Dancing in the rain: the joys and jolts of parenting Children grow up and become individuals, but their essence remains the same BRUNCH Updated: Feb 16, 2019 23:34 IST Shoba NarayanHindustan Times You know what they say when you have young children: the days are long but the years are short. I remembered this on a…
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This Indian Life: new column for HT Brunch
Every generation thinks of itself as the sandwich generation: caught between parents and children. This generation however is different, I believe. Because of advances in medical science, our parents are living longer. These are some of the things I write about in this new column.
What unites today’s India besides a love of spicy food, film songs, cricket and big fat weddings? I would say that many of us are parenting our parents – and an assortment of uncles, aunts, and random elders whose children live beyond our shores. It is equal parts frustration and comedy livened with moments of tenderness that borders on the sublime.
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I talk about the sandbox, but harder still is to watch your kid shut you out of her college application process and not go crazy. If you let your kids fail, you might be doing them a favour Shoba Narayan November 19, 2013 Updated: November 19, 2013 19:36:00 It is a conundrum. Encountering obstacles and…
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In support of arguing
My friend said something about fighting couples ages ago that served as the seed for this article. We were talking about elderly couples who balk at doing stuff for each other– particularly women. Caring for husbands during illness, that sort of thing. He said that a couple should fight all the way and iron out…
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Motherlode
Motherlode of the NYT is one of my favorite blogs– along with The Atlantic’s “The Sexes.” After the Paul Tudor Jones fracas, I wrote an essay as a reaction. To my delight, they published it today. The headline is more extreme than my view, but I don’t write the headlines. I also realize that by…
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Teaching moments– parenting
This one is for Cheeni and Rooney and all the new puppies who elevate our lives Be your own person – as long as you do what I tell you Shoba Narayan Dec 11, 2012 notebook The other day, my 10-year-old daughter asked me a strange question: “What is the hardest thing that…
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Parenting dilemmas
This piece is heartfelt. The problem is that I don’t see any solution to this. Sometimes, parenting seems like a crapshoot– you make certain decisions and hope they work out. My elder daughter still hasn’t asked for a dog! Did we make the wrong call? Here it is at The National’s site and pasted below.…
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Father’s Day column for The National
A piece I wrote for The National. Happy Fathers Day! Father’s Day Is being a father to a son different from being a father to a daughter? Shouldn’t be, right? After all, one of the central premises of parenting is to treat all your children with the same amount of love and affection. “You both…
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The trouble with teenagers
I hope my daughter doesn’t read this. For The National. My life: The trouble with teenagers Shoba Narayan May 18, 2011 Updated May 18, 2011 5.12pm At a party recently, I asked a close friend what I considered an innocuous question. “How is Vivek?” I asked, referring to her son who had just graduated from…
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How to bring up kids?
This is something I think about a lot. While I know that there is no magic formula for parenting, chasing one seems unavoidable if you are a parent. Whether you are a teacher, or a parent, or run summer camps, dealing with kids is an engrossing puzzle simply because there doesn’t seem to be one…
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