PW invited parents of Gurukul The School, Ghaziabad, to share insights on how they promote family bonding during the summer holidays

“We believe healthy family/extended family relationships reflect the true strength of nuclear families. And what better time than summer holidays to rekindle this bond! Almost every summer, we plan family get-togethers at our home, make surprise visits to our hometown or organise outings for the children. My son Panini (class I) is overjoyed and looks forward to reuniting with his grandparents, uncles, aunts and cousins in the summer. We hold the love and admiration of family members in very high esteem.” — Somya Bathla, teacher, Gurukul The School

“Drawing from our own childhood experiences, summer vacations are meant to be blissful together times. There’s a saying the family that travels together stays together. Therefore we ensure summers are all about visiting grandparents or planning a family trip near nature to break away from the humdrum of daily routine. Our children — nine-year-old Nirvan (class IV) and seven-year-old Navya (class I) — look forward to bonding with their aunts, uncles and cousins even though it often means putting digital gadgets away. The children enjoy storytelling with their grandparents the most. I believe bonding with family enriches social skills and emotional well-being.” — Iti Bhardwaj, activity in-charge, Gurukul The School

“We become nostalgic when we recall our childhood full of so many special memories with grandparents and cousins. Therefore we want to ensure our five-year-old son Atharv (KG) has an equally happy childhood. To this end, we take time off to plan an annual vacation to Lucknow where his maternal and paternal grandparents live. We want our son to enjoy the company of grandparents and develop the qualities of care, concern and empathy. Atharv also looks forward to visiting his aunts, uncles and cousins who live in Mumbai. The best part is that he is so involved in interacting with family members that he forgets all about television and playing video games, which is so comforting.” — Piyush Dixit, senior manager, VVDN Technologies

“The word ‘family’ itself resonates a sense of comfort and security. Our family including my mother, wife, nephew and son Prathamaditya (class X), look forward to weekly holidays, long vacations and festival days. Early morning nature walks, lazing over breakfast, late evening conversations, storytelling and uninterrupted laughter make our long vacations with immediate and extended family members a perfect time to bond and unwind.” — Pankaj Bhardwaj, general manager, sales and operations, Taylor and Francis Group (Academic Publishing)