MAILBOX
NURTURING 21st CENTURY CHILDRENPoor role models
Thanks for your timely cover story
‘Evolved males redefining fatherhood’
(PW June). It was nice to read how
millennium male parents are increas-
ingly sharing parenting duties and
household chores.
However, this is only true in some
progressive households in metro cit-
ies. In rural India, it’s the norm for
women to do all household work, raise
children as well as help out on the
farm. Men believe their duty is limited
to being financial providers. Sadly,
such patriarchal fathers are poor role
models for their male children who
grow into insensitive men with little
respect for women’s freedoms and
rights.
Surabhi Saxena
Delhi
Father’s Day history
After reading your cover story
‘Evolved males redefining fatherhood’
(PW June), I did some googling on the
origins of Father’s Day. My family has
never celebrated Father’s Day so it
was fascinating to read about it. Only
in some countries such as the UK
and US, it is celebrated in June. In
others such as Russia, it is celebrated
in February, Spain in March, and
Australia in September.
The origin of the day dates back
to 1910, when during a Mother's
Day church service, Sonora Smart
Dodd of Washington suggested that
like mothers, male parents should be
honoured. Dodd’s mother had died
when she was 16 years and her father,
an American civil war veteran, had
raised her and her five siblings. She
convinced the church to declare June
5, her dad’s birthday, as Father’s Day.
In 1913, the first bill was
introduced in the US Congress, to
designate Father’s Day as a national
holiday. But the bill was finally passed
half a century later in 1972 when
President Nixon declared Father’s
Day as an official celebration on every
third Sunday of June.
James Joseph D’Souza
BangaloreSpeed reading imperative
The story on speed reading tech-
niques was very informative (PW
June). Today, the school syllabus is so
vast and children’s textbooks so de-
tailed, that unless they practice speed
reading techniques, it will become
very difficult for them to complete the
syllabus portions on time.
I’ve done some further Internet
research on speed reading and intend
to train my two children in this art.
Selina Rodrigues
ChennaiPleasures of art journaling
I started art journaling two years
ago and therefore it was a pleasure
to read your well-researched essay
on this subject in ParentsWorld last
month. I also got my daughter to start
a year ago, and now it has become
something we do every day together.It has become a wonderful way for the
two of us to bond and share insights
and ideas.
I’ve realised that it’s very important
for parents to involve children in
creative activities to develop their
attention and cognitive skills. Since
creativity involves exploration and
problem solving, it encourages them
to come up with new ideas and think
outside the box.
Shweta Lakshman
CoimbatoreStressful parenting
I am a mother of two school-going
children and am stressed on most days
trying to get them ready for school
and managing their after-school
activities schedules in addition to
coping with my office work. I request
you to give a psychologist’s/parenting
expert’s view on how moms can cope
with the daily stress that is sapping all
our energies.
In this context, your June cover
story on ‘Evolved males redefining
fatherhood’ was very relevant. In most
households the stress of a mother
would reduce by 90 percent if the
male parent shared and helped out in
child care and household chores. But
unfortunately this is rare. Patriarchy
is too entrenched in the Indian male
psyche.
Vimala Shankar
HyderabadGood counsel
Thank you for publishing an excellent
parenting magazine. The stories are
relevant and give good counsel to
new-age parents struggling to balance
their child care duties with office and
social obligations. I especially love
reading your Health & Nutrition and
Ask the Doctor columns.
Maria D’Souza
Mumbai