Writers’ Paradise

Forgive me for misleading you. The toilets in Delhi, the capital of India, are not state of the art but the most dirty and ill-managed toilets in the world.
There are public urinals for men every where; men can spend their penny literally on road-side. Urinating men are as common a sight as cows in the middle of the roads.
The public toilets not only stink like hell, they are scattered with filth too. Moreover, you have to pay to use them. The roofs leak, nobody cleans the floors or the toilets. I always empty my bladder before leaving home, but sometimes the nature does the unexpected and I have to attend to the nature’s call. But Delhi’s toilets give me shivers. Ugh!

What could be more fundamental than washing and drying your hands? And yet many children start school without this skill. Imagine how proud and confident your child feel if she knows how to wash hands when asked to do so. Using a sink can be quite tricky for a child first; start with a bowl of water, as explained here.

You will need:

• Large plastic bowl
• Tray
• Bar of soap on a soap dish or pump soap dispenser
• Two hand towels

1. Place the bowl on the tray with the other items to the right ( or left, if your child is left hand). Half fill the bowl with water.
2. Wet your hands and rub soap over your hands slowly so that your child can see that you are covering your hands with the soap. Place the soap back on th dish, or, if you are using a pump dispenser, remind your child that you only need one or two squirts.
3. Rinse your hands in the water. Dry your hands using a towel-again slowly, so your child can see you drying all parts of your hands.
4. As you replace the dirty water with the clean water, ask your child why the water needs to be changed before she washes her hands. (Show her dirty water as a clue). Invite your kid to try.
5. When your child has mastered washing her hands, explain why and when we need to wash our hands. After using the toilet, before meals, and before cooking, remind your child to wash her hands, until she remembers for herself. Remember to lead by example.

If ever there was a good habit that should be learnt at an early age, then cleaning your teeth is it. Enlist the help of your dentist, who will help to explain why we need to clean our teeth. Explain when we need to brush our teeth, including after meals and bedtime. Take this opportunity to explain why we don’t share toothbrushes and towels.

You will need:

• Two toothpastes
• Large plastic bowl
• Tube of toothpaste
• Two cups
• Face mirror on a stand
• Medium jug filled with water
• Two hand towels
• Tray

1. Put thematerials, with the mirror in the centre. Half-fill on ecup with water and put it to the right of the bowl. Keep your child’s tooth brush, cup and towel on the tray and place out of reach until it is his turn.
2. Release the top of the toothpaste tube and squeeze out a small amount ( no bigger than the size of a pea).
3. Brush your teeth and gums slowly, while looking in the mirror. This will help your child to understand how to use mirror.
4. Rinse out your mouth with water from the cup. With the remaining water, pour over the toothbrush and clean the bristles. Wipe your mouth with towel.
5. Bring your child’s materials forward, and make sure they are set out in the same positions you had before.