Ans: A developmental paediatrician would be able to see the optimal developmental milestones achieved, kindly visit one, in your area.

Ans: Watching your child grow, do mundane activities is seeing your heart walk around. Being concerned is fine, being overtly worried is not, here are a few suggestions:
1. In and out of control- your voice, behaviour and actions are in your control, but others actions are not in your control. Teaching your child safe and unsafe touch, to tell you before going anywhere should be taught by you, but giving a little freedom to your child helps him grow.
2. Mindfulness- doing slow breathing, with tip of tongue to your palette will help you calm down. Gardening, going for a walk, following a hobby will support further.
3. Exercise- regular and at least 45 minutes as a sport will build calming and feel good hormones.
Every parent wishes the best for their child. Being over protective will hurt your child more. It will not allow your child to take risks, make responsible decisions or even make friends. Support your child to grow.

Ans: Dear Anonymous, Children are a blessing as well as a responsibility. Life is different for each one of us, and the mlestones are varied too. Adopting a child will have it's ups and downs, as every child comes with his/her share of emotional needs. You have each other for comfort, volunteering for helping areas with children gives a brief of all that may come. If you feel that your world will be better at home with a child, go ahead with your plans. If otherwise, picking a couple hobby,continuing with present work, visiting places helps !

Ans: Dear Sadiqulla,
Ways to ensure better sleep are:
1. Sleeping at the same time, daily.
2. Eat enough- do not be overstuffed or eat too little, in both cases sleep eveades.
3. Restful dark environment helps sleep.
4. Restrict all digital gadgets atleast 90 minutes before sleeping.
5. A tiny preparation for the next day supports you to sleep without a care.
6. Avoid all day naps, long walks help too.
Melatonin, a hormone supports sleep which builds with the above methods. Do revert on your progress.

Ans: Hello,
Every child is different and 'normal' is such a big range. The needs of every child are varied, first see his strengths, does he enjoy art, playing a musical instrument, cooking, editing videos, creating models, etc. Working on something he loves will strengthen his focus and dexterity.
A few suggestions:
Repeating the activities done with counsellor at school/centre; at home will support your child.
Audio notes and mindmaps for studies help, connect with his counsellor for that.

Lastly, do some fun activity together as a family. Painting, pottery, Yoga, singing or dancing, it will help him build physical strength further.

Ans: Silence is a beautiful and powerful language. Communication is both by talking and by our body-language. Home is his familiar place where he knows everyone and can talk. But school he must be trying his best behaviour, working on academics and observing everything by being silent. A few suggestions:
1. Connect with a few mothers from his class, meet for fun play in the park, perhaps 2-hours with other children at home as aplay-date.
2. Make him join an activity class where his classmates are going so that he builds friendship and starts to talk.
Do write back, on the progress.

Ans: Dear Arvind,
the most fantastic thing of having grown-up children is the world that they can show. Their world is the same as yours, just a different lens. Young adults when guilty shy away/keep to themselves/ or talk in few words. to bridge the conversations my suggestion is talking on neutral grounds. Both you and your child are viewing the world with different perspectives. A few questions that may start a conversation, on your next call, could be:
1.What is that fun app that I don’t have on my phone?
2. What music bands are you listening to these days?
3.Can you send me the link/ play me one of their best songs?
4.Who is your best friend right now? Which activity do you enjoy doing together?
5.Where would be an awesome place to go for a family vacation? Let me know your next break.
6.Did I ever tell you about how I met your (mother)?
Being a loving parent takes sacrifice, but he is an individual. sometimes inspite of being an adult he may not know how to bridge the gap. Do revert, I wish you and your family laughter and conversations.

Ans: Dear Basant,
1. One-on -One- take your son for a walk/cafe/a drive to help him talk. Forcing him to talk will feel like interrogation to him. Sometimes silence and your presence helps a teen to talk.
2. Ask his friends if anything has happened at school, or has he had a fight with a specific friend.
3. Give him space, show a lot of love but ensure that he is safe. So, no locking of doors, or going out without asking.
4. Switch on his favourite songs.
5. Ask for help from him to solve a problem you may be facing (does not have to be real). Teenagers like to be incharge and helping their parents.
let me know your progress!

Ans: Dear Parent, Visitation schedule are decieded by courts and financial support are also legal matters. A child would be supported with both parents support. Having a middle person, preferably in the legal profession and a friend/family to mediate the matter could help. Using emotions to bring about understanding of the child's needs could help. Kindly address the concern with your lawyer.

Ans: Pre-frontal cortex is part of the brain which helps us make responsible decision making. It gets fully developed by 25 years of age. Yours is developed and functioning and your boy's is in the process. Have faith, you have brought him up and he will mirror your actions, your words, the tone of voice soon. Adolescence stage a teen is looking to showcase his self-esteem and identity. Dressing up, looking a certain way is part of the routine and they love adventure. My suggestions: 1. Listen and then respond. Talk of things he does at college, ask him his dreams, help him set one goal at a time and help him to achieve them if he needs help. 2. Make visiting the native place an adventure: let him plan the journey, the time, the food to carry the presents to give everyone there. Even cajole him that he would be able to make some reels there and share with all. 3. Ask for help: be a human who has emotional needs, gets tired, needs help to finish house work. Your child would be seeing you as an established adult, who manages everything, and then imagine you are asking for help from him to do things at home. 4. Career counselling and meeting people from different professions will clear his mind to choose what he loves. 5. Attending college: Ask him about his favourite subjects, what he finds easy and difficult. Peer support and sitting with friends to revise helps to attend college. do encourage that.
Show your boy you love him but also demand from your son that he is responsible for his world. He is an adult in the eyes of law and his actions has a consequences. Money matters can be solved by giving him a fixed amount to run his week. There is a balance between discipline and respect, treat him like a young adult and not a child. You are a good parent, be kind to yourself and meet your friends too. Do revert with the progress!

Ans: Hi Gautam,
Seperation anxiety strikes at night too. Scare of darkness plays havoc with the thinking. When your toddler wakes to find they're all alone, they may react by crying or screaming uncontrollably. I can empathise with your disruptive sleep, this is a phase your child will grow out of with time.
A few suggestions:
1. Monitor (cctv/baby monitors/hidden) too the time that you are not with the child and find out details when child is spending time during the day without parents. Who's incharge of hima and his activities? A clear picture of scares, build up of seperation anxiety could help you with the trigger.
2. Boundaries matter: It is commendable that you have found about the temper tantrum bargains and have held yourself from giving in. Do continue that and behavior boundaries will fit in.
3. Peer support: Enrolling for play school is lovely. He will build friendships and be physically tired to sleep through the night.
Hug him tons, cuddle him, read bedtie stories, create memories of running after him, dancing on music whatever the hours you are together. Do let me know the progress!

Ans: Dear Piyush,
A dietician or a medical practitioner, would be able to support you on the remedy.
If you need support on emotional or social concerns, I could help. Good luck.

Ans: Dear Teenager, feeling all emotions is being human. Depression is clinically diagnosed. I suggest that having conversations with a school counsellor would help, as the professional would keep it confidential, give you strategies and see your progress. Imaginery friends are rarer as a teen but it is normal. Sometimes you may vent your feelings or do imaginary things. Yet having a social connect with real friends does support your emotions and general happiness. Do consider making stronger friendships.

Ans: Dear Anonymous, Relationships were made over years and they take constant work, throughout. Out of court settlements and the legal obligations of child support and alimony work out on a mutual acceptance from both parties. What I understand from your query is that the child is with your ex-wife. Supporting your child with his requirements would be handled in another household, if you both come to a concensus , maybe a joint doc on how your support money is being used for the child's benefit could be spoken as adults. Communication is key, be it verbal or while using technology. My suggestion is keeping in touch with your son through Zoom meets, letters and emails (if approved by court and concensus of both parties) to build a stronger relationship and indirectly being informed that all his needs are met. For further clarity, connecting with a legal professional would help. I am a psychologist and a lawyer's specialisation would support with the present laws.

Ans: Dear Divya, Hope and fear in my opinion are the strongest emotions. And we learn parenting on the job. Secondly, mirroring is a well-worked upon strategy. Technology, including screen time gives us 'dopamine' and increases our senses uses. On the contrary, a normal paced life seems no fun and 'monotonous'. Every child wishes to push boundaries and present their self-identity. This leads to arguments and tempers soaring on both sides, a parents and also from the child. Strategies that help: 1. Put down your device and talk of your day to the family. 2. Listening, and agreeing, discussions as a family while eating meals is a great connect. 3. Having no-tech zones as bedrooms and dinning tables is another. 4. Lastly, give the child half an hour during a weekday and an extra 1 hour during weekends helps. It's 'what should I do' 'I am bored' reasons that demand the 'dopamine fix. And Divya, inviting children of the same age who all play together with your child works. Family game nights, dancing together and bed time stories work too. Do revert, on what worked.

Ans: Dear Anonymous, I empathise with your situation. The finances depends on the school guidelines and the parent agreement at the school admission time. There would be some school health, safety and child protection policy and protocols, which would be provided as parent/student handbooks to you. Lastly the medical guidelines would mention the process. Even when the situation is so heartfelt, it does not legally ensure you as parents to receive compensation, if schools have made you sign indemnity bonds. Yet, conversations with the school management on a humanitarian responsibility may result in some help.

Ans: Dear Anonymous, I empathise with your situation. The finances depends on the school guidelines and the parent agreement at the school admission time. There would be some school health, safety and child protection policy and protocols, which would be provided as parent/student handbooks to you. Lastly the medical guidelines would mention the process. Even when the situation is so heartfelt, it does not legally ensure you as parents to receive compensation, if schools have made you sign indemnity bonds. Yet, conversations with the school management on a humanitarian responsibility may result in some help.

Ans: Hi Divya, the ideal situation would be for parents and children to have no concerns. But all emotions are important. And developmental skills are age related. A child who is misbehaving and throwing a tantrum is demanding attention. We all need attention. I would suggest the following strategies: 1. Stay Calm: when you and the child are both losing cool, it does not work. Staying cool is being in command. go down on your knees and talk in a slow base tone, after the initial tantrum is over. 2.Distraction technique: Show a child something pretty, the sky, a butterfly, ask your child to help you with something. Bribery does not work, like " I ll give you a sweet if you stop crying, now." That gives the child the power to affect you. 3. Carry a Bag: A bag of few favorite things like a comic, colours and book, a toy and something to eat and a water bottle, it supports a child to keep busy in a grown-up public world. 4. Familiarise: Show a photograph of the place and the people the child would meet, to help child get acclimatised to the space and people. 5. Lastly, let your child wear comfortable clothes, and have a full tummy.