coral_fern_1067

0·21 Oct 2026·on Moved dinner to 7 so I can eat with the kids before my US calls. Nobody's hungry at 7

Tried the fruit-only snack last night. The 10 year old ate a proper dinner, with some complaints about the fruit. My daughter still thinks 7 is too early but sat with us, which was the point. One night isn't proof, but it's a start. Moving one call is a good idea; I'll raise it with the team after Diwali.

1·20 Oct 2026·on Which outgrown baby things are fine to pass on, and which should just be thrown?

It has been years for me, but my rule was simple: if it had straps, buckles or a frame and I didn't know its full history, it didn't go to a stranger. Clothes, books and soft toys went freely. Our society had a building group for exactly this, so check whether yours does before looking further.

0·19 Oct 2026·on Laptops for everything from grade 6, so we're looking at Valli High School in Shaikpet

Not from Valli, and not a switch I've made, but I'll share how I'd see the tradeoff, since my son is also 10. The screen worry is real; I'd still separate it from the board decision. You'd be changing the screen situation, the teaching style and the exam pattern all at once. If the laptop programme is the main problem, it may be worth asking the current school how much of the day is on screens before deciding the rest. If you're unhappy with the IB approach generally, then the switch makes more sense.

0·16 Oct 2026·on Is it awkward to ask the admissions office what a 4 year old is expected to know?

A puzzle she hadn't seen may have been the point, though. I'd guess they wanted to see how she approaches something new, not whether she'd practised it. Which fits with 'no preparation needed', in a way.

2·23 Sept 2026·on I teach at a university and my daughter would rather learn physics from YouTube

That's the trade-off in our house too. I can help my daughter with maths, but she'd rather ask a classmate. What has worked a little is her telling me upfront: one question, five minutes. I keep to it, mostly.

2·23 Sept 2026·on Weekend drama or theatre class for a 7 year old around Masab Tank?

Ours did a summer theatre workshop at about 7 that ended with a short performance for parents. The performance was what he loved; the weeks before it were just the build-up. Ask whether a term ends in some kind of show. It keeps them going.

1·12 Sept 2026·on Preschool is teaching the whole class a few signs for a classmate who doesn't speak. Should we learn them too?

I'd learn them. A friend's son picked up a few signs at his playschool and used them for months whenever he was too upset to get words out. They turned out to be useful for him, not only for the child they were first taught for.

2·7 Sept 2026·on Grandson does homework at our place. Do I correct his mistakes or leave them?

I'd partly disagree. If it's the same word three times, he isn't making a slip, he simply doesn't know it. Leaving it means he practises the wrong spelling three times over. We let one-off slips go but fix anything repeated, and the teacher still gets a fair picture.

0·29 Aug 2026·on Toddler screams every time we wipe her face after food

Ha, the forty-minute mirror stage. With our son a wet hand worked better than any cloth. He'd let me wash his face with my palm, like at the tap, but the cloth was the enemy. It still took a few weeks before the crying stopped.

0·29 Jul 2026·on Daughter is in class 10. Do we need to start on class 11 applications now?

From what I've gathered, junior colleges mostly go after the results, and it's the schools with their own tests that start early. I'm still checking, so don't treat that as settled.

0·28 Jul 2026·on Daughter is in class 10. Do we need to start on class 11 applications now?

The preschool round is its own sport. At least she won't have pre-boards.

2·11 Jul 2026·on Do any schools let a class 8 kid sit in on a normal day before you apply for class 9?

Worth asking. The tradeoff, as I see it, is that a visit tells you about the children and the pace of the class, but very little about how teachers respond to a weak test or a struggling child, which matters more in class 9 and 10. Neither a sit-in nor an open day really gives you that, so I would use both and still talk to current parents.

4·25 Jun 2026·on Is there school transport for LKG children at Keshav Concept School, or do Marredpally parents hire vans?

I can't tell you about Keshav. On vans in general, we've used school transport for years, and the questions I'd ask anywhere are whether there's an attendant on every trip, where the youngest children sit, and who calls you if the van is running late. Also find out where your daughter would fall on the route. A 4 year old who is first on and last off can spend an hour in that van.

2·7 Jun 2026·on He'll only walk if I hold one finger, so I spend every evening bent double doing laps of the flat

Our elder one did this. We switched from my finger to her holding a small toy in each hand, a block or a ring, while I walked next to her. She seemed to think she was still holding on to something. A couple of weeks later she was walking with a block and without me.

0·24 May 2026·on neighbour in our block asks for my 10 yr old's marks every time we're in the lift

I used to give the numbers just to end the conversation. Then my daughter overheard me telling a neighbour her maths mark and was upset for a week, and she was right to be. Since then I only say how she did if she's said I can. It does make a few conversations awkward, and I haven't found a way round that part.

2·2 May 2026·on What should I be listening for when family praises pre-nursery at Academic Heights, Falaknuma?

One more for the list: what happens when a pre-nursery child misses a lot of days in the first months, with colds or family functions. Some schools are relaxed at that age, some send notes home. Better to know before joining.

2·10 Apr 2026·on State board for class 3? Asking about Shiny Scholar School, Mehdipatnam

We didn't switch, but we came close when our son was in class 2, for the same reason. What stopped us was thinking about the move back. If you go state board for primary and want CBSE again in class 6, there's an adjustment in the other direction too. Worth asking your partner whether this is for three years or for good.