Parenting is the most fulfilling job that we will ever have and there's nothing more important than it but it always comes with its own set of challenges. Modern family life is not always easy but ultimately we all want the best for our kids.

Last Sunday, I had the opportunity to attend the Millennial’s Guide to Parenthood, this event is organized yearly by Parenthood Magazine to navigate you throughout your journey in parenting and it's facilitated by Sunway Medical Center. You'll be guided through this information-based workshop by an experienced pediatrician, dietitian, and psychologist.

The primary goal of parent support programs is to provide support and information in ways that help parents become more capable and competent.

There are interesting topics such as:-

#1 Managing the 5 Most Common Children's Illnesses

#2 How to Handle Picky Eaters - What Parents Can Do

#3 Why is Indoor Air Wellness Important?

#4 How to Bring out the Best Potential in your Child.

The morning started with our first topic that talked about How to Manage The 5 Most Common Children’s Illnesses by Consultant Paediatrician Dr. Cham Weng Tang. So here are the top 5 illnesses - Common Cold, Hands Foot and Mouth Disease (HFMD), Influenza, Diarrhoea, and Dengue. Some are preventable by vaccination. I believe prevention is better than cure, what about you?

Here's a tip I learned from the talk, we often overlooked our walls which makes a good medium for the transmission of viruses and bacteria.

The next topic we had was How to Handle Picky Eaters and What Parents Can Do by dietician Celeste Lau. First of all, as a parent we should learn how to differentiate a picky eater versus a problem eater. After identifying the problem, Celeste shared how to handle picky eaters and how parents can introduce a wider variety of food selection in order for their child to thrive and grow.

After a short break and a full spread of buffet, we had Dato’ Dr Rajbans Singh, President of Malaysian Wellness Society, spoke on the topic of Why is Indoor Air Wellness Important? He highlighted how indoor air pollution can be 2 to 5 times worse than outdoors. With harmful pollutants all over the home, and in places one would never have thought of, he mentioned that this could affect a child’s health in the long term. Besides that, Dato’ Dr. Rajbans also shared some steps on how parents can take positive steps to improve indoor wellness, starting from home.

A hot topic among parents was How to Bring Out The Best Potential in Your Child by Ms. Sam Jeng Mun who is a clinical psychologist. It begins with an assessment that helps determine the type of parenting, followed by a deeper understanding of their own personality and how it affects your children mentally.

There is “one-size fits all” when it comes to parenting, we change and adapt as our children grow. However, following some simple positive parenting tips can help when it comes to your relationship with your child.

Genuinely Parenthood Magazine Malaysia organized one of the best parenting workshops ever, the content was great and I really appreciate the insights that were provided to help us know ourselves better, when it comes to parenting, there's no "one-size fits all", we change and learn to adapt as our children grow and following simple, positive parenting tips really helps to maintain our relationship with our children.

For more information about other workshops, do check out Parenthood

Website: http://www.parenthoodmedia.com.my

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ParenthoodMalaysia/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/parenthood.magazine/

Nippon Paint Wellness Colouring Contest

Aside from the talks by experts, Millennial’s Guide to Parenthood 2019 also hosted close to 200 nominees from the Nippon Paint Wellness Colouring Contest. The Nippon Paint Wellness Colouring Contest is part of an initiative by Nippon Paint Malaysia to educate pre-school children on the importance of wellness and staying healthy. There were about 6,500 students from 56 schools around Kuala Lumpur and Selangor that participated in the coloring contest.

The Colouring Contest was divided into 2 different categories:

• Category 1- Students aged 3 to 4-years-old

• Category 2- Students aged 5 to 6-years-old

All 200 nominees were presented with a Mini Picasso Appreciation Plaque and a Wellness Blobby to bring home. Out of the 200 nominees, 26 students were shortlisted to be in the running of winning the grand prize of a 2 day 1 night trip to Legoland Malaysia and a School-Makeover-Painting Package worth RM3,000.

For more information on the Nippon Paint Wellness Campaign, head on to www.nipponpaint.com.my