This evening when I reached home, I was greeted by my daughter's excitement and enthusiasm to show me her concert costumes. She collected her costumes during the day. Her concert will be held this Saturday afternoon. The concert is an annual event organized in every November. Parents, family members and friends can purchase tickets to attend.
This year concert is especially important for her as she is graduating from her kindergarten studies. As graduating student, she will take part in 3 performances. This is a key milestone for her. She will go to Primary School (Junior School equivalent) in 2007.
She happily put on the costumes and her black shoes which was bought last week. She was so excited and wanted to rehearse her items to my wife and me. We sat at the couch and watched her sing and dance. We clapped and cheered her on.
She has grown from a very shy girl to one who is courageous enough to face the audience. Isn't this a parenting joy, to watch her growth and reached another milestone?
I am looking forward to see her perform on stage this Saturday.
Parenting Tip: Share your children's joy and give a lot of encouragement
Outdoor Activities - Fresh Air Again
Finally, I had the chance to enjoy some outdoor activities this weekend. For the last few weeks, the haze in this part of the world (South East Asia) has been so bad that it became very hazardous to bring my family to the park or the beach. This morning the PSI (Pollutant Standard Index) was about 50, compared with PSI of > 100 for most of the previous weekends.
This morning, I brought my daughter to the neighbourhood park for brisk walking. We had not done this for almost a month. We also played badminton for about 30 minutes at the open court 2 blocks away from my home. Not exactly playing proper badminton as this is the first time that she is holding the racket hitting the shuttlecock. She was enjoying herself although she missed the hits most of the time.
A good physical activity this weekend. We hope the haze situation will improve permanently, so that when the school vacation starts in about 2 weeks time, she can have more of these fun outdoor activities.
This morning, I brought my daughter to the neighbourhood park for brisk walking. We had not done this for almost a month. We also played badminton for about 30 minutes at the open court 2 blocks away from my home. Not exactly playing proper badminton as this is the first time that she is holding the racket hitting the shuttlecock. She was enjoying herself although she missed the hits most of the time.
A good physical activity this weekend. We hope the haze situation will improve permanently, so that when the school vacation starts in about 2 weeks time, she can have more of these fun outdoor activities.
The Quotients That Determine Life Successes - Essential Parenting Info
What are the quotients that may determine success in life? These are:
IQ (intelligence Quotient), which measures the potential cognitive skill or what people generally understand as intelligence in a person
EQ (Emotional Quotient), which measures how well a person interacts and gets along with others.
AQ (Adversity Quotient), which determines one's abilities to overcome setbacks.
How to develop IQ? I found that this Q is very crucial in the early stage of a child development cycle. Especially, from the age of 6 months to 3 years, every interaction contributes to the child's brain development.
Sensory experiences like seeing, hearing and touching stimulate brain activity and the growth of brain cells. Involve your child in many sensory experiences but ensure that she is enjoying herself and having a lot of fun. To help your toddler cope with new experience, you can provide her with familiar base to return to after exploring something new. E.g. when she is checking out a new toy, help her by playing together with her on her new toy first. This is to allay her initial fear.
Language skills also blossom during the age of 2-3 years. Read, sing and talk to your child often.
At this age, it is also key to provide proper nutrition, as there is a brain growth spurt - the time when her brain is developing rapidly. There are some key nutrients which are very important for brain development. These are Taurine, DHA (Docosahexaenoic acid), AA (arachidonic acid), Choline.
Taurine is an amino acid found naturally in mother's milk. That's why breast-feeding is highly recommended. This nutrient is key to overall mental and physical development.
DHA and AA are important building blocks of the brain, nervous system and eye. DHA can be found in fatty cold-water fish like salmon, trout, sardines. (mackerel is a good source too, however the level of mercury in this fish is also higher). We can also consider cod-liver oil supplement, but my child is not receptive to this. Fortunately, she has a liking for salmon. AA is found in egg yolk, meats in general, particularly organ meats, and other animal-based foods. These 2 nutrients may help in the support of a child's concentration, and therefore their learning ability and behaviour.
Choline aids in memory development and promotes energy and delay fatigue. It can be found in egg yolks and organ meats.
I am glad that my daughter likes to eat egg very much and she enjoys eating meat.
Parenting Tip: Eat Well and Look out for such Key Nutrients in Food
IQ (intelligence Quotient), which measures the potential cognitive skill or what people generally understand as intelligence in a person
EQ (Emotional Quotient), which measures how well a person interacts and gets along with others.
AQ (Adversity Quotient), which determines one's abilities to overcome setbacks.
How to develop IQ? I found that this Q is very crucial in the early stage of a child development cycle. Especially, from the age of 6 months to 3 years, every interaction contributes to the child's brain development.
Sensory experiences like seeing, hearing and touching stimulate brain activity and the growth of brain cells. Involve your child in many sensory experiences but ensure that she is enjoying herself and having a lot of fun. To help your toddler cope with new experience, you can provide her with familiar base to return to after exploring something new. E.g. when she is checking out a new toy, help her by playing together with her on her new toy first. This is to allay her initial fear.
Language skills also blossom during the age of 2-3 years. Read, sing and talk to your child often.
At this age, it is also key to provide proper nutrition, as there is a brain growth spurt - the time when her brain is developing rapidly. There are some key nutrients which are very important for brain development. These are Taurine, DHA (Docosahexaenoic acid), AA (arachidonic acid), Choline.
Taurine is an amino acid found naturally in mother's milk. That's why breast-feeding is highly recommended. This nutrient is key to overall mental and physical development.
DHA and AA are important building blocks of the brain, nervous system and eye. DHA can be found in fatty cold-water fish like salmon, trout, sardines. (mackerel is a good source too, however the level of mercury in this fish is also higher). We can also consider cod-liver oil supplement, but my child is not receptive to this. Fortunately, she has a liking for salmon. AA is found in egg yolk, meats in general, particularly organ meats, and other animal-based foods. These 2 nutrients may help in the support of a child's concentration, and therefore their learning ability and behaviour.
Choline aids in memory development and promotes energy and delay fatigue. It can be found in egg yolks and organ meats.
I am glad that my daughter likes to eat egg very much and she enjoys eating meat.
Parenting Tip: Eat Well and Look out for such Key Nutrients in Food
What is Parenting
Was wondering after being a parent for 6 years, i actually do not know what is the defintion of Parenting ? So what exactly is parenting. Since I am not sure, I asked Wikipedia
Parenting
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Parenting is the process of raising and educating a child from birth until adulthood. This is usually done in a child's family by the mother and father (i.e., the biological parents). Where parents are unable or unwilling to provide this care, it is usually taken on by close relatives (including older siblings) and grandparents, adoptive parents, foster parents, godparents, or institutions (such as group homes or orphanages). Parens patriae refers to the public policy power of the state to usurp the rights of the natural parent, legal guardian or informal caregiver, and to act as the parent of any child or individual who is in need of protection (i.e. if the child's caregiver is exceedingly violent or dangerous).
Huh? a mouthful of terms, but in essence, I think is really a process of providing the best guidance and care to educate a child from her birth until adulthood. (In Singapore this means 21 years old, but likely to be 18 or 20 in most parts of the world). That means another 15 years of 'duty' for me? But in reality, does the parenting process stop there, when your child reaches adulthood? I am still constantly being cared and guided by my parents, although I have reached adulthood 20 years back.
Parenting Tip: It is a life-long process.
Parenting
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Parenting is the process of raising and educating a child from birth until adulthood. This is usually done in a child's family by the mother and father (i.e., the biological parents). Where parents are unable or unwilling to provide this care, it is usually taken on by close relatives (including older siblings) and grandparents, adoptive parents, foster parents, godparents, or institutions (such as group homes or orphanages). Parens patriae refers to the public policy power of the state to usurp the rights of the natural parent, legal guardian or informal caregiver, and to act as the parent of any child or individual who is in need of protection (i.e. if the child's caregiver is exceedingly violent or dangerous).
Huh? a mouthful of terms, but in essence, I think is really a process of providing the best guidance and care to educate a child from her birth until adulthood. (In Singapore this means 21 years old, but likely to be 18 or 20 in most parts of the world). That means another 15 years of 'duty' for me? But in reality, does the parenting process stop there, when your child reaches adulthood? I am still constantly being cared and guided by my parents, although I have reached adulthood 20 years back.
Parenting Tip: It is a life-long process.
Parenting Role
As parents, we must remember that parents exert great influences and impact to the overall development of their child. Thus, it is definitely a very challenging task to fulfil the parenting role. Can you still remember how your young one learn when you were out with her in the park or garden?
A young toddler reaches out for a sunflower held in her mother's hand and a learning experience has started. The child feels the smooth stem of the flower. She smells it and takes in the scent. She sees the bright and bold yellow colour and hears her mother's voice say "Flower. See the pretty flower?" As her young mind gathers these sensory messages, new connections are formed, associations made and memories stored. Soon, the benefit of this brief experience and other similar incidents will be evident. One day, your child seeing another sunflower, will exclaim to her mother and say, "Flower! Pretty flower." Isn't it amazing?
Indeed, to babies and young children, the whole world is an exciting classroom and each day is filled with small but important lessons. Most of these valuable lessons are taught by the child's first and most influential guides -- her parents. While it's true that a child's ability to master life's lessons is determined to a large extent by the mental capacities she is born with, her environment and the people who interact with her also play a great part and exert very powerful influences on her learning ability.
Thus, there is much we can do in our parenting role to help our child develop her natural abilities to the fullest. I am not suggesting that you should bombard her with instructions at an early age. Rather, at all ages and stages, we should give our child stimulation, encouragement and freedom to explore. We have to note too, that intellect is only one aspect of a child's overal potential: brain power must be well balanced with social, emotional, physical well-being if a child is truly to excel and flourish.
Parenting Tips: Play our Role. Do not leave it to the maid.
A young toddler reaches out for a sunflower held in her mother's hand and a learning experience has started. The child feels the smooth stem of the flower. She smells it and takes in the scent. She sees the bright and bold yellow colour and hears her mother's voice say "Flower. See the pretty flower?" As her young mind gathers these sensory messages, new connections are formed, associations made and memories stored. Soon, the benefit of this brief experience and other similar incidents will be evident. One day, your child seeing another sunflower, will exclaim to her mother and say, "Flower! Pretty flower." Isn't it amazing?
Indeed, to babies and young children, the whole world is an exciting classroom and each day is filled with small but important lessons. Most of these valuable lessons are taught by the child's first and most influential guides -- her parents. While it's true that a child's ability to master life's lessons is determined to a large extent by the mental capacities she is born with, her environment and the people who interact with her also play a great part and exert very powerful influences on her learning ability.
Thus, there is much we can do in our parenting role to help our child develop her natural abilities to the fullest. I am not suggesting that you should bombard her with instructions at an early age. Rather, at all ages and stages, we should give our child stimulation, encouragement and freedom to explore. We have to note too, that intellect is only one aspect of a child's overal potential: brain power must be well balanced with social, emotional, physical well-being if a child is truly to excel and flourish.
Parenting Tips: Play our Role. Do not leave it to the maid.
Spare The Rod and Spoil The Child?
In a survey conducted by Singapore Children's Soceity last year that comprised interviews with > 500 children aged 10 to 12 and their parents, it was noted that reasoning with your children works better than physical punishment.
The survey results which were released to the public 2 days ago also concluded that; to a child, to be told he is not loved is a far worse punishment than being smacked by his parents.
So you might want to question the effectiveness of the 'rod' or cane in this age.
Social workers and educators that advocate the reasoning approach, highlighted that it takes more effort, time and patience to reason with your child as compared to physical punishment or emotional blackmail and threats. Using physical or emotional disciplinary measures are "easy options" but are noted to be less effective, especially to the notorious/naughty children.
There are other aspects to the survey, which I hope to share with you in future posts once I have the full results/findings.
The survey results which were released to the public 2 days ago also concluded that; to a child, to be told he is not loved is a far worse punishment than being smacked by his parents.
So you might want to question the effectiveness of the 'rod' or cane in this age.
Social workers and educators that advocate the reasoning approach, highlighted that it takes more effort, time and patience to reason with your child as compared to physical punishment or emotional blackmail and threats. Using physical or emotional disciplinary measures are "easy options" but are noted to be less effective, especially to the notorious/naughty children.
There are other aspects to the survey, which I hope to share with you in future posts once I have the full results/findings.
Warm Welcome to Parenting Tips 101 resources
I can't believe it. I have actually created a blog!!
Thanks to William that I have achieved this.
For the rest of you, a big WELCOME to this blog http://parenting-tips-101.blogspot.com/
I would like to use this blog to share and talk about parenting tips. Some of these parenting tips will be either my own experience or tips I picked up from others in parenting roles.
Other tips on parenting which I came across in periodicals, books, tv or newsprint media etc. will also be made available here to provide you with more resources or references to better ourselves as responsible parents.
So stay tuned and come back often.
Cheers.
Thanks to William that I have achieved this.
For the rest of you, a big WELCOME to this blog http://parenting-tips-101.blogspot.com/
I would like to use this blog to share and talk about parenting tips. Some of these parenting tips will be either my own experience or tips I picked up from others in parenting roles.
Other tips on parenting which I came across in periodicals, books, tv or newsprint media etc. will also be made available here to provide you with more resources or references to better ourselves as responsible parents.
So stay tuned and come back often.
Cheers.
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