Prioritise character building
Thanks for your wonderful cover story ‘Character building in the Covid-19 era’ (PW July). It reminded me of my schooldays when values education classes were an integral part of the school timetable and the fundamental values of honesty, respect, self-discipline and empathy were constantly emphasised as the building blocks of good character. And the occasional cheating incident in school would be taken very seriously with children and parents severely reprimanded. Sadly, schools today don’t prioritise character development. Good character is the fabric of human existence, without which we cannot build a humane and just society.
It’s not just the duty of schools but also of parents/ family to develop children’s character. My grandfather was an excellent story-teller and most of his stories had a moral. I believe they made a deep impression on me and helped me develop the right value system. Unfortunately today parents/ grandparents are all too busy and don’t spend enough time with children in their formative years.
Siri Dhaman
Hyderabad

Eat right and well!
Your Adolescence story on teenage eating disorders was enlightening (PW July). Once upon a time, eating disorders were alien to us in India, something that happened to women in foreign countries. But now they have become common. Many teenage girls in India are suffering from body image issues and starving themselves to look thin.
Sadly, of late, social media, television, advertising, and cinema are excessively glorifying physical beauty and perfect body images. This is putting pressure on adolescents to conform to accepted physical ideals and forcing them to resort to extreme diets and punishing exercise routines. As parents, we need to guide and counsel our children to eat right and well.
Sanjana Tripati
Delhi

Homeschool better alternative
I am a regular reader of ParentsWorld and enjoy reading your informative essays. I would like to highlight an important issue which is being side-stepped in the whole brouhaha about the second and now third wave of the pandemic — that of schools being closed for over one year and online school being totally ineffective. Children are learning very little online.

This was also the case with my daughter who is in class III. Some three months ago, we decided to pull her out of school and homeschool her. My husband and I are both working from home for the next one year at least. And with schools not reopening primary sections in the near future, we thought this was the best decision. Our brief experience of homeschooling shows that it has been much more effective than online classes. In-person supervision and mentorship of an adult is very important for children during their formative years.
Many other parents are also frustrated with the monotony of online learning — it is impersonal and ineffective. Schools need to reopen soon to stop the huge learning loss of children. I will be happy to send my child back to physical school once they reopen with all safety precautions.
Ria Hiranandani
Bengaluru

Lead by example
Thank you for the excellent advice given by dental surgeon Dr. Ashmita Sudhakar in the Ask the Doctor column (PW July). For parents of young children, one of the biggest fears is that of children developing dental caries. Her advice and guidelines on dental hygiene were very useful.
I also liked the fitness exercises recommended by gymnastics coach Monojit Ghosh in the same issue. During the past year of pandemic lockdowns, children have led sedentary lifestyles with little exercise. Parents need to not only encourage children to follow a daily exercise routine but also lead by example.
Hemavathy Maniam
Chennai