As long as the images of a childhood torn open by depraved criminals lingers in our souls, we are unable to write. Maybe, maybe...... Maybe, by next week we will be able to muster up some fragments to try to heal this injury. For now, a two week silence is far too little to express... Continue Reading →
A friend and potential contributor writes in to us: My 8-year-old son was watching a video of a mixture of toothpaste and a soft drink being used as a cleaning agent and described it to me with much excitement. I wanted to insert a lesson and use the opportunity to slip in an attack on... Continue Reading →
At the outset let me say that the title does not have a spelling error! As you read on, you will understand. “Adam: When do we go back to school? Jutta (mother): The day after tomorrow Adam: When is that? Natasha (Sister): Two sleeps!” R.D. Laing[1] Piaget[1] and I It was the early eighties and... Continue Reading →
The (other) lion king: Pages from a mother’s diary Deepa Chawla “Once I was playing with my little friends. There was a cat, a squirrel, a birdie and a dog. They were all my friends. We were all playing in the park. A cat was doing meow-meow. The squirrel ran very fast on the trees,... Continue Reading →
Blankets, bottles and braids: Finding security during infancy One of the most endearing descriptions about comfort objects are the illustrations of Linus and his blanket by Charles M. Schultz. This week on Masala Chai, we raise a discussion about comfort objects, and the place that they have in children's lives. Do all children show an interest... Continue Reading →
As I arranged his mane on a bed of lettuce leaves, I felt a lump of emptiness in my stomach. He was so tiny. The resplendent sheen of life had left his fins and his eyes, these were uncharacteristically clouded and colourless, quite like the overcast sky on that Sunday morning. Gentle drops of rain... Continue Reading →
Pacifiers versus pacifying Several years ago, I was walking down a main street in Frankfurt on a sunny afternoon. The brilliant sunshine filtered through thick branches onto the streets onto scores of families that were out to catch the precious warmth before the evening chill set in. Children were all over, in strollers and outside... Continue Reading →
It's fun to watch our little people during the festival of colours, their earnest integration in social life is very evident. While celebrating children are carefully cajoled, encouraged, protected, and watched over. Older children assist younger ones to get started....while everyone enjoy themselves. As always for us at Masala Chai its equally exciting to watch... Continue Reading →
In this commentary, we will address the issue of sex education for growing children in the context of cultural practice and family ideology. Our author for last week’s post raises a critical issue that faces parents and teachers, in fact all adults concerned with children’s learning and development. How, how much, when and by whom... Continue Reading →
