Baby Steps to Big Dreams:Book Review

Review of Dr. Pooja Manjula Shroff's book - Baby Steps to Big Dreams - Essential Conversation for Modern Parents.

• Title - Baby Steps to Big Dreams - Essential Conversation for Modern Parents.
• Author – Dr. Manjula Pooja Shroff
• Year published – 24 August 2023
• Publisher - Vitasta Publishing Private Limited
• Pages - 248
• Genre – Parenting / Family and Relationship
• Format - Hardcover

Did you know, accurate reasoning and logical conversations work wonders for the psychological development of children? The art of parenting requires patience, a little bit of jockeying, tactfulness, switching between roles and many more skills that vary based on the unique qualities and characteristics of each child. By engaging in meaningful and open dialogues with children, parents provide a nurturing environment that promotes growth, learning, and emotional well-being. This book on parenting conversations is intended to act as a reference tool for parents, to make them better equipped to navigate the developmental years of their children from birth to teenage years. The hope and aim is to endow you with processes and methods to achieve what we all strive to do – protect our children’s childhood and help them grow into confident and mature young adults with self-esteem.

Book #3 of 2024

Rating - 5🌟

This year, I decided to read more nonfiction; this is my 3^rd one! I chose this book as I found the title and tagline interesting. Right from the first line, I found myself nodding along, and as I kept reading, I discovered many relatable things.

The author has worked with child psychologists and experts in the field, including counselors who help children with their emotional and social well-being.

The book is divided into nine chapters, covering different stages of a child's life, starting from when they are still in the womb till the teen years!

 It talks about handling young kids, communication, making them comfortable around new people, and being mindful of their fears. It emphasizes the importance of being a good role model and using effective communication.

One section that stood out to me was about dealing with sibling rivalry, where the author gives tips to turn it into positive sibling relationships. I think many parents will find this part of the book helpful.

While dealing with kids up to 10 years seems difficult to parents with small kids, I feel the preteen and teen years are the most difficult to handle! Having kids under these categories, I now feel the toddler and primary school age were golden!

 The book does an excellent job addressing preteens and teens, covering everything from approaching them to discussing sensitive topics. There are practice questions in these chapters that parents can answer to understand their teens better. I found this section to be beneficial.

The book tackles various issues such as social media, drugs, teen romance, abuse, anger, aggression, etc. It provides tips on how to handle these situations and be supportive of them in difficult circumstances.

All these make it a valuable handbook for parents. The practical tips are helpful for quick reference, and the concise sections make the information easy to digest. Parents can use this all through the child’s milestones and reread the sections that are relevant for that life stage.

Parenting can be daunting, leaving many feeling lost, but books like these are undeniably helpful. A 5/5 star rating from me.

A pioneering visionary, edupreneur Dr. Manjula Pooja Shroff, MD & CEO of the Kalorex group, is a name synonymous with education in India. She has influenced the lives of more than 65,000 students over the past decades. Driven by a passion for excellence, she has dedicated her entire life to the empowerment of students and the advancement of education.