Riddhi Deorah, also known as Mom on Skates on Instagram is an influencer who is on a mission to help make parenting journeys happy and positive. We caught up with her and got some valuable insights into how she teaches values and positive behaviors to her three year old, Veer.
DinoStaury: We are inspired by your mission to make parenting a more positive journey for all your followers! How do you help Veer stay optimistic and positive through challenging times?
Riddhi: Firstly, thank you for those kind words. My mission is to make parenting a happy and stress-free journey.
Now as far as Veer is concerned I believe that he is too young to be able to completely understand the situation. All that he understands is that we can’t step out because it isn’t too safe.
Kids usually don’t harbour any negativity. They are always oozing with positivity, enthusiasm and curiosity.
I don’t really have to do anything to keep him positive and optimistic.
He does miss outdoor activities. That’s when I try to distract him and engage him with new indoor activities like blocks, lego, paints, play dough, colouring, velcro, and so on.
DinoStaury: Are there any specific values that you try to focus on regularly teaching Veer?
Riddhi: I had read an article during my third trimester. I loved it. I don’t remember the source. The article mentioned “Three Rs” and it was then that I decided that I will try and instill these Rs in my child.
The three Rs stand for Respect, Responsibility and Resilience.
To instill Respect in children we have to respect their feelings and actions. They always reciprocate what they get.
To instill Responsibility in children we have to trust them and let them take charge of certain things. For instance, I always make Veer clean up after play time and also ask him to put his books back on the shelf after we are done reading.
To instill Resilience in our children it’s important that we encourage them to keep trying. For instance, I always encourage Veer to do certain activities on his own. He doesn’t get it the first few times, sometimes even for weeks. But then one fine day he does it all by himself. It is important for us to let them fail and learn on their own. This prepares them to stay strong even when things don’t go the way they want.
DinoStaury: Tell us a little about how you’ve built a love for reading in Veer!
Riddhi: Kids have a natural tendency to copy and follow. My husband and I both like to read and Veer always watches us. I didn’t really do anything to build his love for reading.
All that I did was exposed him to a lot of books and try to read to him for 10-15 minutes every single day.
DinoStaury: What are some ways you teach Veer about the importance of healthy eating?
Riddhi: This is a tough one. Veer has very advanced taste buds. I have to make sure I don’t show him anything unhealthy. Out of sight, out of mind. If children don’t see anything unhealthy, they end up eating what’s served if/when they are hungry.
I try and tell him that fruits, veggies, eggs, rice and so on will make you strong. Sometimes it works like magic and sometimes he just dismisses me completely.
DinoStaury: Can you tell us about a challenging behavioural situation you have recently had with Veer? How did you make this into a teachable moment to instill long term values?
Riddhi: Veer just turned three in March. Kids tend to have their own viewpoint for almost everything as they start to understand and speak.
There have been times when Veer has been super stubborn about a few things. For instance, one day he only wanted to write on the walls. Nothing I said/did stopped him. I gave up and let him write on one wall. Later we made him clean the wall. He was so annoyed. He hasn’t written on the wall since then and I am hoping he won’t! :)
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