THE author, a paediatrician, has written this book to guide parents on how to understand and reduce the stresses in their children’s life and make them more relaxed and balanced.
While practicing as a child specialist for the last 17 years in Mumbai, the author discovers that illnesses of the mind are one the increase. He says that earlier this was rare and child specialists spent their time in attending to their physical problems but today many children are physically normal but have problems of stress, anxiety, insecurity and mal-adaptation. The changing scenario and environment have a lot to do with this.
Today most families in metros are nuclear with both parents choosing to work. They have high expectations from their children as parents have one or two children at the most and give attention to the maximum possible extent. As a result, pressure and expectations from children is much higher. Children are asked to multitask on a day-to-day basis. Apart from schoolwork, children have to contend with activity classes, tuitions, sports, hobbies and as parents feel these are necessary for a proper development of the child. Since most parents work, the elder child has to share even the household responsibilities which leave him or her little time for laughing, playing, or living by instinct.
Quotes and poems are included to relieve the monotony of running text and to make the book interesting.
(Ameya Prakashan, 207 Business Guild, Law College Road, Pune-411004; samba@vsnl.net)
