Growing up is fun

Updated on: Tuesday, October 04, 2011

When things go wrong, parents still love their children and want them to be safe. With a message of encouraging communication in the family, Manjiri Gokhale Joshi, a former journalist who now heads project management at Primal Pictures in London, recently launched her book Crushes, Careers and Cellphones at Alchon International School.

Released by Vitasta Publishing Private Limited, the book is being marketed and distributed by The Times Group Books and is priced at Rs 195.

"Technology has changed the way we communicate. With new modes of communication such as the internet, there are chances that our children may be exposed and so it is important that our children be safe. There are various issues and secret fears like sexual harassment, teenage pregnancies, drinking, etc, that are never openly discussed in a family. I feel it is very important for parents to communicate with their children. That way, parents will know what is going on in their children's life. I have tried not to be preachy but I do believe there are certain parts in the book that readers would feel is a strict view," says Joshi.

She got inspiration from her daughter aged 12, and her stepdaughter aged 18. She also got inspiration from working in the HR department of a BPO where she met all kinds of youngsters and had interesting conversations with them.

While working at the BPO, she came across a youngster who needed help and his parents were unaware about the problem that he was facing. "He only had chocolate and cigarettes and as a result he was finding it difficult to adjust to the BPO shifts." This was one of the incidents while working at the BPO that provoked her to think and write.

Once she started writing the book, Joshi realised that the book would be incomplete without involving youngsters to capture the bigger picture. "My daughters wrote rejoinders on the concerns I had raised. We invited 44 children /youngsters to write for us on various issues. It was interesting to read what they wrote," she informs.

She feels that youngsters need to know that there are certain things that will not be tolerated. "In our home, we don't tolerate lies. My children know that if they lie, they are in trouble. We appreciate it when they are open. I live in London where I have noticed very often youngsters begin drinking at a young age. Their parents may not know about it. Youngsters must be aware that their drinks can be laced and that they should be careful," says Joshi.

On the message she would like to convey to youngsters, Joshi says,"I would like youngsters to know that growing up is fun, but at the same time they should be careful and also have certain values," she concludes.

Times of India

Growing up is fun

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