How to connect with your child at a deeper level

Parent-child bonding is the most precious attachment we could ever form. The amount of quality time you spend with your child will determine the bond you set with them. Having two children, I try to enjoy each day with them and let them know they are my life. Some different ideas would be dancing, playing games, going to the park, watching movies and most important, reading books together!

Let your child be a part of what you are doing. If you are cleaning, let your child wash the walls with a rag. If you are cooking, let your child add something or stir something. Usually, while I am doing the chores, I turn on the radio and invite my daughter to dance with me. We have a blast and she is learning all the new dance steps.

Make a special day of the week and take your child to the park each week, on that day. This will be special to your child as well as for yourself. Maybe go for ice cream and this can be an awesome ritual. Take some time while you are out, to talk to your child and know what is going on in their life. Children usually cannot wait for you to ask them so they can tell you. For the evening, come home and curl up with your child and watch a Disney movie. Disney has quite a selection, so you will be set for a while.

Every single night, before bedtime, make it a priority to read a book or two with your child! The results are fantastic! Your child will develop, grow and even nourish their little imaginations. Eventually, when they are old enough, they will start reading to you.

Just as important as reading is the very important urge to be involved! You must be familiar with your child's school, the staff, your child's friends. It is always great when parents' volunteer for the class and school functions. Nowadays, too many people make excuses for why they are too busy to pay attention to their children. Those are going to be the children who commit crimes, go uneducated, jobless, poor, and the list can go on. When you stay involved whether your child wants you to be there or not, you will have made all the difference! Have fun and play with your child. If you are dealing with a teen or preteen, take them skating or even to an arcade. Give them a chance to choose the day's events. Most important, we just need to let our children know they are loved.

Bt Brinjal: 1st ever GM crop in India

The regulators in India have cleared Bt Brinjal as safe for human (& animal) health and environment and that it could be permitted for commercial cultivation in India. However, the Government of India is holding nation-wide consultations to address numerous concerns and unanswered questions on the GM food crop before reaching a logical end. Bt Brinjal is the first GM food crop in India and the first ever GM vegetable in the world with the Bt gene in it. This Tribunal is being held as a platform to not only address the surrounding queries but also highlighting the many facets of the debate on GM seeds.

Without really getting lost in the larger debate around food/hunger crisis, which is being made into the rationale for bringing in Bt Brinjal iisue, this People’s Tribunal focuses clearly on GM seeds, their relevance and need and other related issues, even as all presenters of testimonies will be encouraged to touch upon some larger issues too and present data to support their case.

Human Rights Law Network (HRLN) requests the presence of all concerned to the Indian People’s Tribunal (IPT) on the issue of Genetically Modified (GM) seeds/foods and Bt Brinjal in particular. HRLN has brought eminent speakers and researchers from across the country to share a common platform and vocalise their experience and opinion on January 28th and 29th, 2010, at Vishwa Yuva Kendra, New Delhi.