Some frightening facts have been released by the Planned Parenthood Federation. Their growing concern? Increasing sexual activity among preteen girls.
“Agency counselors throughout the country are overwhelmed by these kids,” states Dr. Gerry Oliva, medical director for the federation in San Francisco. Consequently, the agency is developing a special program just for girls nine to twelve who are “sexually active and need advice.” The simple fact is this: Telling a girl the facts of life when she’s ten or eleven may be too late!
You who are parents need to think it over . . . to come to terms with this business of communicating openly, tactfully, and intelligently with your children in the areas of intimacy. lt’s a parental task that must be handled with great care and wisdom—but it must be handled. Obviously, it is not to be directed only toward the girls, but to boys as well. Nor should it be communicated only by mothers, but by both parents. God’s beautiful plan regarding conception and birth needs to be shared from a balanced perspective.
When you’re a mom, every moment with your child is worth capturing. Sure there may be the not so good times, but even then, you will also want those captured – at least that’s what I do. Because the time will come that you and your family would go back to everything laughing over and cherishing all those precious times together. Taking pictures came naturally for me- from the time that the hubby and I were in the delivery room, doing breathing exercises while I was on labor, up to now that our son is about to turn 5 years old.
Last Saturday, Bisolvon launched Alagang SuperMOMents Online Photo Contest. This is one fine avenue for moms to showcase their priceless photographs of bonding moments with their kids for the whole world to see. To join the contest, all you have to do is buy Bisolvon syrup and log on to www.alagangsupermom.com.ph. Register to join the contest. Upload your photo sharing a special moment with your child or family. Invite your friends to vote for your entry. Uploading period is from February 20, 2010 to April 20, 2010. The top 50 finalists will be posted for online voting from April 26, 2010, to May 16, 2010.
I appreciate the people behind Effective Parenting and their partnership with us parents, especially on giving these valuable insights. Sometimes as intentional as we are, we can still get too busy to look at the bigger picture.
To date, I still cannot say if our little guy will be more like Daniel or Samson. Regardless of whatever strengths and weaknesses he has or are still yet to manifest in the future, we hope to be able to continue doing the parenting skills that are shared in this article. Praying that we will be able to instill in him the things he will need to keep strong and press on towards glorifying God in his life.
Is Your Child a Daniel or a Samson?
Daniel was a good-looking young man and quite skilled and intelligent, qualified to serve in the king’s court. He also was a young man of conviction, determined to do what’s right yet creative and respectful with authority. God blessed him and he advanced to a high position in the kingdom.
Samson was also a good-looking young man and quite skilled and intelligent. But he was demanding, selfish, and lacked personal conviction. He was determined to do the wrong thing and had a particular weakness when it came to relationships with women.
It has been a while since I last wrote about our little guy and some of his milestones. Most of those that are academic related can be found in ChristianHomeschooler.info.
Jed fetching water for Mama. This was a couple of weeks afterOndoy struck. Explaining why Jed isn’t wearing shorts and the kitchen still in disarray. Most clothes are still in the laundry shop. Don’t worry, I asked permission if I could share this photo and he readily said okay. I will have to wait until he grows up, though. I might have to take the photos down when he changes his mind.
Something that I have been meaning to share is his being even more helpful around the house. Right from when he was two years old, he already insisted on helping me with the laundry – sorting and handing me the clothes hanger. He would volunteer himself for every possible task that he thinks he can help me with. As much as I could make use of help, really, there is no way a three year old be able to do anything major. Read the rest of this entry »
Allow us first to greet you all a very merry Christmas! We had such a meaningful Christmas get together with family as we shared with each other how God has been gracious this past year which I will later share in a post. God has been great through and through and we are expectant of an even wonderful 2010 as we continue to choose to glorify God in our lives.
As soon as we were done with our mini (informal) program, I checked if there was any additional entry in my mail who made it to the cut off and there was one. As soon as I got every single entry in, I hit the randomizer button. Without further ado, the winner of the $14.99 value book, The New Dare to Discpline by Dr. James Dobson and P500 worth of Starbucks GC is….
You have exactly 7 days left until Marriage and Beyond’s very first contest closes. We will declare the sole winner of the $14.99 value book of James Dobson and P500 Starbucks GC on Christmas Day! This is also a call to all who joined the contest to please check your entries if you have complied with the contest mechanics.
To join is easy:
1. Subscribe to MarriageandBeyond.com by clicking here.
2. Write about the contest in your blog.
3. Make sure to inlude a link in your post to the url of MarriageandBeyond.com.
4. Leave a comment here with a link to your post.
5. Increase your chances of winning by the number of comments you leave in this post. One comment per day, please.
6. Share your PayPal wish list hereand earn up to $100. I already have $42. (optional)
7. Contest ends December 24, 2009 at 11:59 PM . We will use random.org to raffle off the entries. Screenshot will be provided. Contest winner will be announced on Christmas, Dec. 25.
8. I will send the winner, The New Dare to Discipline book ($14.99 value) and 500 worth of Starbucks GCs as soon as Air21 resumes delivery after Christmas.
I love how Biblical Parenting makes it easy for us parents to bring together ideas and zero in on the essentials. I totally agree with today’s parenting tip. It is so easy to have children anticipate what is going to be out for them this holidays. To have them experience the joy of giving at an early age will surely go a long way.
Christmas is a highlight in the life of most children, but much of the benefit is focused on what they get. Of course one of the blessings of Christmas is giving, so look for ways to teach children generosity this year. Here are some ideas:
Involves kids in your gift giving strategy or help them develop their own. Planning, shopping, and wrapping can each provide ways for children to think about blessing others.
Anticipate with your children the delight others will experience when the gifts are opened. Help your child enjoy the fun others will have when receiving gifts.
Ask children the question: “What are you doing this year to make Christmas special for others?” This question alone can help teens think of others instead of just themselves. A short discussion can help move kids from selfish tendencies to generosity.
And most importantly, remind children of the generosity of God by sending us a special gift in his Son.
Meet Maricel Laxa-Pangilinan and get a signed copy of her newest book before it even hits the shelves! Come to the soft launch of
Meet My SuperDad on
December 12, Saturday at 10am
OMF Lit Bookshop Mandaluyong
Hurry! December 12 is the last day of OMF Lit Bookshop’s 12 Sale Days for Christmas. Get 20% off all OMF Literature books–including Meet My SuperDad! Meet My SuperDad is adventure-packed and eye-opening, teaching kids the value of family and giving everyone a fresh appreciation for the super qualities of fathers.
Cover: Paperback
Available: Yes
Price: P 65.00 (US$ 1.44)
BiblicalParenting.org has once again tackled another controversial topic. They rightly entitled it, “Be Careful with Triangles” and it explains why it is important for the husband and the wife to be a team when it comes to disciplining their child and the dynamics behind the different personalities in one’s family and how to go about them to promote healing, when hurt takes place.
Be Careful with Triangles
Triangles in relationships happen often in family life. Conflict between two people can become an invitation for another person to join in. If parents aren’t careful, and create triangles inappropriately, people get hurt. But if triangles are used properly, they become great opportunities for healing and learning. Here are some examples to watch out for:
• A child who is unhappy with Dad’s discipline may go to Mom and try to get her to overrule a decision.
• A dad may criticize the way Mom is handling a situation.
• A child may go to Dad with a proposal to get around Mom’s instructions.
• A teen may get angry with Mom for the way she’s treating his brother.
• One child may tattle on another.
Each of these situations represents an opportunity. Some advice suggests that triangles are always wrong and warn not to get involved. We don’t believe that’s the answer. Rather we suggest you triangle in as a counselor or coach instead of a critic.
I had the most interesting time with fellow mommies last Saturday, November 21, 2009, during the Johnson & Johnson’s Bedtime Discoveries event in Manila Peninsula. It zeroes in on the importance of sleep in a baby’s routine. Right from the moment my husband and I learned that we were pregnant, we were set on doing things right from the beginning. As a newbie parents-to-be, we investigated on different parenting techniques and were sold out to the routine principles of Babywise. We can totally vouch for it even as this little guy we have who is now 4 years old has been sleeping through the night since he turned two months old and more than just that he has been one happy baby since.
the very pregnant and lively Ms. Christine Bersola-Babao hosted the event
The Bedtime Discoveries event affirmed the way we raised our son, even as Dr. Luis Rivera, Vice President of Philippine Society of Sleep Medicine further explained how essential sleep is in a baby’s daily routine. Although we strongly believe in getting a baby into a routine, we also made sure as well that we do not have a rigid one, this is when it comes to feeding and every other baby’s activity during the day. But when it comes to our baby’s sleep routine, a schedule one was essential. This allowed for him to condition himself and anticipate what’s next, over time. We first wash him up before we get him ready for bed, baby massage and then we will read his baby picture Bible. He’s had it since he was a few months old. This routine worked wonders for him.
Dr. Luis Rivera, Vice-President of the Philippine Society of Sleep Medicine
Toddler sleep regression, is it even the right term for it? My son has been sleeping in his own bed since he turned two. But lately since the storm, we co-sleep more often. His bed was soaked in flood water and had to be thrown away. We all went back to the family bed, which was actually “banig” for sometime, because of our circumstance.
We have since were able to replace his thrown bed with an airbed and his bed box with a double bunk bed. Although he still sleeps in his room at night, he would cry out in the middle of the night and get to our bed. The regression is probably caused by the calamity that befell us but last night he successfully slept through the night in his own bed. Don’t get me wrong, I love him in our bed but aside from those flying kicks and karate chops that I get in my deepest sleep, our queen sized bed just won’t fit the three of us comfortably anymore. He’s growing bigger everyday and his tendency to be like a heat seeking missile since he was a tiny infant is still there. It crams me toward the hubby. I sleep in between them and I actually will not be surprised if dear daddy falls off the bed one of these days.
It’s now or never — at least when it comes to teaching children the value of time and the discipline of time management.
“Parenting experts have said it time and again—childhood is the best time to ingrain the skill of time management,” points out Kelvin Ngo, Operations Manager of Kids Watch Central. “Studies tell us that 80% of a typical workday is wasted on unimportant tasks and wasted time – a statistic that could have been prevented if only these adults had been disciplined early on.”
To help raise awareness on the importance of time management among children, Kids Watch Central will be holding Kids Watch Central Family Fun Summit 2009 a parenting seminar on time management that takes this issue head-on. “It may sound like a cliché, but now’s the right time to do something about it;
Real Mothers, Real Lessons
“What makes Kids Watch Central Family Fun Summit 2009 different is that the lessons from it are not textbook-based. The insights that will be shared are from real-life mothers who actually had to experience teaching their kids first-hand,” notes Ngo.
My son and I went on a playdate with other mommy bloggers and our kids, at Active Fun SM North Annex, late this afternoon. Too bad the other mommies got caught in the terrible Metro traffic that was brought about by the most anticipated long weekend. My son had no less than 3 hours of fun, to say the least. And if I wouldn’t call it a day, he wouldn’t have left the place at all. Putting it simply, it is a child’s wonderland.
my son, Jed, having the time of his life at Active Fun SM North Annex.
A follow up to Parent Talk 101 last April is Parent Talk 102: Developing Responsible Teens. With Pastor Clem Guillermo. This will be held on October 17, 2008, Saturday, 9 A.M. to 4 P.M. at Cinema 11, SM City North Edsa. Tickets at P200 each.
I feel very grateful for having a husband who I am a team with when it comes to parenting. Some have to do child rearing by themselves. Through past mistakes and sometimes no fault of their own, a handful of adults have to parent their child without a spouse’s help. While we see it as a challenge to train up a child, it is even doubly hard for a single parent.
While this is not the picture that God has planned for a child to grown up in, we have to remember that ours is not a perfect world. Wiser single parents will thrive and still teach their children the same godly principles in bringing them up even without a spouse present.
I may never know how it is to parent a child single handedly, but this much I know, honesty and integrity should be a priority. As a child grows, he or she will be driven to ask why the other parent does not live with them. Make sure to emphasize that even as you admit to your child that you committed a mistake in the past, that he is NOT a mistake. If you happen to be divorced or separated, emphasize as well that God’s plan is for husband and wife to remain married to each other for as long as they live. This is an important foundation you will be teaching your child. In the event that you fail to mention this to him, he may grow up thinking that the default of married couples is the same as your situation. Never speak evil of your former spouse. This will prove to be a challenge especially if you think you have enough reason to hold a grudge against him or her. Allow your child to form their own opinions of both his parents as he matures.
