In appreciation of all women scooterists!

One can spot a man on the road without a helmet riding a bike or scooter! But almost all women wear a helmet while riding a scooter. During the whole week, I looked out to find a a woman without a helmet, but I did not! But I counted six men!

This is one habit that I watched changing in the last ten years since living in Kerala. Although wearing helmet  was made compulsory five years ago, the habit of wearing the helmet became acceptable to people gradually. 

I have a distressing experience while meeting with families because only about 30 percent of parents seeking consultation from this state, seem to be fully involved in accepting responsibilities of bringing up their children. The rest share their responsibility with godparents and care providers. To me this is an unacceptable practice. 

By six months when the weaning food is offered to children, parents offer cartoon viewing in the mobile phone or TV as a distraction to feed children. This is so common that I have yet to find families who believe weaning as a means of developing more stable attachment behaviour! The shift to viewing cartoon than having a human interface during the feeding time is a serious disruption for the attachment behaviour, which normally needs further reinforcement from six months onwards for children to develop their communication skills and language acquisition. 

I wonder whether we can return to the habit of family meal times when children can share meals with adults to make family meal times as a communication time between parents and children!

One adult told me that they do not have children at the meal table with adults, as adults drink alcohol at meal times! Alcohol abuse is another disruptive factor to developing healthy relationship between parents and children!

The list of social habits in our families that endanger wellness of children and their developmental prospects are many!

It is time that we redefine good practices in our families for the optimum development of children in their early years!

M.C.Mathew (photo and text)