I badly want to share them with my teenage daughter and I wish I knew them earlier in my life. — I am venturing into new territory. My oldest daughter is in middle school. When I was her age, I didn’t enjoy being preached. That I remember. I can’t recall what worried me the most then. So, I did the second best option — I researched what worries most teenagers: Anxiety…

Quick, easy and tasty (and dollops of parenting around food). — My kids and me are blessed. One thing that is common between my wife and my mom — both are great mothers. They have one thing fundamentally in common — they are mega efficient planners. They habitually soak their food and ferment it ahead. …

Givers, Takers, The Smart Ones and The Super Smart Ones. I wish I knew earlier — great parents fall into the last category. — When I was young, I thought I needed to achieve. When I was young, I was taught to be nice to others. What I needed all along was to connect. Why did all this come flooding back? I was recently watching something interesting on TV tidbits. Apparently, with COVID cases…

5 words, That’s it — I am a collector of hidden treasures in plain sight. Words — simple, ordinary words — used slightly differently can uplift our conversations. 1. Something vs. Anything: What I learned from Doctor’s language. Prof. John Heritage of University of California, Los Angles studied how patients responded to a simple follow-up question, “is there anything else we need to take care…

There is something about travel that is both exciting and intimidating at the same time. This summer I was in a pickle. I was traveling through Europe and Canada with family and my wife and I were sandwiched between two generations — elders and my kids . One must have…

According to a parent of school going kids — the biggest culprit are words like at, by and to. — My biggest aha as a volunteer at local schools aiding kids with Math — it’s foremost an English comprehension problem! The biggest culprit are the simplest words called prepositions like from, to, between etc. Watch these examples 1. Prepositions make things inclusive or exclusive Let me explain with a variation of a simple sentence that starts a…

This happened in the 1990s. Three guys were seated in a player’s locker room. The location was in one of the large stadiums in India. The sport was cricket — estimated global fan base of 2.5 billion (next only to soccer/football). One of the players in that locker room is…

Surprising results when you actually follow through — Your hard skills fill your day, your soft skills fill your life bonds. Excitement is the right word. Last time when I saw my grandfather— he was 98. I crossed my fingers to get another chance. And across the seas from USA, I have traveled again. Last time I met him, he was in his usual setting. In his terracotta roofed home, his…

7 Ways my mom surprised me as a student — roles are reversed and I am enjoying it. — As a kid, growing up in Southern India, I thought my mom was a force of nature. She didn’t finish high school, she lost my dad fairly young and yet — she made an unwavering bet on her children’s education. Now, the roles are reversed. She moved to the US…