App for parenting

Parenting is never easy. Less so in an age when your kids get their answers from Google and are smarter at 10 than you were at 20. To keep pace with them, new-age parents need support groups that they can connect with any time, anywhere.
Thankfully, there's the Internet.

Recently, a Chennai-based parenting magazine Parent Circle launched a new app that brings together parents, educators and experts from across fields - including Nobel Prize Winner Kailash Sathyarthi - to share and collaborate on various aspects related to parenting and child development.

Want to know how to discipline your kid without provoking tears? Or how to calm an angry teen? Called ParentCircle, the app aims to answer all your parenting queries. "We want to cover physical, emotional and intellectual development of the child," says Nalina Ramalakshmi, founder and managing director, parentcircle.com. You can also connect with other parents and share experiences and knowledge through the app, which is available across iOS and Android platforms.

With families going nuclear and grandparents missing from most homes, new-age parents often find themselves at a loss when faced with the tough questions of parenting. "There's nobody to guide them, so parents turn to such platforms for advice. You can share any doubt, and remain anonymous," says Dr Pavan Sonar, a Mumbai-based psychologist, of online forums and parenting courses cropping up in the city.

If an app doesn't do it for you, there are a variety of support groups to seek help from.

Go online
Started by Ruchita Dar Shah in 2010, First Moms Club (FMC) is a online community of 30,000 moms. The platform helps moms get quick answers such as home remedies for toddler ailments and recipes for fussy kids. It also helps moms connect with others who'll help further their business ventures or get back to work. Shah feels the Internet can be a double-edged sword. "There's a lot of information that can be helpful at times and can overload you at others. Platforms like FMC help get real answers based on real experiences rather than theories that may or may not be applicable to your situation," she says.
Log on to: www.firstmomsclub.in

Get a crash course
Effath Yasmin, India's leading International Board Certified Lactation Consultant (IBCLC) feels children today are exposed to an array of influences that cannot be controlled, and that's where the need to communicate with your child comes in. "The rules of discipline have changed, but kids remain the same. We need to know how to discipline a child without losing our temper and still putting our point across," says Yasmin who conducts a parenting communication and skills workshop, conducted over six sessions of three hours each. The workshop, meant for moms, dads, single parents and grandparents involves activities such as live interaction and role play, where participants assume the role of the children and parents to gain a perspective on situations.
When: Oct 1, 9.30 AM - 12.30 PM
Where: 3502 A Tower, Oberoi Woods, Goregaon East
Entry: Rs 10,000
Call: 9819890069

Be a certified parent
Available at the Nirmala Niketan College of Home Science, this course in creative parenting is a three-month programme affiliated with Mumbai University. The course involves interesting ways to instill discipline in a child and fostering sibling camaraderie, among other skills. There are a total of 30 seats for the course.
Where: Nirmala Niketan College of Home Science, 49, New Marine Lines
Entry: Rs 3,500
Call: 22076503