The Coochikoo

  The "Mood-Based" Parenting Trap: Imagine this scenario. It is a relaxed Sunday afternoon. You are in a great mood because India just won a cricket match. Your 9-year-old comes up and asks, "Papa, can I play games on the iPad for an extra hour?" You smile, pat their head, and say, "Sure beta, go ahead, enjoy." Now fast forward to Tuesday evening. You had a terrible day at the office, the traffic was a nightmare, and your boss was breathing down your neck. Your child asks for the iPad for just 15 minutes. You explode. "Always on the screen! You never study! Go open your maths book right now!" Look, we have all been there. Parenting in a middle-class Indian household is stressful. But when your rules change depending on your mood, your blood pressure, or how tired you are, you are falling into the trap of inconsistent parenting. And boss, this is a dangerous game. You might think you are just reacting to the situation, but to your child, you are...

The Ghee, The Guilt, and The Great Indian Motherhood, Imagine this. You have just returned from the hospital. You are exhausted. Every bone in your body aches, and you haven't slept for more than two hours straight in days. You sit on the bed, holding your tiny baby, just trying to process the fact that you are now a mother. And then, it begins. Your mother brings a bowl of ajwain ka pani . Your mother-in-law walks in with a massive dabba of gond ke laddoo dripping with ghee. Your neighborhood auntie drops by to tell you that if you drink cold water, your baby will catch a cold. Suddenly, everyone in your life is a certified nutritionist. Look, the love and care are great. But the sheer amount of unsolicited advice in an Indian middle-class household can drive a new mother crazy. You are confused, hormonal, and hungry. You just want to know: Boss, what am I actually supposed to eat? Let’s cut through the myths, the WhatsApp forwards, and the extreme diets. Here is the real funda ...

The Classic PTM Nightmare, Imagine this. You are sitting on those tiny wooden chairs at the Parent-Teacher Meeting (PTM). The class teacher adjusts her spectacles, looks at you, and delivers the classic dialogue: "Sharma ji, your child is very smart. But he just doesn’t pay attention. He is always distracted and distracts the whole class." You nod, smile apologetically, and come home feeling like a failed parent. You tell your kid to focus. You buy almonds. You promise them a new bicycle if they sit still for an hour. But nothing changes. Look, raising a kid is tough. But when your child is in primary school—that golden phase between ages 6 and 11—and they simply cannot sit still, remember instructions, or finish their homework without a daily screaming match, it might not just be "bachpan ki shararat" ( childhood mischief). Boss, it might be ADHD. Let’s cut the heavy medical jargon and talk about the real fundas of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) in...