Grateful By Ketaki S. Vaidya

लोभ माझे, मोह माझे  मात्र नावे दिली वेगवेगळी  म्हणे हे भले अन ते बुरे  माणसाची रीत सारी आगळी  रोज काही मागणे  येऊन दारावर तुझ्या  ती खरी "भक्ती" कशी  अन बाकी सारी हाव का?  नाती नवी जी जोडली  ती उणीव भरण्यासाठीची  ते "पवित्र प्रेम" अन  बाकी सारी "वासना" कशी?  आपुले घर पोसूनी  दुर्लक्षिले साऱ्या  जगा  ती कुटुम्ब  वत्सलता  अन बाकी सारा स्वार्थ का?  आसमंती खेळणारी हि हवा  त्याची जशी माझी तशी  पण हे माझे अन ते तुझे  वृत्ती अशी आली कशी?  

The rain looks different here It doesn’t anymore make noise on the roof It does not spread soils fragrance There are no kids out to make paper boats now Their boats are stolen by tall buildings, fancy schools and busy parents The rain falls all alone No one has time to watch it from window No one cares to sit and sip tea over it Rain is different here People are busy and so is the rain It is sad and alone But it has not given up It still fills up the sky It pours and it cares Making the trees happy Hoping to see kids again making paper boats and dancing

Like any other tech period person, I am also a member of many online groups. Like Fremont mommies, groups related to my profession, parent groups, community groups etc. Recently on one of these groups, I read a post like this. Apparently the person was upset. She reported an incidence which happened in one of the famous shopping places. In this shopping place, there is a person at the door at the time of check out. This person's job is to check your cart and match it with the items on your receipt. Some times if you have kids with you, this person makes a funny face picture on your receipt and gives it to the kid. Kids seem to enjoy this. So the person from my group, reported an incidence in this set up. She said that there was a family in front of her during check out. The kid in that family, demanded a happy face picture on their receipt to this check out person. The check out person requested the kid to say "please" before he could draw a happy face. Apparently the p...

Many of my friends who are also moms, many times say this, " How do I get my child talk to me about his/her school day? When I ask him/her about the day, he/she just tells me it was fine and that's it. How do I get him/her to talk more? " May is a Better Hearing and Speech Month. I thought I should use this opportunity to not only answer the above question but also to share few more tips to have an effective communication habits for your child. Again, every child is different. There are no one size shoes that can fit all tiny feet but here are at least few tips worth trying. 1) Start Early- When your child is a baby, it is the best time to teach good communication skills. Babies do not only thrive on full tummy, a good night sleep and snugly clothes. They need your undivided attention. Alexa or Google home can only sing lullabies but can never teach great communication skills like giving eye contact, laughing and talking about the object or event of same interest, sh...