From Dawn Till Dusk

[This is an answer to a tag by Cookie on Five Things I Want My Kids to Know Before They Grow Up.]

So many childcare and parenting books whose authors are “experts” offer so many childrearing and parenting advice. There’s these books which claims that if you don’t follow these systems you’re told to do, you will not raise a good child. And of course, being the doting parents that we are, we sure wish only the rightful way of parenting and childrearing for our children. That is why, our tendency is to patronize as many parenting resources we can get our hands on, just as so we are confident we are teaching our children the rightful way. But can anyone of us truly know which to trust or believe?

Last Sunday, we attended the 3PM Mass at the Megatrade Hall of SM Megamall. It was one of those usual Masses that we attend. Same Priest, same set of Church choir, same set of people who help out all throughout the the ceremony. But what made that Mass really special for me and Hubby was the Priest’ homily which centered on parenting. Very apt for newbie parents like we are, he told the story about a couple who were just expecting their first child.

This couple have the vision to be the dedicated parents that they are to their future child. And like most new parents who weren’t sure how to raise a child in a proper way, they decided to take parenting classes offered at their church. After the first class, they realized that there were different opinions, especially in their own church, about raising godly children.

Feeling a little confused, they decided to talk over the various childrearing issues with their family physician. And to their shock, even as they knew their family physician and his wife as model parents, his advice was surprisingly simple and clear: Continue Reading »

Co-sleeping has many rewarding benefits. We for example, have proven the many advantages of implementing this attachment parenting technique. For over four years now since we’re co-sleeping with Nico, I can say that we have been ensured of the physical and emotional and the “spiritual” health of our family.

During Nico’s “attachment phase” which was from 6 months to 2 years, we’re so glad for choosing to be sleeping with the Little Boy as we saw in him the feeling that he’s in the most comforting place to be whenever he sleeps on our family bed. Added to that, never we feared the threats of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, (which according to childcare books happens during the attachment phase where it is believed that possibly an underdeveloped nervous system may cause the baby to forget to breathe) simply because we’re together during sleep time as it is believed too that Mom and Dad’s rhythmic breathing is an excellent reminder for the baby to breath as well. I’d like to believe too that it was because of co-sleeping that Nico got to learn to sleep through the night as early as four months old, which meant more zzzz’s for me and Hubby.

Of course, we’ve had our share of sleepless nights too, most especially when Nico is sick. But the very same togetherness at night worked for us in anyway because we get to check on the Little Boy’s temperature on a regular basis.

If there’s a disadvantage with co-sleeping that we experienced, that’s plainly just the lesser and unpredictable Hubby and Wifey time, and nothing more. That is, if one can consider that as a disadvantage because for us, co-sleeping has been a very good form of contraception. Haha!

We currently have a queen-sized bed to sleep on and even though me, Hubby and our growing Little Boy are nearing being all cramped in our sleeping haven, we love the feeling of sleeping together as we feel we are more at peace and we feel we are more secured. And we’ve yet thought on having Nico transfer in the next room to us pretty soon. Well, not until the Little Boy told me just last Sunday that he wants to have his own room. Continue Reading »

I confess, I am but a certified 100 percent stage mother to Nico. No doubt about that and I have to believe all doting mothers in this world around are naturally in the same boat as I am. Don’t we just love and adore our kids to pieces that we are often engrossed with documenting every milestone and every development they achieved?

To us, they are the most beautiful creatures that God has ever created on planet earth and often times we can’t help but praise them, and be proud and brag about them from the littlest to the amazing things that they do. I for one, had proven this myself but never did I thought this stage mommying admittance would be put to test when something came up.

Two weeks ago, while we’re dining in a restaurant in Eastwood City, a stranger approached us surprisingly. A young professional looking person that he is, he introduced himself as a talent scout for an advertising agency. He said he was very pleased with the looks and smiles and charms of our Little Boy and asked if we’re interested in letting Nico try to audition for some commercial shoots that he is currently handling.

Of course, never would I deny that the offer of the talent scout got me really excited. I was so thrilled about it actually that I remembered I was wearing a big big smile on my face while listening to what the talent scout was saying. You wouldn’t believe it, but I was sort of like a crazy stage Mommy going nuts with bubble thoughts on my head while the talent scout was doing his sales talk, imagining how exciting and thrilling it will be seeing my Little Boy model for a kid’s clothe line with all the lights and lenses aimed at him. Continue Reading »