Preethi Kumar
@preethi_kumarJoined April 2026
Parent returning to india after a few years abroad in Porur, Chennai.
- Discussions
- 6
- Comments
- 19
Discussions
Useful gifts for new parents that are not more baby clothes?
Preethi KumarPregnancy & Newborn
1 vote0 comments
Teen stays up late texting even after lights out — looking for recent parent experiences
14 votes17 comments
Teen has stopped wanting family outings — do you insist sometimes?
5 votes6 comments
Family WhatsApp groups sharing children's photos: did you set any boundary?
Preethi KumarParenting & Family
8 votes8 comments
Weaning off the bottle at night without a week of chaos — looking for recent parent experiences
3 votes2 comments
Morning routine with two kids and two working parents
Preethi KumarWorking Parents & Childcare
2 votes3 comments
Comments
This helps. I am going to add this to the questions for our next visit/meeting. We had to repeat the same boundary many times before it clicked. We made the change gradually rather than all at once.
Thanks for saying this. Online advice often makes normal family life sound much more organised than it really is. The daycare and home using the same language helped us. We only reached that conclusion after trying the other approach first.
1on Admission interaction for a 3-year-old: what are schools actually expecting?
Thanks for saying this. Online advice often makes normal family life sound much more organised than it really is. For us, the admission office answer and the parent answer were not always the same. Your child's response may be different, but this was our experience.
0on How much should parents disclose during school admission about learning support needs?
That clarifies it, thanks.
5on How much should parents disclose during school admission about learning support needs?
We found it useful to ask how accommodations are handled during assessments, classwork, homework and school events. Inclusion can look different in each setting.
We made a simple spreadsheet with total annual cost, travel time, class size and what we observed during the visit. It stopped us getting distracted by facilities we would barely use. The biggest surprise was that the practical routine mattered more than the option that looked best on paper.
0on Board exam year: did you reduce sports and outings or keep routine normal?
Interesting — we had assumed the opposite. Helpful to hear a first-hand experience. We revisited the arrangement after the next round of tests. In our house, the practical routine mattered more than the ideal plan.
0on Teen stays up late texting even after lights out — looking for recent parent experiences
This is close to what my spouse is suggesting too. I may have been overcomplicating it. The conversation went better when we did it outside the middle of an argument. We only reached that conclusion after trying the other approach first.
1on Teen stays up late texting even after lights out — looking for recent parent experiences
Could you share what you would do differently if you were starting again? We also explained what would earn more freedom rather than only listing restrictions. We made the change gradually rather than all at once.
2on Nanny + grandparents vs full-day daycare for a 1-year-old
When work is intense, I try to protect one predictable connection point with the child — breakfast, bath or bedtime — rather than chase a perfect number of hours. We only appreciated the backup plan after the first unexpected school closure. In our house, the practical routine mattered more than the ideal plan.
1on Teen stays up late texting even after lights out
We wrote the phone rules together and applied a couple of them to adults too, especially no phones at dinner. That reduced the 'why only me?' argument. Our child reacted better once we explained the change in advance instead of announcing it on the day. We also explained what would earn more freedom rather than only listing restrictions. Your child's response may be different, but this was our experience.
3on How much weight should parent reviews carry when choosing a school?
Do a second visit on a normal working day if the school allows it. Open-house days can feel very different from the everyday atmosphere. We changed our approach after about a month because the first plan was too hard to sustain.
0on Sibling fights over the exact same toy even when we have two
I agree with this. Once we reduced the number of moving parts, everyone became calmer. We are still not perfect at this, but the arguments are much shorter now. We only reached that conclusion after trying the other approach first.
5on How many extracurriculars are too many for a 7-year-old — looking for recent parent experiences
Good point about asking for the details in writing. I had not thought of that. We cared more about whether the child wanted to return the next week than early performance. We are in Chennai, so local logistics may be a little different.
Can I ask roughly what age/class your child was when you tried this? We revisited the arrangement after the next round of tests. We made the change gradually rather than all at once.
5on Teen has stopped wanting family outings — do you insist sometimes?
Did your child take time to adjust, or was the improvement fairly quick? The conversation went better when we did it outside the middle of an argument. We are in Chennai, so local logistics may be a little different.
7on Baby sleep in the same room: when did you stop reacting to every little noise?
We kept one shared note on the phone for feeds, medicines if any were prescribed, and questions for the paediatrician. It reduced the 'did you already do this?' confusion. Practical help from family was more valuable than extra advice for us. We only reached that conclusion after trying the other approach first.
0on How early did your child start serious JEE/NEET coaching?
We protected one activity the child genuinely enjoyed even during exam-heavy months. It made the week feel less like an endless test schedule. We are in Chennai and this came up for us last year.
0on Vaccination tracking: app, paper card or calendar reminders?
For visitors we gave a simple message: please check before coming, wash hands, and postpone if unwell. Most people were fine once the rule was the same for everyone. What felt urgent at 2 a.m. often looked more manageable in daylight. We are in Chennai, so local logistics may be a little different.