Animal Sounds and Other What The Heck's in Early Childhood

This is not about being harsh to people who loves teaching animal sounds to young children. Just an observation and a quick spark of some questions while wandering off in the messy world of balancing realities and the not-so-real things seen on youtube.

I was watching a nursery rhyme video my daughter tapped from my phone. It's been quite sometime since we stopped watching those supposedly "educational" nursery rhyme vids you often see on youtube, since she has elevated to a more sensible things to watch from the laptop.

As I watched along with her, I couldnt help but contemplate on the dancing cow, swaying monkeys and other odd-looking movements of an animal. What exactly are these videos trying to convey to young children? Not to really challenge every science over everything, i just noticed and began to question myself, why the heck would a cow dance that way? Or a monkey sound that way, or a horse dance like some confused animal while producing the sound they "supposedly" make. 

As far as reality is concerned, I don't see the relation between trying to show a video of confused animals to enhancing whatever skills a child needs to enhance. Why do we even teach fake animal sounds to young children? 

I had no issues about these things, my daughter also watches those when she was really younger---and I do not exactly know why I let her watch confused animals. I don't try to evaluate everything, in fact this realization came only tonight..

I couldn't help but connect the idea as well on why do we let children, i mean toddlers, study shapes, colors, alphabets, numbers, forced to read, drilled with phonics, forced to write, etc...when there was no scientific study that these things are integral part on being a human being. Compared to looking deeply on what's essential, their socio-emotional intelligence and other skills every human being needs to "succeed" in this world.

As I watched the video and wandered off in the land of questions, I couldn't help but ask, how complicated have we made early childhood these days? Or do I rather ask, how quick do we replace real connection between children and real things with these non-sensical videos? Surely it is very entertaining, but these questions made me ask, why the heck would people want to project to young children a dancing cow, confused horse or an annoyed-looking monkey? 

Teachable Moment: Respect and Resiliency

It was breakfast when my toddler requested to watch Alvin and The Chipmunks from her cousin's laptop. Her oldet cousins are aged 12, 11 and 8. All were way older than her.

Her cousins were still using the laptop. Her request was something that's not mine to control. Cousins were on their laptop and my little one wanted to watch the video. Hhmmm..she asked for the movie.

If I use my adult power, I can easily request it from them and ask them to give the little one a chance. But wait, what will I be teaching my toddler then? Will I be teaching her respect to other people if I oust her cousins in favor of her request? I don't think so.

So what I did instead was talk to my little one to ask her cousins if it's ok to watch the movie with them. She agreed. She went inside the room and asked her cousins politely. They agreed. They watched together. It was all good. I was happy. They were happy.

After a few minutes, my little one came to me again and said, "mommy, I want to watch here at the sala.." hhhhmmm... I told her, have you asked your cousins? She said yes. So I asked "what did they say?" She said, "they said, NO."

Alright. I thought what to do for awhile. While looking at her, I politely told her that the laptop does not belong to us and if they refuse to bring it to the sala, that means we respect what they say. She begged. "Mommy, please come to me and tell them...."

There goes her toddlehood agenda kicking in. I knew what she wanted me to do. But I stayed firm at telling her it is not our choice to decide. We respect what they say. The laptop is not ours and we cannot do anything about it. If you wish to still watch the movie, join them in the room and watch it there, I said.

She begged and got teary. I was a little anxious since I didn't ever want to turn her down. But I stayed calm and firm. I'm sorry my love, we can't force them.

She sat down with me while at the dining table and started to grab the Tarzan book within reach. She browsed the book and started to ask some questions. In my line of thought, I got relieved.

In early childhood education, there is this term we call "teachable moment." To quote, 

"A teachable moment is an unplanned opportunity that arises in the classroom where a teacher has an ideal chance to offer insight to his or her students. A teachable moment is not something that you can plan for; rather, it is a fleeting opportunity that must be sensed and seized by the teacher."

In this case, the teachable moment was not only for her, but for me. 

I thought, had I give in to her request in bringing the laptop at the sala ignoring her cousins refusal, I wouldn't be teaching her respect. 

I learned, when you take leadership in every situation your child is into, small conflict as this won't progress into bigger ones in the future. It was an opportunity for me, to stand my ground, teach my child about respecting other's decision and discipline my child in a non-threatening way. 

In children's world, it is not every parents' battle to intervene every single conflict they encounter with other children, neither our job to manipulate other children in favor of our own child's requests. Our role is to take leadership in guiding them how to respect other people's decisions.

 If in every conflict they are able to manage it on their own without adult intervention (unless it involves physical fights) , we are teaching them resiliency, which is another important life skills every child should practice. 

Happy parenting! 

Don't Worry, It's Okay.

Just before we finished our dinner, my toddler requested for a milo drink while I made my coffee on a cold rainy evening. She drank happily while I did my routine: finishing my meal and chatting to my mother.

She played and was happily running slowly around the house, to and fro. Sipping her milo once in awhile.

Then it happened. I didn't see it, but the milo splattered from the table! On to my bag, down to her books, the curtains and the floor.

She stood frozen. Looking at me intently after I carelessly reacted, " Naaaah!! See what happened?!" obviously in a disappointed manner, but never in a manner of yelling.

Without another word, I stood up and took the wipe from the kitchen. As I took the wipe, I reminded myself how she stood frozen, I reminded myself that it is just a splattered milo, and I reminded myself of my little girl's face, just a toddler who makes minor accidents at times, and that it is better not to say anything at the moment of my disappointment.

I wipped everything without saying anything while she was still there at the spot where her milo spilled.

While I was wiping, she blurted out these words to me:

"Don't worry, it's okay..."

What a reassuring phrase coming from my three year old. I am not only humbled, but I have learned yet again.

Everyday, I learn a thing or two from my toddler from the situations where we both are into. Sure my face was not compassionate at all, yet it was another good try to enhance my self-regulation skills, by not yelling, nagging or shouting.

After the cleaning up, I gently came to her and told her, next time it is best not to run inside the house. She then told me the reason why she ran, and said "tomorrow, I will not run anymore so I will not spill my milo."

No broken spirits, crying soul, negative energies. All was about learning self-regulation, out of a splattered milo.

One splattered milo at a time, one self-regulation learning at a time.

Happy Parenting!

I Kissed Co-Sleeping Goodbye (Lessons Learned)

I Kissed Co-Sleeping Goodbye (Lessons Learned)

I built a fairy-themed reading nook for my toddler inside our small-spaced room. I attached book holders on the side wall and decorated it with tool curtains. The succeeding week I thought of hanging a real small tree branch on the ceiling, right above her nook to give it a forest-like feel of hanging out with nature-creatures as she browse on her books, or do our storytelling sessions. I embellished it with some plastic leaves to complete the project. Finally, it was almost complete! 

That night, she laid her sleeping pillows on her “labored” reading nook as she comfortably experienced the area. It was sleeping time, I thought of helping her move her pillows to “our” shared bed across her nook. Surprisingly, she resisted politely. I asked her if she wants to sleep on her reading nook instead. She nodded.

I gladly accommodated her decision thinking that it could be just for that moment, while the lights were on at least. It didn’t dawn on me that it was the beginning. The beginning of the un-anticipated separation of sleeping-- for I don’t know how long, it could be until she becomes an adult. There were all those “threatening” elements happened that night that could presumably discourage her from sleeping on her own. There was mister loud thunder; lights were off, and it was her FIRST TIME to sleep without me literally by her side and so on. But she politely asked me to come beside her for awhile...(I said to myself, I knew it! she’d only going to ask US to “move” our sleeping area!)...but after softly asking me, this is what she said:

“You come to me for awhile mommy, but only for awhile...after that, you need to move back to YOUR bed until the thunder is gone....”

This is not happening now, please not yet. It was an overwhelming confused mixture of emotions that enveloped me. What have I done? What. Have. I. Done.

So much about how it started, there is something that I have learned here. My personal reflection of her having to successfully sleep through the night “away” from me without any traces of anxiety on her part was quite intriguing at the same time very reassuring for me. I was moved due to the fact that most kids her age can’t sleep without having to smell the scent of their parents before drifting away to their dreamland—which is what I now start to long for. This teaches me so much about giving the very essential life skill any child deserves. Let me share some thoughts before any of this amazing decision-making skill display happened. Consider reading the two important points my little girl has taught me.

Before my 3 year old toddler decided to sleep on her own, I learned that she has managed to build her: 

CONFIDENCE. This word is not as easy as how it looks. I’m even lost for words on how to put it as simple as possible. Okay here we go, when my daughter decided to sleep alone, I later realized it was not only about independence or her plain exploration on the new space. It was confidence. Where did it come from? In our daily interaction, she mostly enjoys “deciding” about little things on her own. How can she decide for herself when to bathe on her own? It was from the opportunities presented to her. It was when the opportunity was there, she grabbed her chance to try on her own, and I had to build that trust with her, that no matter how imperfect it would be, I trusted that she can do it. The relationship between building your trust to your child is very crucial in building their confidence in doing things on their own. It may happen on very small things, from choosing what cup to use down to respectfully listening to them when they say they are done eating. I had no idea these small things contributed to her making big moves such as sleeping “away” from me. 

Confidence is a very important life skill we can help our young children. I did not fully realize that building up their confidence come in small packages like those things I have aforementioned.  It only dawned on me the moment she decided to “leave” me, dang! That oozing confidence is just way too impressive!—trust me, it’s an unbiased opinion! :P

TRUST. This is something that is very hard to just give away to ANYBODY. But how can you trust yourself if the people around you initially do not trust you? This is a very sentimental issue for me. As the youngest, the earliest “mistrust” I encountered from my mother has never been forgotten. It is until now stuck in my head, that very moment, those specific choice of words, the way it was being said, the clothes I wore, the place where it happened and how it happened. It got stuck in me I guess because my mother was the very first person I expected would help me trust myself. But it didn’t happen. I was scarred for life after that. Let me share a quick story about it. 

One muddy morning, we had to leave for school. There were puddles everywhere. I was with my older sister on our way to school. My mom left a strict instruction to my sister, telling her:

Always watch out for your little sister, it’s muddy, AND SHE DOESN’T KNOW HOW TO AVOID THOSE PUDDLES.

Upon hearing those words, I felt terrible. I wanted to rebel. I didn’t want my sister to hold my hand. I wanted to show them that I can do it! That was the very sad emotion I felt that very instant. It may not have the same effect to others, but to me, it has shaken my core.

Based on that personal story, the instruction was very well-meant. Nothing so negative about telling my sister to watch over me. But those words did not mean well to help me build trust in myself. I felt INCAPABLE. I felt the very person whom I should gather strength from and belief in myself did not support me. I was 6 years old then.

This little toddler now, has managed to trust herself that she can do it, she is capable of sleeping alone. How come? Perhaps it was those series of encounters we have everyday that I carefully and mindfully choose what to say. The hardest let-go of my trust in her was when she actually asked me that she wants to bathe by HERSELF. ALONE. WITHOUT ME. I had to bite my tongue and not tell her that she can’t do it yet. I had to support her idea, her confidence by TRUSTING her. Had I robbed her from taking a bath by herself because she just can’t do it yet, I swear she’d feel exactly the same I felt when my mother didn’t trust me well. I did give trust a shot. It was very hard since bathing involves water—which we can associate to drowning and all sorts of horrible bathroom accidents. But there are a thousand ways to manage without sending them the message that they are incapable little beings. 

I did not despise my mother after that and I do not despise her now. It just so happened that it felt terrible not being trusted by the person you trust the most. Like I said, essential life skills come in small packages. Very simple daily encounters such as these can be a lifetime heartbreaker or could save your little from having trust issues about him/herself. So better be careful what to say and be mindful in choosing your words. 

Although trust is not necessarily an “active” verb, we can’t just say “good” things to them without showing our gestures that we do honestly trust them. We can’t tell them to “go on bathe by yourself, I trust you”, but then again, there you go obviously showing them that you are fidgeting with panic and fear drenched in cold sweats. What I’m saying is, when you say you trust them, at least show it to them that you really do. Young children are highly sensitive to body signals and physical gestures. 

Consider your colleague, your “trusted” friend, your boss or perhaps a loved one would challenge your capabilities by saying “hey, I think you can’t run that 5km dash marathon, you look heavy, your heart just can’t make it, you don’t look athletic, you just can’t make it..” Wouldn’t it feel insulting, making you gather all your guts by showing them all your skills, perhaps even back talking? Why? Because it just doesn’t feel right when people question your capabilities and simply show you they don’t trust you enough. That is a negative motivation.  It feels the same way for toddlers even babies! 

Instead of saying:

• Stop climbing on the stairs; you don’t know how to use the stairs yet!
• Don’t climb the window it will break your arms!
• Stop playing inside the bathroom you might drown!
• Let me tie your shoelace because you’re too slow.
• Stop washing the dishes your hands are too small you might break it!

Consider saying:

• I see you are interested on climbing the stairs, let’s go and explore it together!
• I feel you love to use your muscle strength by climbing on the window, let me stand behind you in case you fall.
• You love exploring the water don’t you? Let me fill the small basin for you. (If it’s not bathing time, you can always say firmly: I know it feels good to play with the water, but it’s not bathing time yet, how about we play fill-in-the-cups with water at the living room so we don’t get you soaked?)
• Tying a shoelace feels interesting, but I think we are running late for our appointment, how about we do it together for now?
• Washing dishes is a wonderful house chore, can we do it together?
• 
  

Trust does not necessarily have to be torturous for us, parents or caregivers. When things are a bit too risky for them to even try, you can always offer words that don’t necessarily make them think less about their own capabilities. Young children are capable beings who need constant guidance from the adults around them, not constant rants that would make them question their own capabilities, thus leaving them always anxious and untrusting about their own self. 

If it seems very difficult for you to let-go of your trust, at least do not let your child hear it from you.

My little girl has taught me how trust is built. It was a process that didn’t naturally occur to me. Her eagerness and physically active toddlerhood taught me how to let go and trust in her. Her wishes pushed me to stop being so hyper-protective when she wanted to climb our window grills. She has taught me to stop worrying when she runs freely on a vast grassy ground. There were so many missed moments I did not trust her so well, I regret it. But I have learned.  

Along with my motherhood journey, is her daddy, who made a colossal impact of letting go with my trust issues to our daughter and simply showed me how to fully trust our little tot. He has shown me, that allowing our child ride a toy car by herself has liberated our daughter with the strong feeling of confidence, independence and strong sense of self-trust at that moment. I give my husband the full credit at being better in providing our daughter a strong dose of taking bold risks. I’ am still working at it though, but with the results I have seen so far, I can only get better. One confidence and trust-building at a time, one growing confident and self-trusting toddler!

Sometimes, it is not just about mere common sense when we are raising children, especially young kids. It looks as easy as that, but if you come face to face with a young child, you are also faced with a lot of questions in your mind on how to properly address some issues that's why parenting blogs and other parenting articles are created for parents who are at their wits ends and when all common sense has left you somewhere.

CONFIDENCE AND TRUST, two most important life lessons I have learned....when I kissed co-sleeping goodbye....

When Defiance Strikes

It is not surprising when our toddlers show defiant behaviors towards us or to their primary caregivers.
Oftentimes, we get a surprise of our parenting lives when we notice them being so gentle, kind, sweet, loving and super cutie when they are in school or perhaps during play visits. When in fact at home, they turn into little demons running around, screaming, yelling, rolling on the floor, or to simply put it, possessed by a power-hungry devil in a toddler's body. Sometimes too, it's the other way around. They are quiet at home, but little brats in school. Why do these things happen? Unfortunately, it does happen, and our reponses to these behaviors matters a lot.

You may sound silly talking to a month old infant, but establishing and investing a connection even for a week old infant makes them feel they are being accepted and acknowledged, despite their lack of verbal skills. This connection will bear fruit as your child grows everyday.

Recently, my newly-turned three year old toddler showed some of these behaviors (minus those horrifying floor-rolling)  I knew she's going to get into that phase too, but even as I have known it, I never thought I was that ready to face the struggle. Gladly enough, as weeks progressed, she became "normal" again. Now, even more sweet, confident and empathic little toddler.

The trick is, she did not get back to "normal." She was displaying what is "normal" in every child. Her "defiance" did not progress because I made her feel she was accepted and acknowledged, and I guide her through how to properly express things, and when it is impossible for her to express things appropriately just yet, it is okay, there is always another try next time. There were plenty of times she keeps saying NO when I wanted to hear some YES, but instead of me insisting on what needs to be done, I stay calm and ask her questions why isn't she doing it yet. From there, we work on what works!

The question though is, is she really being defiant? When I gently remind her about bathing time, before I even finish my sentence, she automatically say NO. I didnt know they are programmed for an autoresponse! It is always a NO when you wish to get their YES, and a YES when you wish to hear a NO.

What is DEFIANT (Adj.) anyway? Based on Merriam-Webster dictionary, it means "refusing to obey something or someone." To clear the waters, when I was telling my daughter it was eating time and she needs to put her toys down first, her autoresponse was a big, solid NO. Was she being defiant? YES.

Let's take a little stroll in the park. How do we view this defiance? As an adult, do we also automatically view it as something BAD? Like toddlers, do we also have this (preprogrammed mindset) AUTOMATIC association to their defiance as something that NEEDS TO BE STRICTLY CORRECTED or FIXED? Or do we try to accept any flaw any human being is prone to do, and perhaps see it as an opportunity from our side to model appropriate responses? If you are that "traditional" parent, I bet every disagreement you get from your toddler equates to spanking, timeouts, or other corporal punishments. But if you are that respectful and empathic parent, you'd probably try to turn the tables around first, and see this as your own "teachable moment" to keep yourself composed, self-regulated, empathic parent and see how you both work around the issue.

 Taking from my own child's simple defiance in eating, I always get a NO in every invitation for mealtime from her. But do I make a big fuss out of it? NO. I don't yell at her because I still don't get a YES from her since, I don't drag her to the table, I don't need to even strap her around the high chair. WHY? Here are simple reasons:

1.) She's THREE and I'm THIRTY-THREE. I'm a three decade and three years older than her, I don't take her NO or YES personally. Is it a struggle? YES, because I never knew this is how hard a long-term courtship is! My daughter is indeed very hard to get!!! I'm courting her everyday for free meals! Damn, I cant get a yes! Like a suitor, do I act-up? NO, she might never give me a YES all the more! I need to guard my emotions and NEVER GIVE UP! That's the spirit! Never give up on your age and size. We are bigger than them therefore our size is already (inevitably) an intimidating power over them, so naturally their NEED to disagree with us oftentimes is like breathing for them and it's completely healthy and normal. In other words, just don't take every disagreement personally. It is really just a non-threatening YES or NO, so don't sweat.

2.) For a simple "NO Mommy, I'm still playing" response from ALL of my eating invitation, my toddler knows how to express. She is being defiant and that is honestly healthy, I'm happy. What about discipline? She's three and I believe, my child is not yet READY to sit that long to finish a full meal with me on the table. Plus, in my family, there is only me and her for now, it is not actually our ritual to eat "together" with just the two of us. She doesn't join me eating, I go sit with her playing while eating. What's the big deal? NOTHING. What about forming the habit? I'd say, it's still about readiness. So don't sweat on forcing too hard on something your toddler is not ready yet. By 5, she'll learn to sit down and practice table manners, or as long as she's ready, who knows it might be tomorrow!

3.) She might be meaning something else behind every NO's and YESes. The hundred languages of children. They could say a lot of things but that doesn't necessarily what they always mean. It could mean:
*Please, mommy not now.
*I still feel full mommy.
*I don't feel like eating just yet, mommy.

and list goes on. Sometimes or most of the time, kids learn to hate because adults keep forcing them. So relax and stop being so stern and rigid on expecting the same thing every day of your life with a toddler. Rather, I suggest, take these times as "teachable moment" for yourself on practicing self-regulation skills, how calm and loving can you be despite the sudden change in today's life with your toddler.

4.) Just know that a NO is a sign of a strong-willed, self-confident child! They mostly disagree because they are in their comfort zones. They know that even when they disagree with us, we still love them! But when they are in an unfamiliar place and people,they mostly just follow, because more often than not, they are unsure how the stranger would take their disagreeing behavior. For them, it's better to stay safe and follow than to show their true colors and suffer for the "unknown" and unpredictable reactions of that stranger. So be happy they are being defiant in your house, that means they are comfortable to show who they really are. They feel welcomed no matter how they scream, but that doesn't mean that you stop guiding their unpleasant behaviour.

The catch is, no matter how comfortable they are at showing their real self, that is not a reason for you to let their unpleasant behavior rule. Take this as a moment to teach yourself on how to respectfully respond to your child in times of challenging behavior.

You may respectfully respond to them by:

* Keeping your cool.

*Talk to them and acknowledge what they feel by saying, "You threw the cup because you were upset," "You started screaming because you wanted to say something, I hear you now, tell me what do you want to say.."
*Stay with your child for a moment, any chore can wait.
*It helps to be quiet at times when your child seems to be very upset and is impossible to touch him. But let him know you are there to listen when he is done expressing his frustrations. Make sure you are still there when he is done. Do not ignore. There is always a time to talk.
* You have all the reasons to say that you are SORRY. If it was really you that scared, or made your child upset. It happens to me all the time. When I can't help it, sometimes I raise my voice to emphasize what Im saying. She gets scared, run away and cry (because she is not used to hearing me really seriously raise my voice). I always take this as an opportunity for me to say "I'm sorry," not because I did not allow her to throw marbles on the vase, but because I scared her. There is big a difference.

Being apologetic is very respectful, teaching them how to say "sorry" is more authentauthentic than telling  them when to do it.

5.) Defiance is not always what it seems, it may be just the tip of an iceberg. It may pose as a challenge for every parent to correct every single defiant behavior, but it is not always what it seems. Behind every defiance lies a need. A need for the adult to help the child uncover, they cannot uncover it themselves, that's why we are there to parent them. Sometimes, it needs a warm acceptance, not a strict correction or fix. If they refuse to obey:

*kneel down to their level and let them feel you are listening. Ask why.
*Allow them to talk and establish a trusting relationship that you are there willing to accept whatever it is that they say. You will see the difference if you learn to listen to what they say, from there, work around on something that works best.
* If the defiance is strong enough, emphasize what you need to while you respectfully take leadership in doing what needs to be done. "I'm sorry honey, we need to get dressed because we are going to be late.."  In this situation, it won't help to yell, or scream at your child. We all at times need to rush, but taking leadership and in charge of every situation always win the game.

If you are a new parent, or a struggling one, it wouldn't hurt to SEEK HELP from informed people, whom you feel comfortable enough to open up about your concerns regarding young children. It is a lifetime investment acquiring knowledge on how to raise your young with full trust, love and respect.

 Our responsibility is not only about giving them food, sending them to school. It is our responsibility to educate ourselves and learn what needs to be done to properly NURTURE them.

Oftentimes, I can't help but question the lack of sensitivity among parents when it comes to seeking help in educating themselves. I question every inch of them when they have already seen the "damage" in their own child. We always would get an answer of, their parents didnt know how, their parents were unaware how to lovingly raise..their parents, their parents....then why do we allow to be left "uneducated" in raising young kids? Why are we so bothered in sending our kids to school that we tend to overlook the very essential thing we need in life-- human relations, we seem to lack a LOT of it. Then when our child becomes defiant --- we question other people. It's time to look at ourselves. Time to see how have we been raising our young?

In my very well-intentioned entry, I hope parents will see the urgency of educating themselves. I have seen news all around kids stabbing their teacher and all other murderous act. Can they blame their teacher for pushing them to their limits? Can they blame anyone for doing such heinous crimes? I think the question will always point you back on "how were you raised as a child...."



Defiance is not just a phase when it has been there persistently for years. Defiance is something that needs to be addressed. When defiance goes on until adolescent, a series of personality disorders is waiting at their door. Fixing it only at that time may be possible, but why fix something later in life when you can always do something in their early years?

Happy Parenting!

Toddler Readiness Matters

Today marked my sweetcakes' 5th day bathing by herself. It's bittersweet. She has her own independence now, practiced at its best. I waited until the fifth day to somehow "rejoice" in the sense that it made my motherhood days felt the sense of fulfilment. Another milestone marked on the walls of my heart. I waited for the fifth day as well to see the consistency when she decided to bathe by herself..indeed, she consistently chose to do it by herself, at her age of three.

It was Monday when all of a sudden she told me, "Mommy, I want to bathe by myself." It was quite surprising for me to hear that, as our routine is always the two of us in the shower. But that day, she asked for it. I let her. Of course with close supervision.

The first day, I couldn't help but kept peeping at her by the slightly opened door, a curious mom would be doing the same thing I did, for safety and of course, just being sneaky. From outside, I asked her if she has put soap on her arms, armpits, legs, etc. she replied, "not yet mommy" so I waited..in less than a minute, I saw her small hand reaching for the soap. I beamed with a mixed feeling. She's not a baby anymore.

I tried, with all my sneaky moves to peep again, but she caught me! She pushed the door and emphasized, "Don't see my p*p*!" I hurriedly answered back, "I'm just checking for the soap!" Outside the toilet door, I realized she really meant it when she said she wanted to do it on her own, I can no longer interrupt (though not strictly as I still have to double check on her inside), I need to respect her "privacy."

When she was done bathing, I excitedly wrapped her with the towel and asked her how it went. But she moved away from me and said "Don't wipe me! I want to wipe myself" Quite ridiculous this independence thing! I just don't know how much I actually like it! It's robbing my time with my baby! Power struggle, eh?! Nah, not really. I am giving her all the space she needs.

I used to hold her in my arms, cup her face with my big hands, lather her with soap and play bubbles together, wipe her dry...but I don't think I still have so much of that after her consistent 5days self-bathing. She's practiced so much independence eversince she realized she can do it on her own, right before I even realized it.

And on her fifth day, she asked to brush her teeth, by herself. That is something I cannot allow just yet. She asked for it in fact even before, but she would calmly surrender by taking turns, she does it by herself first, then she I would brush her after her turn. That's what I also did today, though quite a struggle, since she wouldn't let go of the toothbrush! Well, this time, I surrendered, gave her the opportunity to do it. Yet, we still ended with my turn.

Then again, I wanted so much more. More of our bathing moments together. How come she suddenly didn't want me in? Is this the same feeling I'd feel when she wouldn't want me to play with her anymore? When she would no longer feel the need to call me for bedtime? Ask for milk, read aloud to her, or maybe hug her...? It is big deal for me, after all, I have spent almost all of my days for three years with her. Now this. Independence would just freely take it away from me. Not a good feeling.

On a positive light, this situation is one good example that children, as young as three years old, are capable of doing things, BUT, it has so much to do with readiness and providing opportunities for them to practice the needed skills in life. Readiness, in all sorts of every child's life, be it about sitting,rolling, walking and the list goes on. As for me, I am so guilty for walking my baby when she was only less than 12 months and at that time, my sweetcakes was not really trying to navigate a lot on her own, it was quite pushy on my part to walk her...only I found out later about the importance of readiness and how parents should respect their child's developmental readiness and rather, be patient, wait and be surprised!

It doesn't matter whether your child learns to shower later than 3, in fact it is nothing standard. What matters is, whenever they ask to do something on their own, do not deny them the chance to learn things on their own as long as it is far from tearing their bones apart. Be there to simply make them feel they can do it, build their confidence.

What did I learn about my child's readiness for self-bathing? I learned that a child can always do something ONLY when they are ready. That is true with the rest of every child's developmental milestones as well. They know what they are capable of doing and they will always do things anyway no matter how risky we think it is. But isn't it important too that our children need to see it from us that we believe in them? Had I stopped her from bathing herself-- because my paranoia is just around the corner-- would it be more damaging to her self-confidence that I, as her mother, is not trusting her? I have learned that, allowing my child to try it on her own, I am giving her a gift of a lifetime -- belief in herself that she can do it no matter how imperfect it is on her first tries. She did it, anyway.


Happy parenting!

Intervention At Play and Development: When Is Too Much, Too Much.

Sure we have been reading a lot of blog entries or articles about child play and child development. We know that play is learning itself. But as an adult supervising young child, how do you know when to stop interrupting or start intervening? These things surely don't come with a specialized handbook for us to stay guided point by point, because certainly, there is no standardized approach in everything. Being with a young child, everything else should be customized according to their individual interests and developmental phase.

What exactly is individual interest? In its simplest form, let me give you an example. In our daily routine with my sweetcakes, I always make it a point that I'm giving her enough freedom to choose the pyjamas she likes. It has always been our routine after bathing, I let her choose by herself which one she wants to wear. There are times, I trim it down to preparing two pj's and let her choose which one suits her mood for the day. Indeed, she gets the feeling that her choices are ok, and we settle with it.

Another example of individual interest is about colors. Most adults primarily already has a built-in stereotyping when it comes to colors and so with other toys. Blue is for boys and pink is only for girls. One time, I needed to buy her a new toilet seat. The lady apparently offered automatically the only available color she believes suitable for girls. I looked at my little toddler looking like it didn't suit her taste, so I told the lady, give me another toilet seat whatever the color is. My sweetcakes interestingly examined the choices, one is pink and the other is blue. I knelt down to her level and asked, which one do you like here? She gently pointed to the blue one. I asked her again, are you sure you like this than the other one? She said, "yes." So I then added, that choice is nice! You've got cute animal design on it! She squealed excitedly and told me she's gona hold on to it when taking "poopo" so she wouldn't fall.



Looking at the two examples, most of us tend to choose things WE would want for them. Adults ALWAYS feel that we know better than them. Seriously, when it comes to child interest, how many times have we intervened too much, to choose this and that, blue is for boys, kitchen set is only for girls, and dolls are EXCLUSIVELY for girls? No freaking way! Who says that household tools toy set is only for boys? Apparently, I have saved your time researching loads of resources that says pink is only for girls and computers are only for boys. There is none. It's just US and our stereotypical minds.

If we keep on intervening a lot on simple choices of our young children, we are teaching them to be dependent and insecure about their own decision-making skills later in life. There are so many helicopter parents who never had bad intentions, and are still clueless about it. But those who grew up to these types of parents can always look back and make changes on how to raise their own.

Even when our kids are at play, The moment we step in to their world of play, we intervene. It is very critical to evaluate our phrases first before we utter things to them. Not all play intervention is harmful, in fact we sometimes need to intervene. But how do we know when it is already becoming too much and when it is not?  When a child plays, it would be helpful to observe them and not disrupt them.

Observation is the key. Quietly observe them first and stop telling them what to do, telling them what to do is too much intervention already, I'd say, its more similar to intrusion. Things like "this is how a dinosaur should look like baby...." is definitely not a good thing when your child is trying her best to put it together. It is rather appropriate to offer our mastered skills of crafting ONLY when they seek help. Whilst it is not a taboo to ask them questions like, "why do you love making this shape?" it might be necessary to stay back until we find them sharing things on their own moment, not ours. When your child is fully engaged in playing, it is our turn to keep quiet and stop trying to "teach" them how things are supposed to be done. There is no correct and proper way to play.

A child may almost always express their unwantedness on something in a lot of ways especially in play. Things they are not interested to would always require them to say NO. At this point, their NO should be listened to, welcomed and respected. Forcing and insisting what WE ADULTS want will leave them feeling devalued and ignored. When a child gets quiet and deeply engaged, don't interrupt. Quietly observe them and let them enjoy the momentum.

To quote from the article released on Saturday, July 16, 2016 entitled Be The Spark That Ignites The Flame, it highlighted the respectful way of caring for young infants and children without too much intervening on their own world.

"Magda Gerber, mentored by Emmi Pikler, traveled to Los Angeles and carried the flame with her.  Gerber'sEducaring® Approach incorporates:

"...a deep respect and appreciation of the baby as more than a helpless object, Magda Gerber’s Educaring® Approach encourages infants and adults to trust each other, learn to problem solve, and embrace their ability for self-discovery. When allowed to unfold in their own way and in their own time, children discover and inspire the best in themselves and in others."
- Resources for Infant Educarers"

Interestingly, young children's interests don't just end there. Some are just objects for them to investigate, explore, discover and see how a specific object operates. It poses a great oppoertunity for us to help them develop critical thinking by asking how one thing leads to another. These are the great opportunities for us to guide and learn alongside with them how a certain color changes when mixed with another.


Developmental Phase. It is a Filipino belief or pride and often a misconception, I have noticed, that one or a mile step ahead is better. It is undeniably better to be one step ahead but it doesn't apply in ALL things, especially in early childhood.  Aiming to be "advanced" and asking the school administrator to "move up" their child to a higher level is an everyday dilemma I face while managing the learning centre. Traditionally, adults take pride and even boast that their child has been advanced one year ahead from their original birth year. I personally don't find it encouraging for young children. School administrators and educators know when to move every child who NEEDS to be moved to another level higher than their age groups and we do it because it is very necessary. It is not something that is given to any child just to feed parental ego. It is appropriately given and it is almost UNNECESSARY and might even be harmful to move them up should parents insist.

This is a concrete example of too much intervention on their developmental phase on the academic side. Young children are supposed to be assisted on things they are WILLING and READY to do, not PRESSURE them with challenges that we adults deem as necessary.

Talking about academes, there has never been a study that a child is required to learn the alphabets, numbers or know colors at a young age. There has never been a research that will testify that studying shapes and memorizing numbers at the age of three is helpful for their everyday survival. It is the society which has made this pressure among parents. But somehow in our adult world, we are impressed at how a young child memorizes the numbers. We are so often get busy at "teaching" them a lot of things and if they don't get it, we end up getting frustrated and brand the child "slow."  As a result, we yell, we lose our temper and break down. What exactly are we teaching them? It is beyond the numbers and the alphabets. It is not wrong to send your child to school at an early age, but it pays to deeply scrutinize the type of school and their mission in guiding young children. I would never recommend any preschool that overly pressures children with assignments and drill them with alphabets and numbers. No thank you. It is not impressive at all.

Sadly, in Philippine setting, more young learners are given tremendously disappointing standardized workheets and the results upsettingly influence their evaluation cards.

There are hundreds of available studies how pushing academics on children as young as 4 year olds can harmfully damage children's wellbeing. Quoting from my favorite blogger Janet Lansbury's entry on her blog entitled 4 Reasons To Ditch Academic Preschools:

"Funneling academics down to preschools to “better prepare” children to deal with an already overly academic Kindergarten experience is a waste of time, and this “miseducation”, as Dr David Elkindrefers to it in Miseducation- Preschoolers at Risk, can cause “damage to a child’s self-esteem, the loss of the positive attitude a child needs for learning, the blocking of natural gifts and potential talents.”

Here is the link of her entire blog which I urge every parent to read, that yes, WE CANNOT RUSH DEVELOPMENT. http://www.janetlansbury.com/2010/11/4-reasons-to-ditch-academic-preschools/.

In the end, let us not fail to realize that what our children truly need is a community that accepts their individuality, we cannot put words on our children's mouths if they want to express something. We cannot dismiss something so beautifully interwoven into their richly-thinking brains and tell them that a rainbow only has 7 colors. In creativity, there is no standards to be followed, and by intervening too much, we are killing the child's ability to think and imagine.

Happy parenting!

I Love You, Because You're Here

Out of the blue, she blurted "I love you because you're here...."

I didn't need to double confirm from books and articles that our presence as parents is what they mostly need. Not out in the park, the malls, the beach or outdoor, not even the toys. It's right here, with them. I, her mother, is enough to make her day worthwhile and happy.

It was past lunch time when she did her usual play routine. I was with her, though not participating on her play. She came closer to me busy with something she got engaged to. Out of the blue she blurted, I love you because you're here. She didn't mind, but I did.

I came close to her and asked her, "are you happy when I'm here?" She nodded and smiled. Then proceeded with her business.

It is not supposedly surprising to me hearing this revelation. But when it came straight from my own, it hit a heartstring. I realized its not our outdoor trips that made her smile. It wasn't my biggest attempt of arranging her play area that made her happy. It was me. It was my presence.

Her play area meant nothing if I wasn't there to pretend as her student, while she, a teacher. She would ask me to go and sit down and would specifically tell me "not like that, do like this..." when she wanted me to do something that I quite couldn't get what she meant.

Sure, articles are flying and the knowledge is there that presence is in fact, not just a mere fad about parenting. It's an undebatable fact that is it a necessity. Not something you can just close your eyes and convince yourself that it is okay. For me, it is not OKAY. It is never okay to rob your child the chance to be with you and force that it is going to be alright. It will never be alright for them. Our job is to quit prioritizing other things. That's parenting.

When Adults Become Malicious

Earlier I posted a video about my daughter playing along with her cousins. Windows were shut, series lights were turned on, music of their choice was played, raw macaroni was being poured on my daughter's head as they enjoyed their self-directed play.

As I looked in surprise, I got delighted how creative they have been. Clearly it was a fun all discovered by them, putting all the elements together, light's off to appreciate the series lights blinking in a dark room, music on based on their preference. Well, the collection of music my nephew had were all modern pop wherein my daughter was also familiar of.

Stepping back, if I switched on my "adult mind or orientation," or probably my judgmental button, I would automatically, without any doubt, associate it to being similar to "clubbing." But, looking at the scenario at their own perspective, they have never been to such places. Doing it at their own exploration and discovery is something that's non-addicting, and entirely far from being harmful or even morally questionable.

What is questionable is how we adults attempt or jump at associating things they do to how our orientation is. It is honestly similar to putting malice when a child curiously asks what a penis is.

You might find it funny, but what is funnier is how adults think so differently from young kids.

The scenario on my video was a plain example of young children enjoying and just having fun with the blinking lights, showering macaroni while enjoying the music. I myself introduced the series lights to my daughter with windows shut and lights off--to appreciate the wonder of a blinking series light which by the way won't be enticing for exploration if the windows are opened.

Dark does not equate to bad. It is similar to black versus white. These are natural things around. Colors, bright or dark, boys and girls. Bisexual people are being maliciously misinterpreted because that's how young kids are being influenced by adult perceptions. Thats how adult mind operates differently from young kids.

If you are so used to being with kids, especially the young ones, your perception about the world changes. You'd realize how adults poison little kids' minds. Your influence is very critical and if you are not very much aware of it, better get a proper education first before you poison a child's exploring and curious little beings.

Why I Don't Give Rewards And Punishments To My Toddler

I have been taught during my college days about rewards and punishments. In psychology, we reinforce 'good behaviour' by giving rewards and punish unacceptable or undesirable ones. Even in my BS-Education subject, Principles of Teaching, we motivate students' through rewards system. In parenting, I'm doubtful whether it's rightful to give either reward or punishment accordingly. Reward is such a good term, punishment is indeed a very strong negative word. During my (early childhood) teaching days, I believed in the 'efficacy' of both terms, should we apply them appropriately. Not until I became a mother that I started to have a deeper understanding whether it's rightful for me to give rewards for 'good behaviour' or punish my own child for her 'undesirable' actions, at least in my own 'practice' as a mother.

In my daily encounter with my sweetcakes, who is now 2.8 years old, she has managed to make deals with me. Deals that we sometimes disagree (peacefully at most times, bloodily at some), and most of the time, agree. Whenever she wanted to do something that's contributing to feeding her curiosity, I happily allow her. Whenever it was time to brush her teeth or take a bath or do whatever is necessary for her hygiene or saving her life from health-threatening situations (before she climbs on risky parts of the house, during my watch, I always as much as I can, remind her to refrain from climbing on that area), I always speak to her in advance and set expectations at what we're about to do.

Sometimes she follows, sometimes she doesn't (like climbing, so I had to find a spot where I could easily catch her when she falls). But hey, what's the big deal?! Aren't we in our own adult world sometimes tend to not do things we needed to do? What matters is, we have tried our darn best to form the habit, but does it make us a neglectful parent if sometimes our kids just do what they are designed to do?--Test our limits (and sometimes just being lazy and it's totally OKAY to get lazy SOMETIMES). Say they didn't want to brush their teeth just yet, do you punish them after you have repeatedly told them to do so? Some parents do, even resort to spanking. But for me? hell no. I don't punish just because she didn't want to brush her teeth just yet. Spanking is a lazy form of discipline. And nope, I don't reward her either for cooperating with me accordingly (that's another form of bribery I'd say--only that its done after the 'desired' behaviour). Instead, I allow her to express herself if she wants to do it later (I give time,I can wait, but I don't have the whole day to wait--and you can define an abuse of the word 'later' from the real 'later'). When the 'later' is over, I firmly remind her that later is now, sometimes she would negotiate for another 'later' I still give her a couple of minutes more. On the third attempt, it is my role  now to set limits and get her toothpaste and toothbrush and initiate on brushing her teeth. I also encourage switching roles, I let her hold her toothbrush and let her start, then I would always do a follow-up brushing. Giving her time is not condoning. It is called respect. But if it becomes a habit or an excuse or sometimes abuse, you can always firmly make a deal and state some facts on what could possibly happen if they refuse to do so. Do I need to punish? I don't think so. Do I need to reward her for complying? I don't think so.

Looking into that situation, some of you might say that I am condoning her acts of not complying to her daily routines as part of establishing healthy habits. Dear friends, its not condoning, neither conditioning her that it's totally OKAY everytime she says she's not doing things. What was my course of action when she suddenly didn't like toothbrushing? I had to put on my "investigator cape" and see what is the reason behind her refusal to brush her teeth, yes, I do have all the time to do that because I choose to make and take time. Until finally, I found out it was the taste of her toothpaste that made her resistant. She can talk but she never mentioned she disliked the taste, (I wonder why she didn't tell me when she just blabs anything away everyday!). So I figured it out. Come to think of it, it takes one snap to break my little darling's soul had I not looked at the reason behind and immediately 'punish' her for her refusal. It takes a little amount of patience, respect and investigation to sort things out. Hypothetically, it applies to all things that we do. I don't punish. It is not my way of discipline to instill fear. Fear is something that people instill (intentionally) to control things. I don't want to discipline her by instilling fear on her just for her to follow my 'orders.' Another struggle for us is her eating time. She is in a stage wherein her taste-buds are highly sensitive and selective to tasty dishes! She used to love my cooking, but not anymore. She eats something that soothes her mood today, the next day, expect another menu is highly necessary. She still eats anyway, and  nope, she neither has diet issues nor anything that's alarming or something that poses threat to her health.

You see, those are some of the few situations wherein I can considerably apply rewards or punishments supposedly, but I decline to do so. There is no reason for me to give reward on something that she needs to do, but don't get me wrong, I give gifts but not for doing what I ask her to do. There is no reason for me to punish if the needed and respectful actions are done. I view punishments as something that's intentionally done to let someone suffer in order to realize mistakes. It may be effective and appropriate for someone who is already an adult or secondary students capable of evaluating misplaced behavior. But to toddlers who lack the skills of fully understanding the world around them, I don't think punishments are necessary, WHATEVER form it is. In my experience as a mother and a teacher, I talk and keep repeating myself day in and out. I don't expect young toddlers to RIGIDLY follow routines AT ALL TIMES. They are designed to break rules, and your appropriate response and leadership is much needed, not breaking their hearts and self-esteem.

I am in the position right now that every move I make is being carefully watched, so every response I do, I try as much as my human capacity, to respond accordingly. She intently looks at every response I make.  But still being human, I am very much capable of getting green and nasty, and when that happens, I just had to let it out and she sees me getting angry. I let her see me get angry. She sees how my facial expression turns sour, she sees how my tone of voice changes, and of course, she sees me yell  (but as much as I can hold it, I try my very best not to and that doesn't make us a monster parent). But what I make sure she doesn't see from me is throwing stuff when I'm angered. Hitting something or spanking her. It is very easy to release parental anger, especially when limits are being pushed and tested. I view punishments more as a release of our anger, rather than teaching them lessons. It feels both bad and good releasing our stress through spanking them, yelling them hard, giving time-outs and after doing such, we feel bad at how we released our own misplaced emotions as adults, then we say 'I love you' (and mostly explain afterwards--which contradicts to my belief that most of the time, young kids usually remember WHAT YOU DO THAN WHAT YOU SAY) after every hit or punishment is being done, doesn't that sound confusing to the already-confused young kids?

What about giving punishments as consequence to an undesirable act, like grabbing important stuff such as passports, keys or probably hitting daddy's face hard? Do we necessarily punish them? For important stuff first (they ALWAYS love to grab things that's darn important to us and prompt us to fall on our seats and scream NOOOOO!!!) I'd love to take passport as one very important stuff that my daughter always scavenge from my bag (my bag is her favorite toy by the way where most important stuff are there and you cant just safe-proof your bag at all times). I'm still not convinced to punish her, instead, I calmly tell her that "you are holding my passport, that is a very important thing for mommy, I need you to give it to me." Usually she would say "just look only mommy...." From there, I gently tell her that "we can look at it together and when we are done looking, I need you to put it back in my bag." IT ALWAYS ALWAYS works. Trust me, she doesn't harm it or tear it or crumple it because I allow her to discover it with my supervision. Should I scream at her with a giant NO and chase after her, naturally she would run away and we'd be like crazy cat and mouse in the house. Should I panic and grab it immediately from her hand, my passport would be dismantled, and it would defeat my purpose on trying to save it from its death. What about hitting daddy's face hard? This requires strategy and sometimes giving flat affect on every hit works. This could just be a phase or you are giving too much attention to make the hitting end. And NO, it doesn't require me to hit her back (as a punishment) to make her feel how it feels to be hit. In every attempt to hit, we can also defend ourselves by holding their hand and prompt them by saying "you are about to hit me, I cannot let you do that..." Encourage them to express their emotions by talking and asking them why are they hitting. Sometimes, hitting is an expression of displaced excitement. Like me, I sometimes hand flap when I'm overwhelmed (but that doesn't make me autistic).

Parenting indeed is quite confusing already. Me being a woman, I have a built-in mixed up of emotions going here and there, I experience hormonal changes every now and then. But that doesn't excuse me from establishing respectful discipline. Working with young kids is not like following a step-by-step procedure in order to achieve a desired output. It is not similar to following an exact recipe of baking a cake and expect a perfect taste. It is rather closer to mixing a salad adding this and that and see what suits your taste buds better at least for today because chances are, you might need to change your mixture for tomorrow. Happy parenting!

Teaching Mama: When Do We Let Children Be The Curriculum?

Teaching Mama: When Do We Let The Children Be The Curriculum?: As a teacher, I do spend enough (sometimes more than enough) effort in preparing the activities for my classes. I handle children as yo...

Curriculum Planning: Follow Your Child's Lead

As an educator, I do spend enough (sometimes more than enough) effort in preparing the activities for my classes. I handle children as young as 18 months up to 5 years old, currently and all groups are unique and very interesting.

I have my personal beliefs in being an educator. From my past training and experiences, curriculum is as important as breathing in our field. Without it, we simply can't survive our day, or worst, we just have no direction and "teaching" is less purposeful. I have designed curricula myself and was able to successfully carry out each written plan. I'm quite obsessed at following routines. That's what curricula are made of after all, for us to have a sense of goals and objectives and a sense of standard to follow. 

Curricula are sometimes biased

In spite of that, I have slowly come to a sense of rebirth that some curricula are totally biased (at least most of the time) if it is done without careful observation based on child interest. Most are teacher-centered, not child-centered. I do understand if some (or most) educators will disagree as I know the painful effort we invest to accomplish things like lesson plans. But when should we stop making our own plans on what we what our child to "learn"? The answer is NOW. 

Expect the unexpected

I always have this encounter with my youngest class. They always surprise me with their uncanny reactions to what has been prepared for the day! It's interesting how terrified they become with a simple mask that's posted on the board for them to decorate! 

Here's what happened:

I prepared masks for each one of them to decorate however they like it. The plan was to make them spread some glue, sprinkle some glitters, post some tiny papers around it, fill it with colors and just be creative (Teacher-centered-not good). Perhaps (I was ready for this) crumple the mask or simply tear it. So I came to class excited and ready to give away their materials!Oh boy! Have I totally lost my senses and made them feel terrified with my superhero mask upon entering the room?!?! Yes, kind of. They got scared of me. I was excited. I had a very huge smile. They were horribly scared. They started to get cranky and cried. 

Educator's role

What's an educator to do when your plan just didn't end or should I say, start up the way you anticipated it? Plan B. switch hats and just guide them on something that may spark their interest. If I insisted on my planned activity because that's what has been written on the curriculum, then I fail as an educator. Being compliant to your plans is one thing, but insisting on something that did not interest them is another thing. It is like forced-feeding a child that is already very upset yet you don't stop the feeding. Isn't it disgraceful? That's what happened in one of my classes. In fact, it happens to all teachers too. But the trick is be observant and intentional. My role as an educator is not to "teach" them what I think they need to learn. My role is to observe and guide them, to set up invitations to learning that is of their interests, not mine, not the ones being planned, and to finally trust them to lead the way.  

So instead of masks, they excitedly rolled up the bottled water filled with food coloring, 

slammed their body on it pretending it to be a bowling ball (dizzy play), 

while another one was keeping herself amused with her shadows !! 

and color mixing always saves the day! They're happy. I'm satisfied. They learn in a non-threatening way. They explored based on what interests them and they got engaged because they chose their own activity not what has been planned.

So here's my take on curriculum, we made them, teachers do prepare them (teacher-centered). But sometimes (in fact, it's always), it's just not right. 

Learning is limitless

In the area of learning, we can't contain it and give limits to it by telling a child what they need to lear, dictating what they should explore. I value every single thing a child does in child care centres, from shaking liquids to pouring sand on the floor. Isn't it amazing how some things that look interesting to us aren't always as interesting to them? How a simple leaf can provoke their curiosity? 

Embracing changes

I have an unrelenting faith in today's early childhood education, and I have seen a massive (positive) change in this generation compared to mine. In spite of the rigid practices in teaching during my time, I came to be who I am today. Some teaching methods that are being practiced in other countries now are slowly gaining popularity and in fact giving impact to early childhood industry. As time evolves, we can't always stick to what has been, let's embrace change and be open to new challenges in the field of early childhood education. 

Teaching Mama: Respectful Parenting - A Precursor To A Happy Child...

Teaching Mama: Respectful Parenting: A Precursor To A Happy Child...: A lot of instances in our parenting lives we are faced with quite a colossal degree of confusion, anger, annoyance or irritability wh...

Respectful Parenting - A Precursor To A Happy Childhood

A lot of instances in our parenting lives we are faced with quite a colossal degree of confusion, anger, annoyance or irritability when our little toddler presses all the right buttons. It has never been a fun part of parenthood especially when we reach the point of questioning our capabilities as parents. Arguments with little people seemed odd to me until I had to do it almost everyday of my life as a mother and as an educator. It has never been an easy journey for me, notwithstanding my early childhood education teaching experience, I still have enough amount of struggles on how to appropriately address some encounters without ending it in a non-painful disagreements, as much as I can. 

I do have quite a number of ideas on how to handle young children before I became a teacher and a mother. At least I have gathered some on how I was being raised by my own parents. It was easy to determine what were the things I dislike when my parents disciplined me, surely I won't apply it to my own kids. But those collective knowledge I thought were enough, were surely not. Even years in dealing with children is truly not an assurance that you 'always' do the right thing, because we don't 'always' do it by ourselves. We do it together with another "person." The difference is, we are not always the ones who are involved in every case, and we have no right in any way to control or be in authority just because we want so doesn't mean that's how things are going to be. I don't mean to say that we always 'agree' or condone what our children wants. Authority is a very classic word when it comes to parenting and for me, it has a negative twin end.

What I missed in my collective knowledge is how to do respectful parenting. What is it exactly and how do we do it? There could be a lot of instances when we just have to let things be because inevitably we get tired and our patience is just wearing very thinly at the end of the day that it can break so easily with just one more word of demand. At that point, we lose our minds and end up yelling or throwing things and ironically we're the ones throwing fits or having a parental meltdown (except that we don't roll on the floor), funny to think that we also have those lapses as adults, yes, as adults. From that context, we can understand why children also have those moments, because they also get tired and simply confused how to manage their own emotions--as young people. Therefore, the very power that we have is how to do things with all due respect, and being the ones who are more capable of dealing with emotions, it is our job to initiate how to establish respect in our relationship as parents to our children. It is not a very easy action plan. It takes a lot of time, patience and practice especially when we 'assume' that we are the one in 'authority.' That's where the difficulty comes in, the moment we believe that we are in 'authority' it is easy to break respect, and young children lacks this skill to be always respectful, but we adults--I assume, we don't. 

Respectful parenting is a concept that I learned from Magda Gerber, an early childhood educator, who defies the odds of traditional education and classic parenting, with all the right reasons. Her works are mostly linear to establishing respect to young infants and perceive them as a whole person, not a baby. I have applied most of her concepts myself and I still am currently "in practice."  In my experience applying her concepts, I would testify how almost "magical" it is. I don't need to argue with my sweetcakes when it's time to sleep, I just need to ask her calmly and listen to her reasons why she can't do things just yet, from there, we work on whatever works and agree. Sometimes, we just can't always agree and it's something that we have to live with in our lives, settle with disagreements calmly. It is our role, to initiate how to calmly handle disagreements. At the same time, we don't conceal real emotions, if it something that really entails deep emotional expression, let it be, but as parents, we have this responsibility to acknowledge real feelings, we neither hide nor distract it. We simply accept these emotions as they are, so let's take leadership in showing our children that strong emotions do happen and we don't need to panic when these occur. 

Here is a short clip on how I managed to establish respectful parenting dismissing the idea that I am the one in authority. 

In case the video doesn't play, let me explain what happened. 

In that video, it was bed time but she was still enjoying the music video that she was watching. To carefully establish that respect, I need to ask her calmly and remind her that it's bedtime. She gave me an assertive response that the video was not finished yet. I knew she still wants to watch it. My role here was not to imply that I am her mother and that she needs to follow my orders. I simply had to provide an option for her that we can agree on something. In this case, I asked her that whenever the video is finished, can we turn it off? With a smile on her face, she responded positively with a nod and a soft yes. She then came near me and asked

"later?"

Should I insisted on turning it off dismissing her possible response, it would have ended with a negative and painful disagreement. She might cry for not being listened to or she might cry simply because she felt disrespected. That's where we can draw the line from being disrespectful parents to a respectful and loving parents. It was not condoning neither agreeing to what she only wants, it was called respect. 

We can always initiate and provide opportunities for our young children to respond to us. However we do it, respect has always been a catalyst in every great relationship. In all confusing emotions our young children experience, it is our role to proactively take leadership in responding to all these emotions. we don't need to provide quick solutions to make them always feel comfortable. Let us provide opportunities for them to appropriately work on things and not finish things for their comfort. Let's all practice respectful parenting. It may not go as smoothly in the first 3-50th attempt, what is important is, they feel loved, listened to and respected which is an active precursor to a happy childhood.