I still remember when my eldest daughter was in pre-school and I was looking to ask someone for parenting advice. Who better to ask than someone who’s had extensive experience in handling hundreds of children for the past 30 years?
I still remember when my eldest daughter was in pre-school and I was looking to ask someone for parenting advice. Who better to ask than someone who’s had extensive experience in handling hundreds of children for the past 30 years?
Have you ever received a blessing from your father? Or thought about speaking a blessing to your child? I want to share with you something I’ve discovered about the power of the long lost gift of A Father’s blessing.
During the Old Testament days, the biblical patriarchs all gave formal blessings to their children. It was considered a manner of inheriting rights. To receive a blessing from your father was considered an honor and losing a father’s blessing was believed to result in a curse.
Studies have shown that six months into a pregnancy, the fetus can already see, hear, experience, taste, feel and even learn. Everything the mother experiences, the baby experiences as well. A baby can be directly affected by her mother’s moods and attitude towards pregnancy. How a mother receives and experiences her pregnancy, whether it is with joy or disappointment can also impact the baby physically and emotionally.
If you are expecting, then I’m writing this especially for you, I want you to know that speaking words of blessings to your unborn child is the best gift you can ever give your baby before he or she is born.
Losing hope is a dangerous thing. So I’m writing to share the story of an incredible man who proves that the human spirit can triumph over incredible odds through perseverance and determination.
Success has got a lot to do with having the right attitude and the right influence. Learning about this man’s journey inspires me to push myself a little harder, dream a little bigger and work to create a difference that matters. His name is Dr. William Tan and I hope he can inspire you too.
Sometimes it takes one incident to change the rest of your life. And this was true in Robert’s case. I think God wanted me to learn something from this kind gentleman. So he sat him right next to me on our flight to Singapore.
Robert towers at about 6 feet, but because he has these kind downward slanting eyes, he reminds me of a gentle giant. He seemed really prepared for our 4-hour long flight. Armed with a tablet, chips and a boxful of cookies, he sat quietly watching a movie. He barely moved except to help me pull out a magazine in front of him.
I’m not really the kind of person who can chat up a total stranger, so I have my husband to thank for learning about his story.
Have you ever felt so inspired by someone that after hearing them speak you want to change something about yourself? You go “yeah, I could do that, or I think I want to that starting tomorrow.”
You feel good. You’re motivated. You start on that path. But maybe just like me, you forget, and it falls apart a few weeks later just like a forgotten new year’s resolution, or a diet that you can’t seem to keep to.
I remember overhearing this conversation between Catie and Jianna when they were in 2nd and 1st grade. Catie was 6 years old and Jianna was 5.
Catie : What’s your favorite subject?
Jianna : I like reading and language. It’s easy and fun.
Catie : Easy is boring. I like AP and Math. Hard is fun. You don’t learn anything if it’s easy.
Catie said it like it was the most normal thing any 6-year old would say. As far as I can remember, we have been raising both of them in the same way. We could not have changed anything so quickly with them being only a year and a month apart. So I was surprised to hear Catie speak about challenges the way she did, especially when my thoughts resonated more with Jianna’s.
I remember my seventh birthday party. I wore a yellow ruffled dress, blew out red candles on my chocolate marble birthday cake and ran around our house with my cousins and neighbours. It was fun and it was pretty much how we celebrated every birthday.
Some 7th Birthday celebrations these days have reached a whole new level with elaborate backdrops, multi-tiered cakes, food carts, rehearsed dance performances and extravagant giveaways and prizes. These are great, and it’s always fun for my kids, but having a big party can really put a dent on your bank account.
If you teach your children at home, or tutor them after school, then this might be useful advise for you. I know how frustrating tutoring can be. I’ve exchanged stories with a couple of mom friends who have decided to leave that job to the professional tutors- for fear of straining their relationship with their children.
I’m not proud to say that I’ve turned into monster mom myself while teaching my kids. Learning how to make it easier for both me and my girls has encouraged me to find out more about how people learn.
We all have different learning styles. Learning styles are basically a preferred way of learning. Whether you like to read out loud or sing it out, some learn with pictures and some learn with words. There are different ways each of us receive and remember information.Read More »
Let them fall.
The other day, my daughter’s caretaker approached me after dropping them off at school. She was visibly upset, to the point that she looked like she was about to cry. She asked me if she could be assigned to do household chores instead of watching over the kids.
After probing, she explained that she missed packing my daughter’s books, and she felt guilty for leaving it behind. She was afraid that the incident would upset me. Personally, I was quite surprised by her willingness to accept responsibility even when she wasn’t to blame.