[Note: Ovens and flours vary, and altitude can affect the baking.] Instead of beets and zucchini, grated apples and carrots can be used.

Ingredients

• 1 ½ cups all purpose flour
• ¼ cup flax meal
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 cup brown sugar
• ¼ cup grated raw beets
• ¼ cup grated raw zucchini
• 1 ½ cups squishy mashed bananas
• ½ cup canola oil or vegetable oil
• 2 tsp vanilla essence

Preparation method

1. Preheat the oven to 375°F
2. Combine the bottom six ingredients in a bowl and stir into a wet mixture, keep aside
3. Combine the first three dry ingredients in a separate bowl, sifting the flour first, stir well
4. To the wet ingredients mixture, add in the dry ingredients mixture; stir gently to form a smooth batter
5. Grease a loaf pan, pour the batter, and cover with aluminium foil
6. Bake in 375°F oven for about an hour till a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean
7. Remove from oven, allow to rest a few minutes and cool on a wire rack before slicing and serving.

The post Banana bread with flaxseed and beetroot appeared first on Complete Wellbeing.

“Stories are a communal currency of humanity.”
—Tahir Shah, In Arabian Nights

From the earliest times, humans have endeavoured to explain what they see around them using innovative and fanciful ideas, delicately blending reality with the mysterious. Creation stories and myths abound in cultural and ethnic groups around the world, many of which are kept alive and passed down via oral storytelling tradition. It is not inconceivable that cavemen and cavewomen gathered around a cave-fire to pass on their interpretation of the colourful rainbow they beheld in the sky.

Why is storytelling important?

“Grandma, tell me a story, please?” is not only a sweet invitation for intergenerational bonding, but also a powerful channel for communicating cultural traditions, values and beliefs. Oral storytelling establishes a strong connection between the teller and the listener. In addition to the physical proximity of the storyteller and the audience, there is an unwritten contract that promises not just to entertain, but to educate and inspire as well.

Benefits of oral storytelling

Feeding children pre-packaged nuggets about their culture, history and customs, especially in formal settings like classrooms, or via passive media like television, leaves out the intimacy and personal connection that storytelling offers.

Through stories, children identify the commonality and differences in humans around the world

Here are some tangible benefits of storytelling, the good old way:

Hone communication and language skills

Children are born sponges, ready to absorb information and expand their minds. Children recognise the rhythms and tones of a storyteller’s words, even if they don’t have an extensive lexicon yet to understand the nuances of the language. Through the context of the story, they are able to infer the meaning of the words, thereby increasing their vocabulary in a relevant and lasting way. This allows them to get comfortable with oral communication, which is the first step towards telling their own stories in an effective way.

Feed creativity and imagination

Children create mental images of the story’s characters and events and this allows them to respond with a giggle or a gasp, a smile or a frown, as the story evolves. By hearing the words, children manage to enter another world willingly; a world that only their minds can create. Their capacity for visualising a movie in their minds is an essential tool for honing reading skills.

Explore various cultures and instil values

Through stories, children identify the commonality and differences in humans around the world. Stories set in different places can bring in the flavours of food, language and even clothes and customs of that region that allows children to consider and accept new ideas. Even before they know words like benevolence, bravery, beauty, envy, malice or trickery they inherently perceive these qualities and make an assessment of what appeals to them and what is acceptable in their society.

Deal with emotional issues

Death, violence and abuse are unfortunate realities of our world. Through well-chosen stories, we can help children understand and cope with such events and possibly make the endings hopeful and transformative. This kind of storytelling can even be therapeutic.

Take a favourite old story and re-interpret it—add a twist to the ending or narrate it from a different perspective

Here’s how to tell stories

Now that we are charged up to revive storytelling, how can we go about it in everyday life?

When I was little…

Children can’t resist stories about their parents, particularly parents’ childhood, and especially incidents where parents appear naughty or silly. When you share your own childhood fears, failures and adventures through stories, kids can feel safe to explore their own insecurities, worries, and joys.

When you were little…

Thanks to the digital age, there is no dearth of photos and videos of your children. Look at baby videos together and watch it un-reel a series of comic episodes filled with story opportunities. Why am I giggling so much in the video, Ma? Why did I jump on the big pile of leaves, Papa? Your answers to such simple queries will help children see themselves through your eyes and know what you think is special. And, you will also see life as a precious story unfolding each day with new promise.

You are my superhero…

When real-life stories seem tame, why not create a superhero out of your child? Ask them what their super powers are [they know!] and weave a story around them. Bring in their school experiences and hobbies and friends. Put them in a situation where they get to decide which path the story takes and revel in their values and motivations.

The “true” story of…

We all have read the Panchatantra tales and Aesop’s Fables, but do we know the “true” story of The Blue Jackal or The Tortoise and the Hare? Take a favourite old story and re-interpret it—add a twist to the ending or narrate it from a different perspective. Maybe even mash-up two popular stories to liven things up. The values you bundle into these stories will serve as a compass for children to assess their own.

Where we come from…

Tell your kids some anecdotes about your ancestral village or home if any—where their great-grandparents came from and what they did for a living. If you have a family heirloom, share the story of how it came into the family. If there is no such heirloom available, share a story about an object that was special to the family in the past. Even everyday objects from the previous generation have their own stories to tell—some funny, some quirky, and some even heart-warming.

Folk tales, fairy tales and mythology…

In all the novelty, don’t forget the time-tested folk tales and fairy tales and stories from mythology that are at risk of extinction. Keep them alive by kindling an interest in trickster tales, pourquoi tales and the rich mythological stories of your cultural roots.

Savour children’s books…

Last but not the least, there is a wide selection of well-written, well-illustrated children’s books for those of us who feel inhibited by our lack of storytelling abilities. The familiarity of reading the same story and poring over the amazing pictures can be a soothing bedtime ritual on days that we run out of steam and want to just shut down. Plus, there are so many books out there today that children can’t possibly read them all in one childhood. As they say, there is a book for every reader, and a reader for every book. Find out what excites your child and bring those books home to nurture the habit of reading.

As the words drape the children—words that enchant, instruct, pack wisdom and promise—there is a definite stirring of their imagination and intellect. While grandma weaves stories in the air and into their minds, children gain self-worth and understanding that is ambitious to duplicate in any other setting.

The post How the story-telling ritual helps your child’s development appeared first on Complete Wellbeing.

How do children know they are loved? Infants may not know the esoteric underpinnings, but if their survival needs are met, their sense of security is strong, which helps them thrive as they develop. As toddlers, children implicitly trust their parents, relying on them for comfort and safety, testing their newfound independence and yet revelling in the bonds of affection. Preschool through teenage years, children grow so rapidly that love is the one constant factor that can support and sustain their explosion of development. Every child knows love instinctively and can recognise its many manifestations.

Why say “I love you”?

Parents may wonder, Why tell my children that I love them? Don’t they know it already? Isn’t it understood? What is the point of saying it every day? The simple answer is Why not? However, delving deeper into the Why of it, there are at least five good reasons:

Trust

As children grow, they need someone to trust, someone to turn to for guidance, someone who won’t criticise or ridicule them. When you tell your kids you love them, they know that they can trust you implicitly. They realise that no matter what, their parents believe in them and have their best interests at heart, and will not abandon them. This provides a safety net as they navigate the complexities of this world.

Courage

A strong foundation helps children take risks and venture out into the world to be their best. And courage is at the root of it all. When we love our children with no strings attached, we also give them courage to make mistakes, and fail but still find the strength to try again because they become fearless when enveloped in love.

Confidence

As a rite of passage, teenagers struggle with questions of likeability. Is their worth tied to their looks? Their accomplishments? Or their uniqueness? Should they try to please their peers in order to be likeable? Are they valuable human beings simply for who they are and the values they hold high and live by? While love may not cast out self-doubt entirely, it instils confidence and self-reliance that can carry a child through these difficult periods of development.

Reciprocation

In a world driven by an attitude of ‘What can others do for me’, love encourages the ‘What can I do for you’ attitude. A child who has received unconditional love learns to reciprocate in kind.

Communication

Mutual love lets us speak our minds with no fear of judgement or consequences. A child who feels loved also learns to communicate with due respect. And communication is the key to any successful relationship.

More than mere words

On the other hand, just mechanically saying the words, “I love you” does not accomplish much. And potentially, those words may not mean much to a child who hears it too often and therefore ceases to pay attention to it.

Rather than focussing on just saying the words, it is important to communicate in a way that is meaningful to the child. The expression of love that deeply connects a parent with their child is unique to their relationship. One child revels in physical affirmations like hugs, cuddles and kisses; another might prefer quality time playing games or completing a project together. While one child feels overwhelming love via special actions that parents do for them, like taking them to a favourite park or cooking a favourite meal, another might blossom under repeated words of affection—not idle praise, but true words of appreciation and acknowledgement.

The best way to convey the “I love you” message to your child is to know which of these several ways of expressions resonates with them the most. Ask them who loves them, and why they think so. This will give an insight into what form of interchange the child responds to when it comes to love. The language of love translates to the intangible bond of affection that the child recognises and appreciates. Once your child becomes aware of the various things you are doing to show your love, s/he will start to feel it and delight in it.

Some ways you can convey your love

• Pack your child’s favourite lunch as a surprise and add a little note or a poem in the lunch bag
• Put away all electronic devices and other distractions and focus on having a conversation with your child about their school day
• Cuddle on the sofa and read their favourite book
• Go to a cricket match or concert to enjoy an afternoon together while you accumulate memories
• Offer words of acknowledgement and appreciation with no conditions attached.

Learning to speak the language of love that your child understands is a skill that is essential for establishing a positive relationship that flourishes over time.

It is especially difficult to communicate your love when your child is misbehaving or attracting negative attention. By separating the behaviour from the fact that your child has your unconditional love, it is easier to set the expectations for appropriate behaviour.

Even if the no-frills verbal “I love you” does not feel natural or easy for you, it is still worth the effort to identify when such an expression of love is best received, and in what mode and manner. With practice, we can get over our own discomfort and arrive at the most comfortable way to express our love. By declaring each and every day that we love our children, we keep the attachment strong and, at the same time, reassure and nurture our children to flex their wings and fly.

The post How to make your children know that they are loved appeared first on Complete Wellbeing.