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As ‘Children’s Day’ is around the corner, we thought we would ask some parents about navigating the challenges of raising children, their concerns, and how they are ensuring their child grows up in the best possible environment.

Aayush Shakya, 29

As a first-time parent, I must admit that I’m a little lost. With my knowledge of child psychology, I try to understand him when he throws tantrums. But I worry about him all the time. I don’t know what he is going through or what he wants. I don’t know if he’s feeling unwell or if he wants food. I’m pretty clueless most of the time.  

It’s true that a child’s upbringing has an impact on his/her mental health as well. S/he will grow up to be a good person if s/he is raised in a happy, understanding, and positive environment. I guess that’s a lot of pressure on the parents. I want to make sure my child gets a lot of love, care, and emotional support so that he becomes a well-grounded person in the future.

Usha Tamang, 38

Children are affected by their environment so every parent must make sure it’s conducive for a child’s growth. It’s the parent’s responsibility to ensure the child grows up well. Since I don’t know much about child psychology, I make it a point to be careful about how I deal with him. I’m concerned about his mental health since there can be so many triggers. Sometimes, we mistakenly raise our voices and my child feels bad. I fear this might have a negative impact in the long term though he doesn’t seem to be affected by it at the moment. However, I’m mindful of the fact that I must be cautious about my words and actions around him.   

Harsha Bahadur Shrestha, 60

Parents are responsible for their children and, I feel, it’s a lifelong responsibility. We must guide them in a way that promotes critical thinking, social adaptability, and self-awareness. I think children learn a lot by looking at their peers, more so now than ever before so every parent must monitor their children’s circle when they are growing up. As for myself, I think I have done a fairly decent job in raising my children and teaching them good values. I think I have managed to steer them in the right direction, emphasizing on the need to make good decisions when picking friends and careers, as well as being professional without ever harming others.

Who doesn’t want to look and feel their best? But it’s not easy. You have to exercise and eat right and those are perhaps the most difficult things to do. Finding the time to exercise is next to impossible when you have a zillion chores at home and work deadlines to meet. Often, there are too many things to do and not enough hours in a day. But that doesn’t have to mean you can’t achieve your fitness goals. You just have to find innovative ways to squeeze some squats and lunges in your routine and get your heart rate up to burn those calories. We are here to arm you with some simple hacks to make fitness a part of your daily life, all without you having to set aside a fixed time for it.

 Make it a group activity

Go for a run or a Zumba workout with a friend. Enjoy a stroll after dinner with your partner. Play badminton with a neighbor. If you make fitness a group activity or engage in it with a partner, you will enjoy it and stick to it. 

 Dance to a song every day 

Play your favorite song and dance to it as soon as you get out of bed or before you take a shower. You can also do this in the evening after coming back from work. It will help you burn some calories as well as put you in a good mood.

 Do 20 squats every two hours

You can easily do about 120 to 150 squats in a day if you simply break it down and do 20 every two hours. You can do this at work too. Simply get up from your seat and do 20 squats before sitting down again. Squats are great to tone your calf and thigh muscles.

 Hydrate

Drink water. We can’t stress on this enough. If you are hydrated, you are less likely to reach for cold drinks or other sugary beverages when you are thirsty. Make sure you have at least eight large glasses of water every day.

 Play with kids or pets

If you have children or pets, this is a great way to feel good as well as get your heart pumping. Toss a ball or play chase to have a good time and make some memories while burning some calories.

 Focus on small things

You might not be able to go for a 40-minute walk, but you can make it a point to get in 500 steps after each meal. You might not be able to join a gym, but you can take the stairs instead of the elevator. Look for little things you can do to stay active. Don’t underestimate its power.

Walk when on the phone

If you are at home or at work and you have a phone call to make, do so moving around. Better, head out and go for a short walk. A 10-minute phone can fetch you a thousand steps. This is a really great way to get your step count up.

Stand on one leg

Studies have found that this feat of coordination provides a proper brain workout, improving neuroplasticity. There’s also the option to close your eyes to make it much more challenging. Do this while brushing your teeth, making tea, or while putting on makeup.

Switch up your commute

If you regularly use the car to go to work, consider walking or cycling to work at least once a day. You might have to leave half an hour early but the results will be worth it. You will also be lowering your carbon footprint and contributing to a cleaner planet.

Do some chores

Every day, do one chore around the house that you normally don’t do yourself. It could be sweeping the stairs, vacuuming the carpets, or cleaning the windows. You will have gotten some exercise in, freed up your house help’s time for something else and, best of all, you will have a clean house.

Use little pockets of time

The most common excuse people have for a lack of exercise in their lives is not having the time for it, yet most of us watch TV on a regular basis. During television breaks, get up and do something—10 burpees, 15 crunches, or some stretching. It all adds up at the end of the day.

Do a 10-minute YouTube workout

Really, nobody is so busy that they can’t do a 10-minute workout at home. There are fitness apps and YouTube channels that provide great mini workouts that can tone your entire body in minutes. If you can’t do anything else, make sure you do at least one of these every day.

Teej is the third day after the new moon that signifies the arrival of monsoon according to the Hindu calendar. Traditionally, it’s a day when married women pray for the long lives of their husbands. Today, it’s celebrated with much aplomb, with parties starting almost a month before Teej. ApEx spoke to some women to find out how they feel about the way the festival is being celebrated these days.

Sanjita Shakya, 21

I didn’t know about Teej until recently when I got to listen to some music on it and learned what it was all about. Newars don’t celebrate teej. But I like the concept of it now that I know about it. Families get together on this day and find a safe space to express their emotions. It’s quite lovely to think about. What I don’t like is that the celebrations are becoming commercial and people are using it as an excuse to party and do all kinds of random things. I don’t think we should take a serious festival so lightly.

Urmila Bhattarai Baral, 40

It’s an important celebration in our culture. Earlier, it used to be a day for women to get together and talk about their feelings and such. Now people have taken it to another level. There are parties being organized in banquets and hotels and people are drinking and dancing. It’s becoming a rather strange kind of culture. I believe we have to go back to our roots and enjoy it the way it was meant to be—as a religious festival where women came together, danced, and sang religious songs.

Samita Shrestha, 44

It’s one of the biggest festivals for Hindus. Earlier, the Newar community didn’t celebrate Teej but now there are many people who do. There’s a huge difference between how Teej used to be celebrated years ago and how it’s celebrated today. It was once a festival of feasting followed by fasting. Now, it’s become a reason for endless parties. Nevertheless, I think women should enjoy this festival as a day when they can forget all their worries, get together with their loved ones or simply be by themselves.

Sumitra Tamang, 63

I believe Teej is one of the greatest festivals in our culture. I love it that women come together to celebrate. In our village, we have lots of fun during Teej. Women come together and sing and dance. It’s a really vibrant atmosphere. I like how festive it feels and it makes me really happy.

Discrimination against women involves the unjust treatment, exclusion, or disadvantages women and girls face due to their gender. This can manifest in various areas, including employment, education, social and economic opportunities, and daily interactions. On the 1st of Falgun each year, prominent NGOs, INGOs, and leaders gather to discuss women's discrimination in Nepal. While these leaders often highlight progress, such as the rise of women like Bidya Devi Bhandari, Nepal’s second President, and Sushila Karki, the first female Supreme Court Chief Justice, significant challenges remain, especially for women in rural areas. Despite the visibility of women in ministerial positions, often from affluent and educated backgrounds, many women in Nepal still face severe discrimination.

Women in Nepal’s villages encounter significant barriers in education, healthcare, job payments, and exposure to sexual violence in places like schools, hospitals, and public transportation. Many rural women remain unpaid family workers, excluded from important family decisions.

Discrimination from birth

Gender-based discrimination starts at birth, particularly in Nepal's Madhes region. While a family may express joy at the birth of a first daughter, the arrival of a second or third girl often triggers disappointment and discrimination. Families may react negatively upon learning that a woman is expecting another girl, sometimes resorting to harmful practices like gender-based prenatal sex determination. This has led to higher rates of prenatal deaths for female fetuses, resulting in a gender imbalance. Currently, there are 1,290,525 male children and 1,148,758 female children aged 0–4 in Nepal, with the female population lagging by 141,767.

Educational disparities

Despite education being a fundamental right, girls in Nepal frequently face discrimination. Boys often receive better educational opportunities, such as attending private schools, while girls are sent to government schools. In middle-class families, boys might pursue higher education away from their villages, while girls remain confined to local options. In the Madhes region, many girls are married off after completing secondary education. In impoverished families, educational opportunities for girls are often non-existent. According to the Government of Nepal, the national literacy rate is 76.2 percent, with males at 83.6 percent and females at 69.4 percent. In Madhes Province, the literacy rate is even lower, with males at 72.5 percent and females at 54.7 percent.

Violence against women

Violence against women is a pressing issue in Nepal. The Women Rehabilitation Centre reports 1,175 registered cases, including 179 of domestic violence, 179 of rape, 115 of sexual abuse, 25 of human trafficking, 69 of child marriage, 47 of dowry-related violence, 24 of witchcraft allegations, and 130 of polygamy. Koshi Province has the highest number of domestic violence (358 cases) and rape (72 cases) incidents. Child marriage, sexual abuse, dowry-related violence, witchcraft allegations, and polygamy are more prevalent in Madhes Province.

Health care discrimination

Healthcare discrimination poses severe risks for women in Nepal. Accessing quality healthcare is often challenging due to poverty, lack of education, and inadequate transportation. Discrimination and mistreatment in medical settings further discourage women from seeking necessary care. Although Nepal has reduced its maternal mortality rate from 539 per 100,000 live births in 1996 to 239 per 100,000 live births in 2016, progress has slowed. Each preventable death is one too many.

Women’s leadership

The 2015 Constitution of Nepal mandates that at least one woman holds a high-ranking position among the President, Vice-President, Speaker, Deputy Speaker, and Chair or Vice-Chair of the National Assembly. At the local level, women must occupy at least one mayor or deputy mayor position, and women hold 40 percent of top political roles across Nepal’s 753 local governments. However, in the 2022 elections, there were only 25 women Mayors/Chairs, 562 Deputy Mayors/Vice-Chairs, and 69 Ward Chairs. Despite their roles, many women leaders still face challenges in making decisions without consulting their husbands.

Restrictions on women’s freedom

Women in Nepal face numerous societal and legal restrictions that limit their freedom. These constraints hinder their ability to fully participate in society and make independent decisions. Addressing these issues requires governmental action and societal change, including implementing laws to protect women’s rights and shifting cultural attitudes. Many girls are forced into marriage due to a lack of freedom, with parental figures making crucial life decisions on their behalf. Promoting women’s rights and empowerment is vital for building a more equitable society.

Gender discrimination in Nepal is a persistent and widespread problem that affects women and girls across the country. Our charity is dedicated to combating this discrimination, believing that everyone deserves respect and equality. Your support is crucial in helping us create a more just and equal society for all.