My Favourite Posts On Parentous’ First Birthday
A few days back as I was browsing through the Parentous site, I realized that the Parentous community is 1 year old, i.e., it started in Oct 2012. So HAPPY FIRST BIRTHDAY Parentous.
Undoubtedly, over the past few months, Parentous has become one of my favorite parenting blogs. When I ponder over why I like the site (leaving aside the fact that I contribute here), a few obvious answers come up. I love the diversity of content, the diversity of contributors ; and of course the fact that there is “Indianness” in the content as most of the contributors have a“strong Indian connection – present / past” (Frankly, while I love many global parenting sites – I don’t find them very relevant in the Indian context of parenting). Not to mention the regularity of the posts – So there is at least 1 post everyday which I look forward to reading.
Here’s wishing the Parentous community many many more wonderful birthdays, more awesome content, more interesting children (who inspire the posts of many a parent) and welcoming more parents to this elite club. After all, we are all playing a key role and are active contributors towards furthering India’s population, right? 😉
Now as a passionate blogger, I strongly believe that any reader will truly remember only 3 kinds of blog posts
1) Blogs from which YOU LEARN
2) Blogs which make YOU THINK
3) Blogs which TOUCH YOUR HEART
As the curtains draw on a year, it’s usually time to get nostalgic, go down memory lane and get down to drawing up the “ blogging lists”; and there are just so many types of lists which a blogger can curate – from “The Most Eye-balled posts” to the “Most Commented Posts”, etc. etc.
So in this post, I am sharing my favorite Parentous posts from the past 1 year – Posts which I remember, Posts which left a mark, Posts which are my personal favorites. Why are they my favorite is because I learnt phenomenally by reading them, or / and they made me really think or / and they touched my heart!
Without further ado, let me dive into this list (Compiled in random order)
1) When are you having a baby? BY Rachna Parmar. You become a parent when your baby arrives right? In this thought provoking post, Rachna highlights the importance of being ready to become parents and the very many pressures Indian couples face in the parenting journey. The most important point she has highlighted is that a couple should have the freedom to choose when they want to become parents. And as a parent, I know that it is probably the most important life decision you make as being a parent changes / transforms your life in unimaginable ways!
2) What I Learnt about Parenting? BY Vidya Sury. Again, I loved this post because it comes loaded with motherly wisdom and experience; and is an absolute treasure for parents (like me) who are at the start of the parenting journey. And of course, it’s been written really well! To be honest, I alike all of Vidya’s posts and writings ; but this one stood out
3) Twiddling Thumbs BY Kavi Arasu. Need I say anything about Kavi’s posts? All the regular readers know that his posts are an absolute treat to read. They are like a “mini power packed Bollywood movie” which unfolds in 3-4 minutes of reading. They have a story, drama, action, hero (not Kavi or the “Missus”, but his daughter), villain [now it’s up to you to guess who that is ;)], humor and some background melody! And most importantly, there’s always a subtle message – Something to ponder about after you read his posts. Undoubtedly, one of my favorite writers in this community.
4) Super Mom BY Ritu Lalit. One of the most honest posts I’ve read from any mother. Kudos to Ritu for sharing (and baring her mind and heart). I know just reading the post was “therapeutic” to many moms! if you don’t believe me, check the comments 🙂
5) Looking for Momspiration BY Rituparna Ghosh . Personally, this was so timely http://premier-pharmacy.com/product/diflucan/ (for me) and an absolute treasure as it listed out some awesome sites which I now follow.
6) 10 Takeaways from “Peaceful Parent, Happy Kids BY Reema Sahay. I love almost all Reema’s posts and writings at Parentous, but this one took the cake. May be it was posted at a time when I had my “Eureka moment” in parenting (Ok! That happens to me every other day!) & realization dawned that I need to be a peaceful parent! Hop over to the post for loads of learning!
7) To Have? To Not Have, As Yet BY Sakshi Nanda. A post on the start of it all – The Beginning of parenting and it leaves you with food for thought. On a separate note, I truly admire Sakshi for being such an active contributor here at Parentous – not only in terms of the quality and quantity of posts, but for that fact that she comments on almost every single post. When I last checked, I think she had close to 200 comments tagged to her, and there was no one anywhere close. Sakshi – Wow! That’s awesome. Just how do you do it?
8) Man, Woman and Child BY Nidhi Dorairaj. A post in which Nidhi speaks about the innocent questions which her child asks her, and her witty fun and lovely responses. A treasure and pleasure to read
9) Dream my child, dream BY Swapna Thomas. This is again a wonderful post in which Swapna highlights how she deals with her daughter who is a dreamer, and loves to get into her own magical world or “zone” as she calls it. Swapna highlights the importance of a make-believe world for children, and how she deals with it. It’s a great read simply because way too many parents are famous to chide their children for being dreamers – and this kills curiosity and creativity in children very young!
10) While Coming Back BY Amrita Thavrani. A touching post in which Amrita highlights the many emotions which go through a mummy’s mind when she meets her child after a day at work. Written and expressed in beautiful words, it really touched my heart.
11) The Whole Truth BY Meena Bhatnagar. We live in a society when it’s hard for many of us to distinguish between truth and lies. It’s the same for children. At one point, lies are such an integral part of a child’s life that as parents, you need to understand the very many kind of “lies” and deal with them in the right manner. In this post, Meena categorizes the many kind of lies and how she deals with them.
12) Children, Chores and Confidence BY Vidya Sury. In this wonderful post, Vidya highlights the importance of involving children in everyday chores at home, and how that is critical in a child’s sense of confidence and responsibility. Personally. I loved Vidya’s approach to get her son involved, and her success mantras. You should read this post which is packed with motherly wisdom, experience and value, especially since many parents find it hard to get their children to “do” stuff around the house.
What were your favorite posts on Parentous in the last 1 year? Leave a comment to let me know [And yes! Feel free to list my posts if they went to your favorite list. It will make my day 🙂 ]
Nischala Murthy Kaushik is mother and philosopher rolled into one (the philosophical streak emerged after she became a mother – essential for balance, she believes). She is an Engineer and Management Graduate (IIMB Alumni) by Education, IT/Innovation/Marketing Professional by Employment, Google/Blog/Twitter/Social Media Lover by Era, Writer by Passion, Dreamer by Compulsion, Student of Life by Choice, Eternal Optimist by Necessity and Chief Happiness Officer of LIFE by Realization. She blogs @ Nischala’s Space, Thoughts and Expressions AND VERVE : The Quintessence of my Life . In addition, she is also as a guest blogger in several sites of global repute; and her blogs have been featured in several Best-Of lists and on the Directory of Top Indian blogs. She tweets @nimu9 and is also listed among the 50 Indian Women to follow on Twitter.
