a lesson about one country each day.

Media Magic: Children will explore communication channels such as the radio, television and the internet. They learn how to write blogs, create an advertisement and even explore ways of using the internet (wisely of course!).

All this and more, as they develop specific skills (reading, writing, listening and speaking) and aspects of language (vocabulary and pronunciation) in a fun, secure and learner centric environment.

Age Group	Dates	Class timing	Theme
8 to 10 years	21 to 25 May (Mon - Fri)	9 am to 11 am (2 hours each day)	Explorers
11 to 12 years	21 to 25 May (Mon - Fri)	10.30 am to 12.30 am (2 hours each day)	Media Magic
13 to 14 years	21 to 25 May (Mon - Fri)	2 pm to 4 pm (2 hours each day)	Media Magic

Fee: INR 5400 for non-members (includes an online library membership) and INR 4000 for library members.

How To Register: Call 0120-4569000/ 0120-6684353 (Monday-Saturday, 09:00-18:00hrs) or send an e-mail to IndiaCustomerCare@britishcouncil.org. 

So that's all the details and what you need to do if you want to enroll your child in the same. I definitely am looking forward to take my kiddo there and let her be a part of it, as she already has her own blog and is interested in such topics.

Registrations close on Sunday, so do hurry.

- Debolina Raja

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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!!!!

Debolina Raja

I will love you for one hundred years

My younger one (4) is always telling me how much she loves me and how much she will continue to love me for ever and ever.

Of course there are moments each day almost when she gets upset with me with something or the other, and then she is quick to remind me that she does not love me anymore and is not friends with me anymore. And she makes it a point to show me what a load of cuteness I am missing out on.

She will sulk and pout and walk around the house with her hands folded across her chest, showing me that she is upset, sad or angry, and giving me thousands of signs that I should leave everything and try to make her feel happy again and be friends again.

All the other times that she is in a happy mood, she tells me she loves me and comes up to me and kisses me.

"Mamma, I will always love you. I love you a lot."

"Thank you baby."

"Mamma, I will love you even when I am 5 years old."

"Thank you my doll."

"Mamma, I will love you even when I am 10, 30. 100 years old."

"Ohhh...I love you so much my baby. Thank you..I love you too and will always love you."

"Mamma, I will love you even when I am hundred, thousand, hundredthousand and tenhundredthousand years old."

"Thank you my baby for choosing me as your mamma."

I don't really know how to express how lucky and blessed and loved I feel.

- Debolina Raja

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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!!!!

Debolina Raja

Why letting your children get bored is so good!

It's the start of the vacations and I am in a mess....

How can you even pretend to be all organized and in control and all that blah blah when you have a 4 and a 10 year old in the house the entire day?

With work deadlines to be met on time, delicious healthy and appealing home cooked meals to be prepared and just about 1057573497596497 things to be done, (and mind you, no help for the next few weeks as my sweet help also wants to celebrate her kids' vacation time away from the big city) I can tell you the one secret weapon I found that is helping me take care of that big question all parents face when the kids are home - "How To Keep Them Occupied????"

So without the drumrolls, the simplest answer is:

I AM LETTING THEM GET BORED AND FIGURE IT OUT THEMSELVES

Yes

You read that right...

The art of getting bored is actually an art in these days of over-exposure and too many things to choose from and do... From summer camps that have everything you could ask for for kids, petting farms, nature trails, swimming, dance, art and craft, music, building workshops, exhibitions, plays, movies, sports, theatre and so so much more, when do our kids get a chance to just take some time off and let their mind do the work for them, instead of guiding it on what to do all the time?

So this vacation, I have honestly not engaged them in any activity, except for swimming classes for the younger one as I want her to learn it and then swim fearlessly anywhere.

So all they are doing the entire day is to get really bored, crib, disturb me no end on what they should do (and it is taking a toll on my work of course, but mommy duty calls too), and then, when they don't see any help coming, they let their brains do the work and come out with ideas and things to do.

And it's helping...

Also, they are learning the art of sharing, of taking the initiative and calling up other similar-sized friends and planning on what to do and then organizing it properly as well. So you see, not only is this letting the brain work, it is also helping them get more social, be vocal and learn to plan.

Also, in case you were wondering, these are scientific reasons why getting bored is good for the brain:

• Makes you more creative
• Helps you become productive
• Allows you to plan and set goals
• Helps you think and take time out, which helps you stress less (did you know that children and even toddlers can be boggled with stress?)
• Makes you happier
• Gives you the opportunity to find out new areas of interest and hobby

So all you parents out there, if you too are at home with the kids, let them get bored...they'll be happier :) 

- Debolina Raja 

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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!!!! Debolina Raja

And yet another reason I cherish being a mommy

There are countless reasons of course, there are the good ones, the bad ones, and then those that are absolutely unbearable for the time being (!) that make me feel why I got into this craziness of becoming a mom, that too twice!

But then again, I think my babies know what I go through sometimes in my head, so they come up with these amazing things that make me feel so loved and special that I can't see myself as anything else but first a mommy.

Like yesterday, when I was a bit low and telling my daughters how I feel I am not the best mom and sometimes feel like I don't do enough for them, my 10 year old quickly grabbed my hand and gave me a hug and said "Ma, you are the best and most amazing and fun and funky ma I have ever seen. Trust me, I can never ask for a different ma, you are always doing so much for all of us, without resting or taking care of yourself first, but you always think of us first. You should be proud of yourself ma, I am."

I didn't have enough words to thank her......I mean, really, what can you say when your child tells you that you are a nice parent?

And then today, my 4 year old told me that no matter how big she becomes, 100 years, 200 years or whatever years old (yes, that's a lot of years I know), she will still always be my daughter and still always ask me to put her to sleep and still always be with me because she loves me so much.

Life is blessed, I am truly thankful to be the mommy to these two...couldn't have or ever can ask for more.

- Debolina Raja

********************************************** And like I always believe in and say: 'Heal the world we live in Save it for our children' - MJ Happy Parenting!!!! Debolina Raja

There are countless reasons to #CelebrateYourChild and all it takes is a moment to spot and nurture it

It's been almost a year I haven't come back here and really there couldn't have been a better way to come back to this parenting nook of mine than to share this beautiful campaign called #CelebrateYourChild that has been taken up by Mindseed, a pre-school chain.

In an effort to find out if parents really know their own child, Mindseed  asked the children to make something for their parents and invited the parents to come and see what each child had made for them.

The twist?

The parents had to walk through a display of the art and craft work and guess which one was made by their child. Superb!

Next?

The parents picked up the things they thought their kids had made and explained why they thought so. A very interesting thing that came out was that most parents found their child's work by focusing what their child was lacking in and needed improvement on - "my child always colours outside the lines" "my child always writes this letter in a mirror way" and so on.

And now it was turn for the children to walk in.

When they did, and actually identified the work that was theirs, the parents were left speechless. In an effort to focus on what their kids can't do and how to help them improve, they forgot to see what the children were really good at and what creativity and potential they have.

The idea behind this entire campaign is that while it is important to help and encourage your child to do better, it is also very, if not more, important to actually celebrate them for who they are.

If you haven't seen their campaign yet, here's a look.

I loved the message, and let me just say that I am proud of myself as a parent, for celebrating my kids everyday for who they are, and for encouraging them to reach for their dreams instead of just giving in to the so-called 'standards' and boxes that society creates for them.

Thank you Mindseed and lovely campaign!

- Debolina Raja

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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!!!!

Debolina Raja