Experts In The Fields of Parenting, Management, And Investment Share Valuable Parenting Tips

Secrets to parenting a teen

Wynn Burkett, Career and Executive Coach

Teens act defiantly and disagree with their parents because it's their developmental mission to push parents away. Differentiation and individuation are psychological stages that teens need to go through to reach autonomy, which is the desirable state. Autonomy happens when they're in their early 20s when they are both separated and connected to their parents.

In some ways, you can feel grateful that your teen feels comfortable enough with you to act in the worst possible way(s) because she knows that you're going to continue to love and support her. Research shows that 80% of teens like and respect their parents, and enjoy spending time with them. So, even though it feels like you're always in some kind of a conflict, know that underneath it all, your child really respects you and wants to spend time with you. Mindfulness can help parents deal with this phase better. It can reduce your stress and give you more insights into your own reactions so that you can slow them down.

Wynn Burkett is a career and executive coach, and the author of The Power of Mindful Parenting: A Guide To More Connection and Less Conflict With Your Teen. For the complete interview, visit: https://www.parentcircle.com/interview-with-wynn-burkett-about-mindful-parenting/article

Children need love, limits, and laughter

Dr Justin Coulson, Parenting Expert

Every family needs the three Ls.

The first L is LOVE. To a child, LOVE is spelled TIME. When parents frequently say things like, "You should have done this," or "How many times do I have to tell you?" their children are not feeling a lot of love.

The second L is LIMITS. We can't raise good children without boundaries. They need to know what is right and what is wrong. But here again, a lot of parents think that discipline means punishment. Let's say you have a 3-year-old who's throwing a big tantrum. Some parents may ask you to ignore him or lock him up in his room. But I say, "No, you need to go over to him and help him." Those parents may say, "But you're rewarding his bad behavior." My response is, "No, you're responding to his big emotion."

The third L is LAUGHTER. Wouldn't it be great if we could help our children see that we are human and that we want to have fun with them? There are so many ways to laugh with them, lie on the floor and wrestle with them and tickle them, tell jokes, or turn some music on and dance in the kitchen!

Dr Justin Coulson is a parenting expert, a parent of six girls, and the author of the bestseller, 21 Days To A Happier Family. For the complete interview, check: https://www.parentcircle.com/interview-with-dr-justin-coulson-about-how-to-be-a-happier-family/article

4 traits of a great manager

Prof G Raghuram, Former Director of IIMB

The four traits of a great manager are:

• Ability to focus: It's very easy to get distracted in today's world, where there is an information overload. With focus and discipline, one can find solutions to various problems, and that in turn will build confidence and conviction.
• Critical thinking and creative thinking: Ask questions. Why are things being done the way they are? How else can I achieve the same goals?
• Ability to work in groups: Nothing gets executed by an individual. So, listening to others, trying to understand their perspectives, and then building a consensus is important.
• Being open to change: In an organization, there are processes and rules. Sometimes you may need to go beyond a rule to achieve a purpose that is more meaningful.

Prof G Raghuram was the director of IIMB, dean (faculty) at IIMA, vice-chancellor of the Indian Maritime University, and Indian Railways chair professor. For the complete interview, visit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gVn7DapQ82Q&t=422s

Invest in stocks, FDs, govt bonds

Saurabh Mukherjea, Equity Strategist

Regardless of how much a family earns, the first priority for any family should be to build a security layer:

• You should have money in high-quality fixed deposits (FDs) and government bonds to cover the next three years' worth of living expenses.
• Next, for families where children are in school and are aspiring to go to a good university, the stability layer also hinges on planning for children's education and planning for retirement.
• Once you've saved enough to give your child a good education and yourself a secure retirement, only then should you start thinking of your aspirations. For example, a holiday cottage in the Himalayas.

RBI data shows that 95% of Indian households' wealth consists of real estate and gold. These are two asset classes that don't create any wealth. Only 5% of Indian households investments are financial assets. Remember, you're not going to send your child to college by melting your gold bars. You're going to send your child to college by building a good portfolio of stocks, government bonds, and FDs with respectable banks. Similarly, your retirement cannot be funded by melting your bars of gold every year. Because we come from a country that was extremely poor till 20 years ago, the insecurities have stayed with us. And the insecurities drive our purchase behavior and investment behavior. Shedding insecurity and moving towards a simpler, more spiritual, de-cluttered type of rationality is important.

Saurabh Mukherjea is the founder of Marcellus Investment Managers and the co-author of The Victory Project: Six Steps to Peak Potential. For the complete interview, check: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dPquQ-e1b9Q&feature=youtu.be