The once unclogged arterial roads are now blocked again, as parents strive to get their children to their schools on time. (Lee Hoagland/The National)
The once unclogged arterial roads are now blocked again, as parents strive to get their children to their schools on time. (Lee Hoagland/The National)

Summer’s gone



The summer holiday has ended and children are back to school this week after long months of relaxed routine. The once unclogged arterial roads are now blocked again, as parents strive to get their children to their schools on time.
The end of summer means a total change of routine for many children, from staying up late to sleeping early, and from spending long hours playing video games to (spending rather fewer) studying and doing homework. The first weeks of term are always the toughest on both children and their parents to organise schedules and work out ways to fix sleeping patterns, improve diets, plan school activities and mentally prepare their children for school.
Getting children to stick to a strict bedtime routine is probably the hardest but most important task. As The National reported last week, lack of sleep can have a negative impact on children's cognitive processes, impairing their attention in the classroom and affecting their thinking, reasoning and problem solving skills.
The role of parents in supporting children to adjust to their school routine and improve their performance is critical and requires time and attention throughout the academic year. Parents, if you are reading this after 11pm, are your little ones in bed?

Vidaamuyarchi

Director: Magizh Thirumeni

Stars: Ajith Kumar, Arjun Sarja, Trisha Krishnan, Regina Cassandra

Rating: 4/5

 

DMZ facts
  • The DMZ was created as a buffer after the 1950-53 Korean War.
  • It runs 248 kilometers across the Korean Peninsula and is 4km wide.
  • The zone is jointly overseen by the US-led United Nations Command and North Korea.
  • It is littered with an estimated 2 million mines, tank traps, razor wire fences and guard posts.
  • Donald Trump and Kim Jong-Un met at a building in Panmunjom, where an armistice was signed to stop the Korean War.
  • Panmunjom is 52km north of the Korean capital Seoul and 147km south of Pyongyang, North Korea’s capital.
  • Former US president Bill Clinton visited Panmunjom in 1993, while Ronald Reagan visited the DMZ in 1983, George W. Bush in 2002 and Barack Obama visited a nearby military camp in 2012. 
  • Mr Trump planned to visit in November 2017, but heavy fog that prevented his helicopter from landing.