Bailing out From an Argument with Your Toddler

Who says being a mother is easy? It is especially difficult when you are caring for a manipulative toddler. It is not easy to engage in an argument with them since kids will always be kids. They always stand by their ground insisting to get what they want even if it means shrieking and crying.

There are simple ways to bail yourself out from any argument with your child. Stand your ground as much as your child stands with theirs. Do not be weak to their whims. Oh yes, small children that they are they can be manipulative and sneaky to drive you out of your wits until they get what they want.

Simply stick to your answers. If you say no then it is no. Make sure to explain the reason to give your child something to ponder later on once they calm down. Do not give in to their crying spells. They use it as a tactic to get what they want. If they see, however such tactic will not work on you they will finally acknowledge you are the authority and in control.

You are an angel sent from above. The moment I conceived you, I had no doubts that the angel in my dreams is in you. I felt you squirming around my tummy every time I call your name, David…. the name of my angel that appears in my dream. He wanted me to name you after him and I did. David, derived from Hebrew meaning “beloved”. Yes, you are indeed our beloved son, God’s son that was sent from heaven to bring us joy and pride. How little you are, yet, what a big heart you have.

Papa, Nica and I surely appreciate how you value the essence of loving, caring, giving and sharing. I am hoping you will become a GREAT MAN someday. I know God is good and he has something special in store for your future. Great things await you my darling. I fervently ask for guidance from our good Lord that we may raise you the way he wants you to be.

My darling David, I will never ever forget the moments you give me flowers taken from the vase every time I come home from work, the moments you would hug and kiss me unexpectedly, the caress you give me when you thought I am deep asleep., the “I love you” said everyday and the worried face every time you see I’m hurt, the call I received on a rainy day from work asking if I have an umbrella with me to use against the odd weather, that small hand handing me a glass of water when it’s time to take my medicine and the massage of your little feet on my sore back. I love to see the way you take care of your little sister and making the street people a parcel of your evening prayer.

David, your emotion shows you are a kind-hearted person with a soft heart. I saw the tears trickle down your cheeks as you watched the devastating scenario from the landslide on the television. I saw you cried seeing your sister’s teary eyed face caused by a cut on her knee. You empathize and cried with her, embracing her in your protective arms. I appreciate your unending “whys” on things you cannot understand and the “what and how” on things you wanted to learn.

I want you to remember this: You are endowed with such spirit of kindness and love for others and a pure heart. May you become a lamp that brings light to others. Love and protect your sister unconditionally. Be her HERO in your own little way. God will love you more for being good. Make the Lord’s prayer your foundation towards righteousness. I fervently hope that by the time comes you are able to read this, you have become what we want you to be….. I love you so much, my darling David.

To You Nicole

Your personality exudes elegance, high spirited and strong willed. You have such a strong personality that gives you an asset of independence and courage. Such strong personality is neutered by your sweetness and loving gestures. At a very young age you showed independence and controlled emotions. Your charm brings you so close to my heart. And your sweetness brings warm ambience to the lives of people around you. My sweetie Nicole, you are a precious gem oozing with unwavering strength and glitters. You are the DIAMOND that gives me the treasure of making life worth living.

You are like silent water that runs deep. I wonder how you memorized many things just by listening to it. You are learning things discretely, surprising everyone how much you’ve learned. You want to hide your emotions, not wanting to worry or cause me pain. I love the way you love to snuggle in my arms, the twinkling shine in your eyes and your tiny voice every time you say you love me. You are so dear to me Nicole, you are the source of my strength.

I would never forget your words of promise to protect me and will take care of me when I get old. Together with your brother, both of you have given me and your father something to look forward to in the future. WE thank God for being blessed with a daughter like you.

To you my sweetie Nicole, use your strength to achieve your goals. Your charm will give leeway to reach your ambitions. You have such strong determination to learn and strive on your own way. That makes you so SPECIAL……. I love you so much my sweetie…

A Mother's Prayer

" Bless me Lord with a golden heart flickered with love, patience and understanding. May I be endowed with peace, confidence and strength to endure a mother’s sacrifice for a great love to her children.

May your words of wisdom be in every word I utter, your gentle touch in my hand as I caress them and your comforting warmth be in my arms as I embrace them.

May your angels in heaven be sent to watch and protect them in my absence, your eternal flame alight their hearts with love, and fulfill their life with contentment and joy of a happy home, amen."

Parenting Tips for Toddlers and Pre-Schoolers

Welcome to the painstaking yet rewarding world of certified mommies (and daddies too). I love kids and now that I am blessed with two adorable kids David and Nicole, I love kids even more. Well, I admit I only like the behave ones. Who like children with tantrums, anyway? But kids will always be kids. They may be at their best behavior always but certainly they will show their monster behavior once in a while. But as their parents, we have to learn how to deal with it. I have followed quite a few tips to parenting and it work with my kiddos. And I am happy to share simple tips with you:

1. The Golden Rule: Shower your kids with love and attention

I don’t mean raising spoiled brats and attention seeking little rascals, huh. What I mean is to give them the attention and give recognition even to the most petty and little things they accomplish. Recognition is a way of boosting a child’s self-esteem. Appreciate and recognize their strong potentials and patiently bear with their flaws and weaknesses and offer them loving support and give encouragement to be at their best. Loving gesture such as hug and kisses give your kids confidence that they are protected and loved.

2. Allot a time to talk to your kids and let them be heard.

I am a busy mom too and sometimes go home tired after a stressful day from work. My dose of medicine is my kid’s voices. I find it relaxing to stretch in my bed with my kids excitedly chattering how their day at school went. I wouldn’t miss in the world to be the first to see the dance and songs my kids learned in class, to know who their classmates are and all the naughty things they do. Some parents never want to hear about the bad things their children do but I don’t. I keep an open ear to hear so I can respond by talking to them like they are adults and making them understand the consequences of their actions and give them advice. I take that opportunity to explain things to them why some things are bad and some are good. You see, you get to know your kids when you talk to them. It opens an avenue for openness of children to their parents.

3. Play with your kids

I always believe adults are never too old to play. Play is my bonding time with my kids. Playing does not only connote playing with toys and doing art works with them. I play with them with educational value. I host a contest like “game ka na ba” style asking them questions connected with their lesson in school and some IQ test questions to assess how much they learned and to identify the level of their learning. I also incorporate funny questions that would trigger giggles along the game. I also sponsor a tea party in the terrace and prepare food stuff to munch on as I tell stories they can easily relate on and familiar myself with children rhyme so I can sing with them. I spent quality time with them and I made my kid’s learning fun too! It is a great bonding moments with my kids. And it makes me feel refreshingly young too!

4. Disciplining your child

Boy, it’s the toughest job for parents to do! Honestly, I never have problem disciplining my kids, since from the start, I immediately deal with the problem the moment I see one. Parents, please avoid spanking or physical contact with your kids every time they do something wrong. It does not help at all. Don’t get me wrong. I am not saying there’s never an instance I never laid hand against my kids. I do too but I reserve that only on extreme moments (that seldom happens) when they are uncontrollable anymore. But you see, I am seldom faced an instance that I have to spank them since they are disciplined kids. Act on the problem just when it is starting.

Let us face the problem logically. Kids are kids. They act impulsively without rational thoughts. What me and my husband does when either of our sibling do something bad is to send him/her in the room and have a serious talk. The rule here is never let one kid see you are scolding the other. Embarrassment never helps. Let us respect our kids even if well, they are just kids. That’s how they learn to respect others too. We would give the chance to explain themselves why they have done something bad. We will give them moment to contemplate of their act to find if whether it was good or bad. It’s a way of helping them think like an adult since kids does have irrational nature but we can help them become rational individuals even at their age through proper guidance. Then we would explain what we have to explain to them. That way, they would internalize that moment of conversation you had with them than spanking them that would leave bad memories in their young minds.

5. Impose house rules.

Impose house rules and be consistent on implementing it. My kids follow strict schedule for play and study time. This puts everything in the right perspective. We delegate simple responsibility to them such as cleaning their own mess. They have their own nanny but they learn not to whine and rely so much for her to do simple tasks for them. These build their sense of responsibility and independence. Teach them to use polite words such as please and thank you. Learn when to say “no” and teach them to respect it. I spoil my kids with my time and friendship but they know when not to cross the line of my authority.

6. Who says parenting is an easy task?

To say in simpler words, the main ingredients to good parenting are dedication, patience, love, time, effort, understanding and more love. Let us give our children our best to give them a happy home full of love. Studies show that majority of troublesome individuals are devoid of love. It is so rewarding to see the seeds you sow flourishing into conscientious youths showered with good values. Forget about the hardships and sacrifices. It is all worth it once we raise righteous individuals who know the distinction between right and wrong.

It does not take to be a pro in parenting. It is just a matter of using common sense and simple approach. Knowing your child inside and out helps determine what approach that would work best. So give your child a hug now and get to know them more.