Wei Yin Wong's Blog
Posted by Wei Yin Wong
Many people assume stay-at-home mums have lots of time to themselves, my husband included. The truth is, homemakers never have enough time. Because these mums don't toil outside the home, many people assume they have all the time in the world to wash up, cook, watch the kids, mow the grass, drive the kids around and worse, run errands for busy relatives and friends!
I'm fortunate that I don't have that many friends and relatives asking freely for favors here. But I know a few stay-at-home mums who get bombarded by calls from supposed loved ones who always seem not able to run their own households. And these relatives have the audacity to feel upset when their requests for help are politely turned down.
Still, the ability to say no politely is one of the best and most effective time management skills any stay-at-home mum can have. Sure, it never helps to lend a helping hand to others. But when a mum has to care for her children and do scores of household chores at the same time, it's only fair that she be left alone to do her tasks. It never amazes me how inconsiderate some relatives and friends can be, requesting for, nay demanding, help when it's clear such demands should never have been made in the first place.
There are many other ways to manage time efficiently. Planning things ahead always helps. So do cutting down household chores, getting the spouse and older kids to help and keeping things organized at home.
For more time saving tips, read also my following articles:
Time Management Tips for Stay-at-Home Mums
Becoming a Time Efficient Stay-at-Home Mum
Organizing Time Effectively for Full-Time Mums
How to Save Time While Food Shopping
Posted by Wei Yin Wong
Posted by Wei Yin Wong
All kids look forward to school holidays. After all, these are the best times to experience fun things out of the house.
However, each time a child steps out of the house, many dangers await. Well, that's not to say there are no hazards within the home. It's just that there are a lot more unexpected risks whenever we leave our familiar comfort zone.
That's why parents must give children's safety priority at all times. There are a few basic things to remember each time the family heads for an outing - giving children enough sun protection, keeping them hydrated with plenty of water, bringing healthy snacks, supervising them at all times, arriving early at their destinations to avoid the crowd and teaching them relevant safety rules, depending on where they are holidaying.
We just came back from a short skiing trip. Yes, it's July but here in Australia, it's also winter time. So we headed for the Alpines for the very first time, not having seen snow prior to this. Fortunately, I did a bit of research before driving up to Mt Buller, our ski holiday destination. We had a lot of fun and managed to come back in one piece depsite not having even touched a ski pole before!
The point is that parents must be prepared for any sort of emergency when they are out holidaying. For more ideas, read my following articles.
Going to the Ski Resort with Kids
Posted by Wei Yin Wong
Posted by Wei Yin Wong
Although Father's Day is celebrated in the month of September in Australia and New Zealand, it is celebrated on the third Sunday of June in most Western and Asian countries.
As I write this, there are no promotions or Father's Day special events in Melbourne. But I know my sisters back in Malaysia are probably planning something nice for Dad. So are friends in Canada, the United States and Britain.
However, I notice the event is relatively more low-key compared to Mother's Day. For some reason, Father's Day is not celebrated with the same enthusiasm as Mother's Day. Well, the media will feature some items regarding dads and their contribution and shops do have specials to mark the occasion but the mood just isn't the same. It's as if dads somehow don't deserve the kind of honor and respect that mums tend to garner.
Still, deserving fathers should be revered at all times, not just on Father's Day. There are loads of unusual gift ideas out there. You don't even have to spend a fortune on some of these gifts. But if money is not an issue, the possibilities are limitless. Google will be able to help you find anything if you use the right keywords!
For more gift ideas for Dad, check out the following articles.
Unique Father's Day Gift Ideas
Posted by Wei Yin Wong
Infertility has become increasingly common. Medical conditions, obesity, unhealthy lifestyles, environmental factors, stress and the decision to delay having babies have all been identified as major causes of infertility.
And contrary to what our grandparents believed, infertility can be a problem in both men and women. In the old days, adoption was the only option for childless couples. These days, advanced assisted reproductive technologies (ART) such as IVF, GIFT, ZIFT and ICSI have allowed thousands of infertile couples to conceive and deliver their own flesh and blood.
The first IVF baby, or popularly known as test tube baby previously, was Louise Brown. She was born in Britain in 1978. Since then, more than 3 million babies had been born worldwide using a wide range of ART approaches. The advent of ART is truly a godsend for childless couples who yearn to have babies using their own eggs and sperm.
However, ART treatments come with a huge price, quite literally. They are also extremely time-consuming, involve a lot of medical procedures and hormonal courses that leave unpleasant side-effects and worse, they do not guarantee success. In fact, success rate is only between 25% to 35%, depending on the couple's health status and age. Many couples also succesfully conceive using ART only to suffer miscarriages later, which can be an even bigger blow.
Therefore, it's crucial for couples considering IVF or any other ART treatment to adequately educate themselves before committing to a treatment. They can get information from hospitals, fertility clinics as well as websites and organizations dedicated to reproduction and infertility treatment.
A quick rundown on causes of infertility and ART can also be found on the following links.
Common Causes of Female Infertility
Common Causes of Male Infertility
Posted by Wei Yin Wong
Parents, particulalry mothers, are naturally concerned about whether their kids are eating enough or whether their kids are eating the right foods. Many diligently try out new recipes in the hope of enticing their kids to eat more.
Unfortunately, these efforts don't always bring the desired results. In fact, some kids will take one or two bites of a specially prepared meal only to refuse eating after that, much to the frustration of their mums. Some mums also face the daily challenge of trying to get their little ones to eat substantial and nourishing foods. Mealtimes are definitely battlegrounds for these mums and little fussy eaters.
I was once such a fussy eater, stressing out my mother regularly. I had a taste of my own medicine more than 2 decades later when I had to feed my young son. Joshua was just as finicky as I was. And I could understand my mother's frustration all those years ago!
Things are a lot better for me now. But for other new parents facing mealtime stress with their kids, here's what parenting experts suggest that they do:
- Know that kids will not deliberately starve themselves. If they are hungry, they will eat.
- Set good eating habits examples.
- Don't use food as a reward, punishment, bribe or threat.
- Don't take too much trouble over kids' meals.
- Make mealtimes fun by using colorful cutlery, changing eating venues every now and cutting food into interesting shapes.
- Involve kids in food shopping and food preparation.
Mealtimes should be relaxing, enjoyable and stress-free for everyone in the family. For more tips and ideas, read my following articles:
Dealing with Little Fussy Eaters
Posted by Wei Yin Wong
I once had a colleague who suffers huge anxiety when it's time for her medication. She would put her glass of water, medicines and a big chunk of chocolate next to one another. After taking a deep breath, she would quickly pop the pills into her mouth, take a big gulp of water and then promptly bite into the waiting chocolate!
As a child, she must have had very traumatic experiences when she had to take her medicines. I remember my share of unhappy incidents with my prescriptions. But unlike some kids who spat out their bitter remedies or ran around the house trying to avoid the inevitable, I obediently swallowed everything down. I understood I needed to do something unpleasant to get better.
Thankfully, my kids are pretty much like me. They hate their medicines but they take them anyway. I never have to cajole, trick or threaten them. I also don't have much difficulty getting them to the doctor when the need arises. One of them needed to have four shots at one go a couple of years ago and he didn't even shed a tear, though he admitted the experience was something he would avoid at all costs in the future!
The thing is, kids and doctors and medicines just don't go very well together in general. Parents do need to help kids overcome their anxiety of seeing the doctor or taking medication. A good tip is to show kids that going to the doctor or eating medicines is something that people do when they are sick. Let kids know when you have your own doctor's appointment. Bring them along if possible to demonstrate that there is nothing to fear. Make your appointment early so that your child get to be seen on time, eliminating a longer wait.
As for taking medicines, teach them from young why they need their doses. You can also mask the unpleasant flavor by keeping liquid medication chilled and mixing it with cold foods like yoghurt, jam, honey or even icecream. To make things a little more exiciting, allow the child to give you your own medicine when you need to.
For more related tips, check out my following articles.
Getting Children to See the Doctor
Posted by Wei Yin Wong
All parents will feel stressed, burned out and depressed from time to time. For stay-at-home parents, there is something else to deal with. They are often isolated as well.
The questions is, are all the efforts and trouble worth it? Mostly yes. Children are and should be every parent's priority. Household chores must be done to make sure kids have their meals and the house is relatively clean.
However, resentment, anger and frustration often set in easily when kids refuse to behave, when there are heaps of household chores to attend to and when the spouse just isn't pulling his weight around the house. Overwhelmed, some mums just hope they can find a hole and crawl right into it and not see anyone or do anything for three days.
I should know. I feel that from time to time. But I've also learnt to unwind and refuel my tank. Parenting experts such as Steve Biddulph, Miriam Stoppard and Michael Grose all agree that parents should have some "me-time". And I make it a point to have that.
I suppose it's easier for me now that both my kids are at school. I could pursue my own interests quite easily while still ensuring that there are proper meals for the family and that the laundry is taken care of. Make no mistake. It's not easy juggling all that although I don't have to work outside the home. It's just that I manage my time well and know how to recharge myself. Having supportive friends also helps me feel less isolated.
Here are a few things I always tell myself. Don't try to be a supermum. Keep meals simple. Spend at least one hour a day doing things I want to do. Read my trashy romance novels when the kids are asleep. Watch my Discovery Channel or National Geographic documentaries when the kids are asleep. Be playful with my spouse. And ask him nicely when I want him to help.
For more ideas to cope with the challenges of parenthood, read my following articles:
Burnout Management for Full-time Mums
Depression Management for Stay-at-home Mums
Posted by Wei Yin Wong
Today, I became the proud owner of a pair of kitchen mittens, a rooster-shaped garden gnome and a small pot of flower. Why, these are early Mother's Day gifts from my two kids. They got these from the Mother's Day stall at school, which was organized by school volunteers to raise fund for their school.
The kids were supposed to keep the gifts until Sunday but they just couldn't wait to present them to me. Presenting them to me wasn't quite enough, though. They insisted, nay, demanded that I unwrap the gifts too. So I obliged them and gushed enthusiastically over the offerings. They beamed with happiness.
I guess that's what Mother's Day is about - a time for mothers and children to appreciate one another's company. I don't need those gifts. I'd rather my kids don't drive me up the wall every now and then. But kids being kids, they will do that occasionally no matter how well-behaved they normally are. So for now, I'll settle for the kitchen mittens, garden gnome and flower. However, I was told there is another big surprise for me on Sunday. Lucky me.
If your mum isn't as lucky as me, that is if you haven't found the perfect gift for your mum, there is still time to get a nice Mother's Day gift. Of course, the best gift anyone can give his or her mum is the gift of love. That said, it never hurts to delight her with something unique and special.
Homemade crafts always make great gifts. Kids can draw pictures or make photo frames for their mums. Expectant mums may like to receive gifts that can help them prepare for the birth of their babaies. Grandmothers will probably prefer something suitable for their age. And if your mum already has everything she needs, consider buying her charity gift to help the needy.
For more Mother's Day gift ideas, check out the following articles:
Unique Mother's Day Gift Ideas
Mother's Day Gift Ideas for Grandmothers
Mother's Day Gifts for Expectant Mums
Posted by Wei Yin Wong
While men aren't exactly from Mars and women aren't exactly from Venus, men and women do live in different worlds sometimes, even when they live under the same roof.
Just ask any woman living with a man. Men generally have an impaired cleaning gene. They don't know how to keep things tidy, they don't know where things are kept and they are rarely seen with a mop or vacuum cleaner. Things get a lot messier when there are new additions to the family.
Although the new man is supposed to be more involved in household chores and parenting duties, he is still not doing enough. Not surprisingly, women end up with the lion's share of domestic work. Domestic squabbles over who should do what have caused many a marriage to break down.
Working mums have a tough time juggling career, kids and housework. Stay-at-home mothers don't have it easier either. In fact, they are in a far worse position than their working sisters. Full-time mums don't bring home any income and are therefore sometimes considered inferior to their husbands, who are the sole breadwinners of their respective families. So these mums get dumped with all the household chores.
Which is grossly unfair considering that stay-at-home mums actually work far longer hours than their spouses, who normally put in eight hours a day at work.
I'm one of the many women facing this dilemma. While trying to find ways to get my man to do more household chores, I discovered a wonderful book aptly entitled The Lazy Husband (Piatkus Books, 2005). It is packed with tips and practical ideas on getting men to be more involved at home and with kids. It was written by a man, a clinical pyschologist named Dr. Joshua Coleman. So this man certainly knows what he's talking about!
According to Coleman, one of the most important things for women to remember when it comes to getting help from men at home is to approach men with appreciation, not aggression. In other words, begin by being nice to the man. Appeal to his sense of fair play. If he truly cares about you, he will listen. And if he listens well enough, he will learn to pick up the mop.
To discover Coleman's wonderful tips, read his book or check out some of my articles below, which have outlined some of his and other experts' suggestions.
Sharing Household Chores with Men
Common Excuses Men Use to Avoid Housework
Understanding Different Types of Husbands
Posted by Wei Yin Wong
Water is so important. It makes up about 60% to 70% of our body and yet, many of us don't drink enough water. The fact is, without enough water, the body cannot function optimally. Blood will not be able to circulate properly and that means oxygen and other nutrients are not delivered efficiently to every cell in the body. Insufficient water in the body also affects body temperature, biochemical reactions in the body, bowel movements and the renal system.
The easiest rule to remember when it comes to providing sufficient water supply for the body is the "drink 8 eight-ounce glasses of water rule". The thing is that many people actually do remember this rule but often don't know how to keep the water flowing into the body.
Good tips include to make water available everywhere - on the desk, in the car, inside the handbag, etc. Also, drink a glass of water after each toilet trip. Another way is to eat more water-rich foods such as soups, congee, fruits and vegetables.
Parents of young children should also encourage them to drink more water. Children get dehydrated easily and should have their water intake replenished more regularly. If water is too bland, try fresh fruit juices and flavored milk drinks.
For more ideas about water and its health benefits, check out my following water-related articles.
Posted by Wei Yin Wong
It's never too early to teach kids about money. In fact, the earlier you teach them, the better it will be for them.
So I got both my kids a piggy bank each and encourage them to fill the piggies up whenever I have some loose change for them. They do so gladly, mostly because it is fun seeing something, especially something that can buy them things, grow before their eyes.
I also opened junior savings accounts that pay very high interests for them. Every month, my older child Joshua would remind me to deposit some money into his and his sister's accounts. After each deposit, he'll ask me how much money they've got in the bank. My reply always gets him excited because, once more, the money is growing!
He's only eight and still doesn't really understand how money works in real life. But his early good money habits are a good sign. He understands that money doesn't come by easily. He knows that Dad has to work hard and Mum has saved a lot so that the family has enough money to go around.
Sometimes, when we are out shopping, he'll even decline a new toy because "it will be a waste of money". His younger sister, Joanne, however, has no such reservations. She'll want this and that. When she gets too demanding, Joshua will step in and tell her to stop making unreasonable demands!
I suppose teaching my daughter about money will be a little bit more challenging compared to teaching my son. But that's alright. She learn as she grows older. I've also read up tips on teaching kids about money so that I can share money management tips and skills with my kids.
Check out the following articles for ideas on cultivating good money habits in kids.
Posted by Wei Yin Wong
When I was growing up, I lived in various rural areas in Malaysia. My dad was a government servant who got posted to different rural towns and we lived in government quarters with huge backyards. Actually, there weren't any backyards. The surrounding areas of all our previous homes were so big that we kids had boundless plains to run about. Well, almost.
A friend had a paddy field in her backyard and it led all the way to the beach. Not a pretty beach but one filled with mud and filth. So we didn't play all that much there. Still, the paddy field was good fun. So were the myriad trees, plants and animals (cows, buffalos, goats, chickens, ducks, geese, cats, dogs, etc) that grew and lived there. Yep, there was a lot of fun in those rural backyards.
Then when I moved to work in the capital city of Kuala Lumpur, I lived in houses with virtually no backyards. All we had was a little patch in the front of the house to grow a few pots of plants. Boring and pathetic.
Now, living in Melbourne, I'm back to having a nice backyard. There are some fruit trees and an area big enough to pitch a couple of tents. But I have to admit I haven't made much use of the family backyard. We are renting so I don't put too much effort in creating a beautiful landscape there.
Still, the typical family backyard has so much potential as a place to help kids learn and play. Kids can learn about nature and plants growing flowers and plants there. They can also learn the names of birds, tree creatures and insects that live there. Many families have also turned their backyards into mini playgrounds with cubby houses, swings and sandpits. And on balmy summer nights, the kids can invite friends for a sleepover under the stars in the backyard!
With kids spending a great deal of time in the backyard, safety in the backyard should always be given priority. That includes installing play equipment that comply with safety standards and providing constant adult supervision.
To get more ideas on backyard entertainment, lessons and safety, read my backyard-related articles below.
Posted by Wei Yin Wong
While I'm not a total clean freak, I can't stand the thought of living among clutter. I thought most people are like me until I keep getting comments from visitors on how clean and tidy my home is. The remarks are certainly flattering but the thing is, I don't see why it's so hard to keep the house clutter-free.
Well, it's a little hard to keep things organized at home if there are tiny ones leaving toys, books and food crumbs everywhere. But what if there are no small children in the house. Surely older kids can be taught to help with a bit of tidying up. And in adult-only households, tidying up is even easier.
I suppose I should thank my lucky starts that my kids are pretty good at organizing their own things, particularly my older one. Eight-year-old boys aren't particulalry known for thier meticulous ways of packing up toys and books but that's how Joshua is. He knows exactly what should go where. His younger sister has picked up the habit. So I don't spend that much time cleaning up after them.
Unfortunately, the same cannot be said of my husband. I still need to clear up magazines, newspapers, books and junk mail that he scatters all around the floor!
Having the right storage solutions is a big part of keeping the home organized. These come in various sizes and shapes to accommodate a wide range of items. Stationery, toys, books, shoes, clothes, etc, should have their own little homes. And whenever possible and practical, label the containers properly.
Another great way to keep the house organzied is by asking other family members to help out. I'll have to find ways to get my spouse to his share of cleaning up. Fortunately, I don't have too many problems getting help from my kids!
For more ideas on keeping the home clutter-free, read my following articles.
Posted by Wei Yin Wong
For most kids, Easter is all about the Easter bunny, Easter eggs and the nice little gifts they are going to get from family and loved ones. It's a bit like Christmas, albeit on a smaller scale.
But where I came from, there is nothing frivilous and colorful about Easter celebrations. There was and still is no emphasis on Easter eggs and bunnies although in recent years, there have been attempts by retailers to commercialize the event. The season of Lent, Good Friday and Easter Sunday are all sacred, sombre and serious business.
My parents are both very pious Catholics. My mum went to a mission school and was educated by Irish Catholic nuns. My dad has regular church duties. Needles to say, we kids were only taught the religious aspects of Easter. So we performed our Easter duties by attending masses, stations of the cross and going to confessions. No one ever uttered a word about eggs, bunnies or gifts.
It's a totally different story here in Melbourne. Easter is a holiday associated with fun things as well as a religious ocassion. Personally, I have nothing against the secular side of Easter. It's good, clean fun for the kids, after all. At school, they learn and make Easter crafts. And the week before the first school term ends is always filled with fun Easter activities.
Fortunately, most public schools also have a weekly Christian religious program (for families who opt for it). Therefore, the kids also learn the about the origins and the true meaning of Easter. Parents can also teach children about faith, hope and friendships through junior religious books, stories and plays.
For me, I'll hit the library with the kids and encourage them to borrow Easter-themed books. I'm toying with the idea of holding a small mini egg hunt and perhaps make some home-made Easter eggs too. We'll have two weeks of holiday when the time comes to do all these fun and meaningful activities.
To read more about Easter activities for kids, read my recent Easter-themed articles below.
Posted by Wei Yin Wong
When I was a kid, a big part of my time was spent doing homework and housework. Back where I came from, homework was a big deal. I remember doing pages after pages of writing and sums in primary school. It got a lot worse when I got to high school. There were scores of corrections to make too if there were errors in the original homework pages.
That was just one type of work. The other equally dreaded kind was housework. I was the eldest of four girls. Not surprisingly, I got the biggest chunk of housework to do too. I still vividly recall feeding my youngest sister (who is nine years my junior) her porridge and cleaning up the mess she made. Then there were also endless rounds of sweeping, mopping, wiping and laundry washing. There was no other option but to help my parents since they both worked full-time while struggling to bring us brats up.
Sure, my sisters and I whinged and complained about all the stuff we had to do. But somehow, we managed pretty well. Through household chores, we learnt a great deal about discipline, teamwork, independence and time management. No kid would brag about doing housework but I truly believe the "training" we had while we were kids actually made things a lot easier for us as we grew older and tried to make our ways in this dog eat dog world.
So I strongly advocate giving chores to kids when they are young and eager to please. Nurture kids' natural desire to help and you'll find that it's a lot easier to ask for help when they are older. For more tips and ideas related to kids and housework, check out my recent articles on the subject.
Types of Household Chores for Children
Posted by Wei Yin Wong
When I was a kid, I didn't harbor the dream of becoming a mum. Sure, I played with dolls but I played with guns too. As I grew older, I saw friends going crazy when they saw a cute baby in the arms of her adoring mum. While they went ooh and ahh, I stayed far, far away.
No, I didn't like kids. At the departmental store, the only place I wouldn't venture into was the children's department. Too colorful and too many miniature stuff. I got dizzy just walking past those things.
I was still pretty indifferent to kids in my first pregnancy. I just went on my business as usual. Not a good sign for someone on the way of becoming a parent. And even after my son was born, I didn't fall in love with him immediately. In fact, I was a little disconnected from him.
Thankfully, things changed the days and weeks after. I learnt to care for and love this little person that I gave birth to. Surprisingly, I took to parenting with relative ease. It was hard going back to work after my 60-day maternity leave. But somehow, I managed to juggle between work, home, baby and husband.
Now that I'm a stay-at-home mum, things are a lot easier for me. I don't have to rush to work and suffer office stress. But I still have tons of work at home. The kids come first, of course. I'm in charge of getting them breakfast, driving them to school, volunteering at their school, picking them up from school, getting their afternoon snacks ready, cleaning up after them, helping them with homework, cooking dinner and cleaning them up again later at night. After all that hard work, they sometimes show no gratitude or worse, behave rudely.
Experts say that's common. Kids are like that. They get on their parents' nerves to see how far they can go. Agreed. But some discipline should be in order as well. So it's a lot of juggling and balancing act being a parent. Sometimes, the act falls flat and I just feel completely worn out. That too, is common. Luckily, I get lots of help from parenting books and magazines. Read the summarized versions of what the experts say here:
Problems of Being a Stay-at-home Parent
Posted by Wei Yin Wong
My kids are the best of friends and the worst of enemies, depending on the situation.
With only 20 months between them, Joshua and Joanne are the greatest pals when all is well. Joanne, being the younger one, naturally hero-worships her older brother. She'll never openly admits that but she strives to emulate him in many ways. She also enjoys playing with him, even all those "boy stuff" like Terminator, Yu-Gi-Oh! and Speedracer. Being a tomboy helps, I suppose.
To his credit, Joshua has been an exemplary older brother. He watches out for his little sister and always asks whether she will get a piece of something he's been given. If there is only one, he is often more than willing to share it with her. I can't take full credit for that, though. He's always been like that, without my telling him to do so. That's his nature, I supposed.
Those two are great as a team. Against a common foe, they are a truly united front. It's impossible to pit them against each other. They will shoot down the enemy and go about their usual way.
That said, they are not without conflicts. Oh yes, like other siblings, they squabble and fight – and I mean physically fight – too. And at times, the fights get a tad violent. Intervention is required to break up the fights, of course. But soon, all is forgotten. They will start playing together again after a while.
I'm glad my two kids have a great relationship. Sibling rivalry and jealosy is very minimal between them. I certainly hope they keep this up. But not all kids take a liking to their siblings naturally or easily, especially in big families with many siblings and where favoritism is rife. Deep resentment and hatred may even occur and these negative feelings often continue into adulthood.
That's why parents need to love all children unconditionally and avoid pitting the kids against each other in the belief that it will help them accomplish more things in life. They should also avoid favoritism, listen to all squabbling parties, teach children to be kind and compassionate to their siblings and introduce a new sibling even before it is born.
For more ideas, read my following articles:
Posted by Wei Yin Wong
Even without studies to support this, the evidence is clear. Overweight childfren are everywhere. Childhood obesity is a big concern particularly in developed countries where easy access to food and sedentary lifestyles are the norm.
Left unchecked, the condition will continue into adulthood, putting these kids at high risk of a many health conditions such as heart disease, diabetes, skin infections and even cancer. So it's every parent's duty to ensure his or her child grow healthilty and be in the ideal weight range.
The first thing to do is to make all rules regarding eating and fitness apply to everyone in the family, regaradless of whether they have a weight problem or not. Eat healthy and nutritios food, cut down on junk, sugary and fatty foods significantly, ban TV while eating, limit TV time, encourage outdoor activities and exercise together as a family. With parents taking the lead in healthy living, children are more likely to follow suit.
For more ideas to prevent childhood obesity, read the following articles:
Posted by Wei Yin Wong
There isn't a kid I know who doesn't love parties, particularly birthday parties. My kids go wild each time they get invited to a birthday party. Needless to say, it's hard to tell them they can't go, especially if the date coincides with something the family has already planned.
I myself am not that keen on birthday parties. I haven't even organised one for either of my children. True, I'm not much of an event manager and the thought of hosting a party with lots of little people running around and creating havoc doesn't really appeal to me. But I think eventually, I'll have to let the kids have their own little birthday bash.
The good thing is that these days, many amusement centers and restaurants use their venues for birthday parties too. So for those with no organizational and event management skills like me, using such a service will be an ideal solution.
But those who enjoy hosting parties will have a blast thinking up unique themes, decorations, special dishes and entertainment for the party. To make things easier for them, there are so many party supply stores around that can make a party really memorable. These, of course, come with a price.
And kids being kids, their real aim is to have fun at birthday parties. Which means kids' birthday parties don't have to be grand. Have it in the backyard or the local neighborhood park. Ask the guests to contribute some food or drinks. Bake your own birthday cake. Get a friend to dress up as a clown to entertain the kids. As long as they are having fun, they wouldn't complain about the cake, food and venue!
Another way to make the birthday party more fun is to involve the birthday boy or girl in every stage of the party preparation. Get him or her to help with the selection of items for the goodie bag, choose a cake, write and deliver invitation cards and decorate the party venue. He or she will enjoy the preparation as much as the party itself.
For more ideas, read the following birthday party-related articles:
Children's Role in Birthday Parties
Posted by Wei Yin Wong
All kids ask these questions. And almost all parents dread answering them. But answer the questions they must. I'm referring to questions related to babies, birth, sex, puberty and the human anatomy.
As a child, I had my fair share of profound questions for my parents too. Not surprisingly, they often gave me answers that didn't really make sense. They were embarrassed and got uncomfortable whenever I asked one of those questions.
The teachers at school didn't help much either. My science teacher in Year 7 actually skipped the chapter on human reproduction because he didn't know how to handle his students' curiosity! Imagine our frustration and annoyance!
I'm a parent now and my two kids have started asking those questions too. At first, I too was stumped. But having done some research, I found one particular book that has answers to all those big questions. It's a book by leading parenting expert Dr Miriam Stoppard entitled Questions Children Ask (London: Dorling Kindersley, 2002). In the book, Stoppard shares ideas on how to answer questions related to intimacy and birth, questions about relationships, questions about differences between people and questions about the unknown.
The most important thing for parents to remember is to answer these questions as truthfully as possible. Keep the answers short and try answering them in words that kids will understand. I've written a few articles using Stoppard as my main reference. The following are some of these articles. I hope parents find them helpful.
What are Mum and Dad Doing in Bed?
Posted by Wei Yin Wong
Posted by Wei Yin Wong
My son Joshua had a terrible time adjusting to school life when he started kindergarten a few years back. I wasn't surprised. He had always been very clingy and a tad over-protected by his grandparents. He didn't like the idea of starting school at all. Even the wonderful orientation day with nice toys, colorful pictures on the wall and ultra-friendly teachers did nothing to change his mind.
So on the first day of school, as expected, he protested strongly as we prepared him for school. He cried, he wailed, he begged and he fought back, quite literally. The wailing stopped when we stepped into the classroom but anyone could tell he was terribly upset. Of course, he was not the only one with school anxiety. A few other kids were putting up pretty strong protests as well.
For the next two weeks, wailing and trying to pull off his kindergarten uniform became a much dreaded morning ritual. The teacher assured me it was normal. But what wasn't so normal was the fact he didn't speak to any of the other kids in his class for the first four months of his new kindergarten life! Thankfully he didn't cause any trouble and was actually learning fairly quickly.
Looking back, I should've prepared him more for his new life at school. I got lots of tips from family and friends but neglected to consult parenting books and other refereces. If I had, things would have been a lot easier and smoother for all of us while Joshua was starting school!
Now, my youngest sister is facing the same problem. Her son has not taken to school life very well. So I've shared with her all the parenting tips on getting ready for school that I'd written on Suite 101. Trying to stay positive, talking only about great things at school, buying new and colorful stationery and maintaining good parent-teacher communication are just some of the many ways to help children adjust to school life.
I'm glad to say Joshua has got used to school life beautifully after that initial giant hiccup. Today, he's much more independent, more sociable and a first class student (according to his teacher, not me!).
Parents keen to find out more about preparing their kids for life at school can read the following articles for ideas:
Posted by Wei Yin Wong
Time moves very quickly. It's 2009 already and before you know it, you'll be planning for Valentine's Day, Easter, Mother's Day, Father's Day, 4th of July, Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas and the next New Year! The ability to freeze time will be handy!
But since that's not possible, the best we can do is to enjoy and savor every moment we have with our loved ones. Today is the first day of 2009 and it's also an ideal time to make New Year's resolutions. I myself don't usually make such resolutions because I know I'll break most of them by the end of January! But I keep telling myself I need to set some goals, especially where my family and kids are concerned.
I'm quite hot-headed and tend to lose my cool very easily when the kids decide to play hard with me. I won't tell myself not to ever shout or scold them, but I suppose I could tell myself to do that less. I just have to keep reminding myself and count to 10 before reacting to anything.
I've also made a pact with myself to try to practice most of the things I write about parenting on Suite101.com. Some of the parenting tips, advice and strategies I've read and written are real eye-openers. Some will work for sure while others may work well for certain parents and not so well for other parents. But whatever it is, I will give all relevant tips a try. Some have really worked wonders. There are definitely more that can weave the same kind of magic too.
I'm also going to spend some time teaching important values such as kindness and empathy, tolerance and acceptance and the importance of money to the kids.
And since New Year's resolutions are a big thing at this time of the year, you may want to check out tips to keep New Year's resolutions, New Year's resolutions for parents and New Year's resolutions for children as well.
Hope everything goes well this new year for all of us.