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Can My Kids Play in the Dirt and Mud? An Overprotective Mom Asks

Dr Deepa

Dr Deepa Suvarna  |130 Answers  |Ask -

Paediatrician - Answered on Sep 29, 2024

Dr Deepa Suvarna is a practising paediatrician with 25 years of experience. She completed her MD in paediatrics from the TN Medical College and BYL Nair Hospital, MBBS from the King Edward Memorial Hospital and Seth Gordhandas Sunderdas Medical College and diploma in child health from the College of Physicians and Surgeons.... more
Asked by Anonymous - Sep 27, 2024Hindi
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Is it okay to let children play in the dirt and mud? I am slightly uncomfortable with the idea but my in-laws feel I am being overprotective. I don't let my children play on the beach without gloves. I am just not comfortable but my kids love it somehow. Is it healthy? How can I keep them safe outdoors?

Ans: Kids should be allowed to play in the sand, mud etc. You can see that they have a wash after play before they eat anything
DISCLAIMER: The answer provided by rediffGURUS is for informational and general awareness purposes only. It is not a substitute for professional medical diagnosis or treatment.
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Dr Ashish

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Relationships Expert, Mind Coach - Answered on Jun 01, 2023

Asked by Anonymous - May 24, 2023Hindi
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Dear Sir. We have a 9 year old daughter and we have enrolled her in spiritual learning class (1 hour every week), singing Carnatic music (1 hours every week), Bharat Natyam Dance class (2 hours every week). We are both working and we make it a point to spent quality time with her during weekends. My daughter is actively interested in these extra curricular activities. We have a society compound where children play and mainly they are boys. My daughter is not comfortable playing with them as they are much elder to her and at times dominate her. She has only 1 friend (girl) in her age group and mostly plays with her indoor. We discourage our daughter from playing alone outside as nowadays we hear a lot about girl child rapes, girl child molestation in the social media/news etc. This has led my daughter to spend more time with mobiles/laptops watching videos as she does not have many options to play. We shout at her often to spend less screen time but we then feel guilty as she has less options to play. She does have indoor games but gets bored very easily playing with them. We are worried that this may lead to lower self esteem as she spends more time indoors rather than outdoor. Please advise.
Ans: I understand your concerns about your daughter's limited options for outdoor play and her increased screen time. It's important to find a balance between keeping her safe and allowing her to engage in physical activities and social interactions. Here are a few suggestions that may help:

Encourage supervised playdates: Try organizing playdates with her friend or other children in her age group, either at your home or in a safe environment. This will give her an opportunity to interact with peers and engage in outdoor activities.

Explore extracurricular activities: Apart from her current classes, consider enrolling her in other activities that align with her interests. This could include sports, art classes, or any other activities available in your area that would allow her to interact with children of her age.

Get involved in community events: Look for community events or programs that involve children, such as sports tournaments, cultural festivals, or workshops. These events often provide a safe environment for children to interact and engage in various activities.

Discuss her concerns and teach self-defense: Have an open conversation with your daughter about her discomfort in playing with older boys. Teach her about personal boundaries and self-defense techniques so that she feels more empowered and confident while playing outside.

Consider joining parent-child groups: Look for parent-child groups or organizations in your community where you can participate together. These groups often organize outdoor activities for children and provide an opportunity for parents to connect and plan playdates.

Monitor screen time and suggest alternatives: While it's understandable that she may enjoy using mobiles and laptops, it's important to limit her screen time. Set specific time limits for screen usage and encourage her to engage in alternative activities, such as reading books, solving puzzles, drawing, or playing board games.

Create a safe outdoor space: If possible, create a safe outdoor space within your compound where she can play under your supervision. You could set up a play area with age-appropriate equipment and encourage her to spend time there.

Remember, it's essential to strike a balance between safety and allowing your daughter to explore and engage in outdoor activities. By providing her with options, encouraging social interactions, and monitoring screen time, you can help her develop self-esteem and a healthy lifestyle.

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Anu

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Relationships Expert, Mind Coach - Answered on Jul 18, 2024

Asked by Anonymous - Jun 19, 2024Hindi
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Anu mam, I am an NRI from Dubai, married and earning a good salary here. I have two beautiful, smart kids, aged 11 and 14. My parents are getting old. They live in Alappuzha with a caretaker. In two years, we plan to relocate to India with the kids so they can continue their higher education in India. But there is a problem. My kids are used to a certain lifestyle here in Dubai. Whenever we come to India for vacation once or twice a year, the children complain of the crowd, pollution, driving behaviour, and littering habits. They are however, rooted to the culture as we celebrate all festivals and events, the Indian way. I want to understand how can I help my kids prepare to relocate to India?
Ans: Dear Anonymous,
Well, they are going to have adjustment issues for sure...
India is a place that can envelop people in warmth and yet throw challenges and when one is not raised here, it can get to the. To expect an environment here that they are used to, is not going to happen.
Considering their age, they might have challenges finding themselves within peer groups as well. Get them close to well-adjusted before you make that move...
- You can plan longer vacations in India and especially the place where you intend to settle, so that they get used to the weather, food, culture and people
- They can also during the vacation period, take part in volunteering which gives them a feel of life beyond them
- Plan a visit to the school you intend to send them to when the school is in session and request for a class attendance for a couple of days if that is possible. This will give them a clear feel of how school will be like

Ultimately, there's only so much that you can do...expect few challenges and go with that flow...it's not possible to preempt it all...but projecting a few things upfront as listed above may give them an idea and help the, with the relocation process.

All the best!
Anu Krishna
Mind Coach|NLP Trainer|Author
Drop in: www.unfear.io
Reach me: Facebook: anukrish07/ AND LinkedIn: anukrishna-joyofserving/

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Insurance, Stocks, MF, PF Expert - Answered on Nov 17, 2024

Asked by Anonymous - Nov 15, 2024Hindi
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I am 42 years old male currently working as a software engineer in a private company and drawing 1.1 lakhs per month. I have 2 school going kids. My monthly expenses are around 80K per month including rent. I don't have any personal property in my name. I have invested 50L in postal term deposit(yearly payout), 20L in Shriram transport finance FD(monthly payout), 11 lakh in HDFC balanced fund dividend(monthly payout), 6L in bank FD(monthly payout) all in my wife's name. I have invested 28L in my HUF account against Shriram Transport Finance FD (monthly payout). I have around 20L in EPF and Gratuity. I have around 8 lakhs in miscellaneous Mutual funds with a monthly sip of around 36K. Most of my investments pay me monthly return except this SIP. I have done so as software job is very fragile which can go any time. However I have maxed out on the return I can take per year on my wife's head (7L) and HUF(2.5L) without tax liability. Please advise how I can invest further to get returns so that I can quickly withstand any job loss.
Ans: Hello;

You have already made sufficient provisions to survive a job loss because your passive monthly income is now almost covering your monthly expenses.

But if you need added back-up you may keep expenses worth 6 months(@ 5 L) in a liquid type mutual fund.

Focus on 3 goals;
1. Children's education
2. Retirement
3. House

If you again keep investing in fixed income bearing instruments then you may not be able to grow a corpus to fund these goals.

A mutual fund sip(36 K) is a step in the right direction. I believe these are scheme with Growth option.

Hope you have EPF/NPS/PPF investments as well.

Happy Investing;

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