The years have fled. Achi has graduated from elementary school. It seems only yesterday that I began writing this parenting column filled with baby articles and our family’s struggles with a toddler. I now have a preteen who is beginning to carve out her own life. She agrees to be my baby forever, still giving […]
You know you’re Tsinoy when you have to work at your family’s tiamkhaw (store) on weekends and in the summer… for free! These days, not all Tsinoy kids work 100 percent at the tiamkhaw. Many work at dad’s or mom’s office checking email, answering the phones, checking inventory. My parents are both teachers so there […]
I join child advocates in the outcry against a proposal to lower the minimum age of criminal responsibility to 9 years old. That it is raised to age 12 years old on the bill’s third reading in the House is no consolation. The first time this issue came out was in 2016, when my elder […]
Oil on NFA Rice sacks by Archie Oclos. We started at the left most panel and Achi immediately asked me why their heads were tilted. I told her, “you’ll see.” Towards the end, right before the last panel, painted directly on the wall, is a bullet that had pierced all of those heads. As soon […]
I saw this photo on a friend’s timeline and it reminded me of all the gifts I asked for when I got married. We purposely did not have a gift registry because we were going to live with Mom. Her house is fully equipped and we did not really need anything new. Plus, we were […]
Rules for life: There are no secrets, only surprises. I read an article online about how this line ensures the safety of children – physical, emotional, social, psychological. Sometimes, they are unaware that they are being taken advantage of, so it helps when children tell parents most of what is happening in their lives. We can […]
On a recent family trip to Hong Kong, we saw a woman asking her granddaughter to pose for a photo. The girl, probably 7 or 8 years old, was obviously not happy about it and smacked her grandmother’s hand so hard, the mobile phone flew a few meters away. My mother could not help herself […]
A t the parent’s orientation of our school in early June, one of the new things we covered was Quezon City’s new ordinance on canteen food. The Anti-Junk Food and Sugary Drinks Ordinance of 2017 prohibits the selling and promotion of junk food and sugary drinks to students in schools or within 100 meters of […]
At the start of the year, I wrote about how Shobe tries to skirt the limits of her physical prowess and climbs up everything. In that article (Tulay, Jan. 16-Feb. 5, 2018 issue), I emphasized trusting our children because they know their bodies best. This time, I’d like to focus on their minds. As they […]
Tsinoy dads today are much more hands-on with the kids than in previous generations. While many still regard childrearing as mom’s turf, a dad’s contribution to raising a child cannot be discounted. Women often still have the responsibilities for getting the child dressed, fed, go to school, do the homework, and at day’s end, ready […]