I just love the articles that a fellow homeschooling member from Y! groups shares with us periodically. Thanks again, Karen! These snippets of wise stuff could really come in handy, especially when we parents just find ourselves in some kind of a power struggle with our little ones. For us, it’s not often but it does happen. Even our bright and shiny little guy could test our patience sometimes and it is important to know how we should respond to his attempts of defiance.
Do you find yourself yelling sometimes just to be heard? Does the yelling frustrate you but you feel there’s no other way? We find that parents often yell when they don’t have a plan. Some parents don’t know how to fix a problem with their kids so they become louder, thinking that the intensity created through yelling will have some kind of positive effect. It doesn’t work.
Motivating with harshness can keep children in line or get them to accomplish a task, but that method damages family relationships. In Jeremiah 10:24, Jeremiah prays, “Correct me, Lord, but only with justice—not in your anger, lest you reduce me to nothing.” In the end, it is closeness that provides parents with teachable moments and the relaxed enjoyment of family life. Yelling and harshness discourage trust, essential to help young people learn valuable principles about life.Continue Reading »
Our little guy first surprised us as he quoted away the whole verse of Ephesians 6:1 on our way home from a holiday getaway with friends from Subic last year, a couple of days after he turned two years old. Last week the hubby introduced Psalm 37:4 to our son and quoted the verse as our little guy followed after him. He did this twice and on the third, we were surprised to hear him breezing through the verse, complete with hand actions.
We are praying that even as he remembers these words from his heart and as we reinforce the things that we teach him through these verses, he will grow up not just a person that we could live with, but a person who will understand why we choose to train him the way we do and eventually will rise up to fulfill what God has purposed for him to be.
Whenever he tries to do things his way, we remind him of the verses and we see that as we allow him to digest the things that we explain to him, he does understand. Truth is, by nature, man will go his own way, this is one reason we are proactive in teaching our child the things he has to value in his formative years.
I am blessed to be able to take care of my son like I have and I feel even more blessed to have the husband that I have to partner with as we share one heart in raising our son.
Ephesians 6:1
“Obey your parents in the Lord for this is right..”
Psalm 37:4
“Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart.”
It was around a week ago that I would see our little guy on the computer clicking on one of the mystery case file games his grandma is fond of playing. It was only yesterday that it occurred to me he actually knows what he was doing! I swear he knows which things to look for and where to find it better that his grandma! With all the things he is now able to do, I know that he is seriously ready for school.
Last night I got him a notch lower and had him play with Caillou Educational Systems from my laptop. He breezed through each and every game on shapes and color. I know this means my baby has really grown up all too suddenly. This might just be the norm these days for a three year old but the hubby and I were surprised nevertheless that he knew what to do and to think it was only his first time! My three year old boy! Time flies real fast.
In any family, communication is very important, especially husbands and wives communicating love to each other, parents to their children and children to their parents. But the problem is that many times, we communicate love in ways that are often misunderstood by those receiving the message. A book written by Gary Chapman entitled the “Five Love Languages” explains this very clearly.
Much like communicating with other people, when we use a different language that the other person can’t understand, this creates miscomunication or misunderstanding. In order for two people to communicate clearly they must both use the same language - either one has to learn the other person’s language. Continue Reading »
I know a handful of families suffering this fate. For most of them, this is not caused by early demise of the head of the family, but more of a choice that was made one time or the other by the fathers themselves. The hubby himself has lived majority of his life with an absentee father and could only go back to the time when he was smaller that he was with his father.
Even as forgiveness can bridge gaps and heal wounds, reality sets in and stares us in the face that this could be one of the major reasons why some fathers just have no idea how being a “father” means more than just their contribution to the genetic make up of the child. It is only by God’s grace that I don’t live to see its ill-effects. The Lord has redeemed this family because of the choices the hubby has made. Redemption is possible. I know I have seen a handful of times, men putting the blame to their pasts. But as the hubby would have it, ultimately you have control over the things you want in your life and it is true.
Towards my last trimester of pregnancy in early 2005, people around me were convinced I was carrying twins. I knew I was carrying a singleton male right from my fourth month of pregnancy and I could not be moved. But really now, there are a lot of advantages in having twins, more than having to choose from one of those cutie strollers for twins. Let’s look at four:
1. One time pregnancy.
2. You have two kids of the same age. If they happen to be both boys, then they can share clothes. Even share one stroller for twins.
3. It can be actually a relief to rear at one time, when you have adjusted life with twins and have devised a system that will work for the family. Think about this, most women experience having their first child enter school, just to find out they are pregnant again with kid number two.
4. You practically have given your twins each other to be each other’s best friend right from infancy.
Last night the hubby and I were just reminded yet again that our son is no longer a baby. He refused to sleep in our bed again. Sometimes I would have him co-sleep with us after his midnight pee. But last night he insisted on staying in his own bed despite how sleepy he was and having the washroom closer to the master bedroom could have been more convenient to the sleepy little head. He declared “no,” with reinforcing words, “big boy na.”
His baby phase just passed all too soon. We’re glad how he has developed, I’m not complaining. It just makes me all the more glad that I chose the frontlines of motherhood and have not missed a single milestone. As I was rummaging through some files, I saw pictures of myself wearing him in baby slings during his infancy stage to more than a year old. This is indeed one of the things I now miss. Continue Reading »
One of the reasons why the hubby and I have succeeded in implementing those Babywise principles is that I have been privileged to look after my son as a work from home mom. I know I wouldn’t have it any other way. We tried getting a nanny during the time I attempted to go right back to the corporate world, but saw right before my eyes the danger of keeping one. I actually witnessed her hit my son, when he was just playing hide and seek with her. I was on the phone then and she probably thought I didn’t see her (there was a divider in between the rooms we were in and she can’t see me from where I was). It was horrible! Continue Reading »
Approximately twelve more months—that’s all we have left to prepare for our son’s preschool education. In the midst of our health issues, even the current worldwide food crisis with every consumable product prices going up, it is just impossible for us to start saving up for that. The hubby and I have been seriously considering to homeschool our son with the curriculum from School of Tomorrow (formerly known as Accelerated Christian Education) which will be cheaper, to the tune of PhP18,000 (approx.$450) rather than to get him enrolled in a school with a similar curriculum which would roughly be PhP40,000 (approx.$1,000). Other progressive schools even have higher tuition fees. Wherever we choose to enroll him in, we really have to start filling up his savings account for this very purpose.
One of the fun things dear son and I have been enjoying lately is finger painting. We got him some water colors and have him work and play with each one which he perfectly identifies every time. He has known the color names right before he even turned two years and he has since become an expert. Continue Reading »
All my friends and loved ones can attest to my passion when it comes to my son.Even while he was in utero, I created a website designed just for our child and had friends anticipate with me the coming of our bundle of joy.
It was one of my most exciting pregnancy memories.The thrill doubled many times over when he finally came.If I can only turn back time, I would have done some Photo CardsContinue Reading »
I hope to again journal my son’s jumping on the “big boy” status.A couple of nights back, in the wee hours of the morning, I heard tiny, big steps (I swear his footsteps are not light! But I know they come from tiny feet ) coming towards our bed.It was our son with his “blue pillow” (that’s how he calls it).I thought then he was ready to jump to our bed as he would sometimes do at around seven in the morning.Continue Reading »
1. Discipline calmly. Do not discipline in anger. The Bible says in Proverbs 29:11 that, “a fool gives full vent to his anger, but a wise man keeps himself under control.” Doing this helps us communicate love to our children while disciplining them. It also helps us check our motives while we are applying the necessary disciplinary action to our children. Continue Reading »
The Bible talks about how God responds to His children when they do wrong. It clearly teaches that God disciplines them, not punish them. Continue Reading »
Learning how to express love for each other is very important for the family, especially for fathers like me. I grew up in a home where expressing love is not scarce, but my high school experience of becoming a Corps Commander taught me to be tough to the point that I unconsciously limit the emotions I show or express to other people and situations. But as a father, expressing love is an essential skill and habit to acquire. A few tips on how to express love to your wife and children are:
As ministers, we have met so many hurting parents who are disheartened at how their children chose the path they took.We are not just ministers to these people, I have also emphasized that we are proactive parents to our toddler son.We choose what we do now to make sure our son’s foundation from the critical stage of development is right.We do not just want to raise a son who we can live with, but also we want him to be a blessing to the people around him.
My son has this fascination lately on this oven glove flash card. He always takes time out to read out to me each of his flash cards everyday and would especially take this one out and go to our kitchen area, point to the Ove glove I use for cooking. He is now into associating and defining things. Continue Reading »
Our plan as a family is to have our son enter a homeschooling curriculum when he turns four. Even as we have this in mind, we have been preparing our son for it right when he was still eight months old. We are blessed to have been able to access books on homeshooling and get on with the activities that could prepare him right from when he was an infant. There are appropriate activities according to his age in months and we use that book as a guide.Continue Reading »
Jennie under Child Care & Discipline, Parenting 
