With campus unrest and police malingering and excesses countrywide and a general labour strike, the first year of the second decade of the new millennium has got off to an inauspicious start. Against the backdrop of a sombre and darkening external environment, the obligation of parents to create cheerful and purposive home environments has become challenging. Therefore this is a good time to make New Year resolutions to improve the home environment and set personal and family goals that will offset the chaos and disorder in public spaces.
NY resolutions is a centuries-old tradition dating back to the 6th century when the Babylonians made promises to the Gods at the beginning of the year to pay their debts, and many (including your editors) continue to make them despite knowing very well that they may fall by the wayside. According to the U.S. News & World Report, the failure rate of NY resolutions is 80 percent, with most losing their resolve by mid-February. A 2012 Google poll indicates that the most popular NY resolutions are weight loss, healthy food and lifestyles, augmenting savings, quality of family life and the pursuit of happiness for all family members.
With the first year of a new decade having commenced, your editors sounded lifestyle gurus to compile an A-Z of New Year resolutions for parents to teach good practices to build children’s strengths, mend weaknesses and cross new milestones in 2020. It’s a hopeful, positive story to cheer up parents, children and youth at the start of what portends to be a tumultuous year for the country.
As usual there is much more than the cover story which gets top billing in this first 2020 issue of ParentsWorld which over the past three years since it was launched has established itself as India’s #1 parenting magazine reaching over 500,000 readers monthly.
Check out the Early Childhood section which provides guidelines to young parents on how to choose age-appropriate and joyous preschools. The Health & Nutrition column suggests ways and means to help children overcome stuttering. Then there’s an interview with Kolkata-based banker/fashion model/supermom Chumki Sharma, who is brilliantly balancing a hectic career with raising a special needs child.
These narratives offer hope of a Happy New Year!