Listen to what your child says

Story of many girls

Nancy was an only child to Mark and Pooja, they spoiled her rotten and she was the apple of not only her parent’s but her extended family’s eye. They all adored her and wanted only the very best for her. Nancy’s birthdays from her first was always very special, her parents went all out to throw her the best parties, inviting the family and neighbours. She was the youngest among her first cousins and hence was spoiled even more. Her older male cousins saw her as somebody they should protect and a few even vowed to ‘really hurt’ a person if they ever hurt her.

Mark and Pooja took every precaution to educate Nancy on the evils that surrounds her once she goes out into the world. They taught her about #StrangerDanger and more. But they weren’t prepared for when a neighbour would take advantage of her. It started off innocent with her neighbour; let’s call him Prani. He started spending more time with her. Teaching her how to play Trump card games and various sports. He taught her to play basketball, football and cricket. Then after a couple of months of these innocent games, Prani started doing more, touching her in places that he shouldn’t be. Nancy knew this was wrong but every time she tried to talk to her parents about it, they shrugged it off saying “he would never do anything to hurt you, honey.” And this abuse went on for six months until word spread and people were wondering why this older boy was taking her to dark and lonely places after nightfall... it was a shock when her parents found out and they are still wondering how this happened. If only they listened her sooner.

Don’t waste time. Talk now!

It is a taboo topic, child sexual abuse. But there is so much of that happening in and around us, we have to talk to our kids about it from early on. We might want to shield our kids but the outside world doesn’t shield them. It’s a horrible topic to bring up with your child but trust us, precaution is better than cure. So spend some time with your children talking to them and educating them on sexual abuse. It is hard but must be done. Don’t lose time but talk to your kids now!

Lawrence School

We have trained counsellors who have dealt with this issue and more. They know how to broach this topic and how to deal with it. They also teach parents about the tell tale signs that your child will show if they have been abused. Like aloofness, wanting to be alone, loss of appetite and mood swings. Know your child.

To know more about us http://lawrenceschool.in/

Teach your kids how to spend their time wisely

There’s not enough time

“Tracy you’re late again! Can you be anywhere on time? Gosh it’s like tardiness runs in your family. Everyone knows the Williams are always late.” Rubiana frowned at Tracy, turned around and walked inside the house. They were supposed to meet an hour earlier. Tracy followed her inside and closed the door behind her. She sat on the couch and let out a sigh. “I know I’m always late, I don’t know what to say. You’re right it does run in the family. I’m telling you Tracy I was ready to leave and then Arnav called and had a tempting offer. So I went and spent some time with him. I’m so sorry. How do you do it? You’re brilliant. You do well in school and you’re amazingly talented. You cook; bake, paint and you’re never late. I want to be more like you.” “You can. Just stop wasting time. I don’t waste time. I do all my work early, so I’m free to chill later.”   

It was always the same with Tracy or any of her family, they were always late and people knew it. Her friends have waited for hours because she couldn’t say no to someone else who’d call her, instead she tries to squeeze everything and everyone in. She’s lost a few relationships because of this. She’s late to class and practically everywhere else. Time management is something Tracy couldn’t get a handle on. If she had to be somewhere post 10 AM then she’d wake up by seven or eight to leave enough buffer time but she’ll still inevitably be late.

How to help your teen manage their time

Many times she’s wondered how in the world she manages to be late everywhere! That’s a skill she thought to herself sarcastically. The next thing Tracy did was go online and find tips she could inculcate into her life to manage her time wisely and not waste it. She read this blog by Vanessa Van Petten a fellow teen with tips on how teens can actually change and be more responsible. Be on time and spend it wisely. If you want to read the blog; here it is http://bit.ly/1vjwfwQ

Lawrence School

We at Lawrence know that there are many teens and preteens who don’t know how to manage their time productively. Our staff is well trained and know exactly how to tackle this issue. Your child will get an all round holistic education at our school and will learn to manage his/her time efficiently http://lawrenceschool.in/

How to help your teenager with a broken heart

The two most important people in your child’s life... you and your partner

What parents might not know is that their kids really yearn to talk to you and want to have an open dialogue. Your kids deep down know that you are the only two people who will be there for them through thick and thin. The times your kids might want to talk are believe it or not, when their in love or have just gotten their heart broken. They see you and your partner as examples of a relationship that withstood the test of time and would want to know where they went wrong.

Mom and dad, I need you

There are obvious tell tale signs that your child is in love; she/he might talk about one particular person a lot, they will be on the phone a lot and will constantly be in a good mood smiling all the time. But just like these tell all signs, there are signs that your child has gotten their heart broken. Loss of appetite, mood swings from happy to sad, choice of music changes (that’s a sure sign when their playlist changes to songs revolving around an ex). Keep a track of their Facebook you’ll know by what they post. They will spend extra time sleeping, in their room and may want to be left alone.

You might think leaving them alone is a good thing but actually your child just wants to be loved and hugged and shown that someone cares for them. They are vulnerable and crave some tender loving care. If you see these signs in your child and don’t know how to approach this topic, here are some tips from other parents that may shed some light and help you move forward with your relationship with your child http://bit.ly/1znGUBK

Lawrence School

Our staff is prepared and can deal with this situation as well. If you don’t know how to start this conversation our staff counsellors are always available to help you cross this bridge with your child. To know more about us http://lawrenceschool.in/

Positive effects of music on growing children

Ranjith’s first and instrument

David got a kiddie guitar when he was around five or six but his brother Ranjith was more interested in this instrument. He would carry it all over the place, like a security blanket. He would randomly strum it all the time, that’s when his parents realized that their child had an ear for music. As the years went by they saw Ranjith start to play songs accurately just by listening to the song over and over again, with no formal training.

In his late teens he formed a band with David being the lead singer and their friends were equally talented on the drums and rhythm guitar. Their band called ‘The Sticks’ became very popular among college students and they won many competitions... now 15 years on Ranjith owns his own music school with a Montessori department for babies to come and get acquainted with music.

Positive influence of music

It is a known fact that music has a strong influence on children, whether they are in their teens or younger. Music has a strong effect on adults as well, so you can imagine the influence on kids.

Here’s an article about the positive effects music have on children http://to.pbs.org/1Hp8RDy

Lawrence School

We at Lawrence realize the importance of music and extracurricular activities for our wards. Our teachers are well equipped for this and your children will get a healthy holistic education. To know more about us http://lawrenceschool.in/

Ugly Truth

Stop using the word ‘Ugly’

The word ‘Ugly’ is defined by the Oxford Dictionary as ‘unpleasant or repulsive, especially in appearance.’ Does this agree with you? Children are brought up with fairytales saying if you’re not pretty then you don’t have much going for you. Stories like the Ugly Duckling or Prince Charming; he got by solely on his looks. Have you ever thought if Sleeping Beauty wasn’t beautiful would Prince Phillip have kissed her? In the movie ‘Shrek’ they depict this by showing a scene where Princess Fiona is in her cursed form, an ogre. And wouldn’t you know it; the Prince gets scared and leaves her there. It can be because she was an ogre and was scary looking, but the Prince mentions the word ‘ugly’ and runs off.

Not just us but our kids are bombarded with images in the media and just about everywhere else on how they ought to look, magazines showing pictures of thin, flawless models and actors. Most of these images are photo shopped. But the message has already been sent and received. There are celebrities who try to fight this and send a positive message to their young fans. Pink’s F***** Perfect and Christina Aguilera’s song ‘Beautiful’ are all about having a positive body image and that you’re perfect and beautiful just the way you are.

Why concentrate on the colour of one’s skin tone

Closer to home, there is so much importance on skin tone and the lightness of skin colour. Did you know we’re the only country that have fair creams? Look at the ads, countless of them for fair creams. Why should a person have to have fair or light skin in order to be seen as pretty? The word ‘ugly’ should be taken off the dictionary and cease to be used. To read more on the impact this word has on children click here http://bit.ly/1EogLuC

Lawrence School

Lawrence would be a good fit for you and your child because our teachers and staff are well qualified and trained to handle anything that might crop up. To know more about us, click here http://lawrenceschool.in/

Benefits of co-ed education

Choice of school

Being surrounded by girls was nothing new to Kathy, she had two sisters. One elder and younger, the only male figure in the house was their dad. Kathy and her sister finished their schooling in an all girls’ school. But when Kathy’s younger sister, Jane was in seventh standard their dad got transferred to another city and the nearest school was a co-ed one.

After Kathy, her older sister Margo and their parents talked about it, they decided to let Jane decide. After all she was entering high school and she was old enough to make a decision. Jane took this choice seriously and thought and talked about it with her friends. It didn’t take long, for two days later Jane had decided that she wanted to go to a co-ed school... it was a different world this co-ed school. The girls didn’t have their claws out as much and the boys’ presence made it all so much better. Jane fit right in and made lots of friends. Her high school years after that were a kaleidoscope of fun, laughter, frustration and tears... when her family asked her about her experiences in this new school while compared to her old one, Jane sat back and thought for a minute, framing her reply just right. At the end she said “it was nice in an all girls’ school. Women understand each other. But the co-ed school was so much more what I thought it would be. I found that I took more interest in my studies and also tried out for the different sports they offered.”

Jane’s decision

Jane’s family talked about it together and left the choice up to her. If you are wondering about the same thing, there is help out there. The online sphere has 100s of sites that will throw light on this topic. Click here to read more on this subject http://bit.ly/1yxemvQ

Lawrence School

If you choose to send your child to a co-ed school, then we at Lawrence would be a good fit for you and your child. Our teachers and staff are well qualified and trained to handle anything that might crop up. To know more about us click here http://lawrenceschool.in/     

Home school VS Public School

Home schooling

Preethi and Ming talked a lot about whether they wanted to put their kid in a public school or home school her. After much consideration and deliberation they finally decided that they would home school their daughter. There are sites that guide you through this process and teach the parent how to educate their child. Places where a whole curriculum which will be affiliated to an education organisation are also available on the World Wide Web.

When asked why they decided to home school their child, Pretthi replied “the main factor was that we chose to shelter our child as long as we can, because there are many things besides education that a child picks up from school. And that’s a known fact.”

Home schooling or Public school

They took their child Rachel to a school one day and had her attend a whole day of class and what they got back was news to them. Rachel (eight years old) liked being part of a class and loved that there were other kids her age that she could interact with and learn from.

There is much debate about this topic. People say that the child learns so much more and needs a healthy interaction with kids their age and also with adults; teachers, staff and others. They learn many life lessons outside the classroom but of course it’s not all roses and sunshine. The child might have a stunted social growth when home schooled and may not learn essentials like team building, games and other extracurricular activities that one learns from school.

If you’re a parent deciding to home school your child, here is a link that will take you to a website that will throw some light on this agenda. Click here to know more http://bit.ly/1A764pe

Lawrence School

If you choose to send your child to public school, then we at Lawrence would be a good fit for you and your child. Our teachers and staff are well qualified and trained to handle anything that might crop up. To know more about us,
click here http://lawrenceschool.in/