Confident Parents: Kids Are The Best Teacher!

Creating and raising another individual is a hard work. And so is parenting. It's not an easy task to do but it is doable. New parents and parents-to-be should not lose their heart. This can be learned and the best teachers are  our own kids!

There are many books and magazines about parenting of course. They are helpful why not. But in the end, you are going to adjust them to suit your kids temperament and needs.

My 8-year-old daughter is a crying lady... err girl. And when her temper bursts with crying, it's hard to make her stop. One day she came from school crying. Two of her classmates were following her telling us she had a quarrel with their teacher.

Camille didn't want to talk when asked what had happened. But making her feel that we know how she felt, she started to tell us in details.

One of her classmate hid her crayons and she started to cry. No one can stopped her even her teacher. And as a result, she and her teacher got a not so good conversation that only make her crying worse. When asked to leave the room, that 8-year-old kid made a louder cry. 

The next day, her teacher told us many bad things against my daughter's behavior. Was that made my confidence to be shattered? Not at all.

That one math session did not define my daughter. Kids may do crazy things, but that didn't mean that they are bad or you fail as a parent. That incident taught me to be patient and made me more determined to instill good behavior in my child. Why should I let that one silly incident stop me from doing my duties as her dad?  I realized that during those times, that I learned the most!

The best thing to do in those times is to get back to being a dad right away regardless how other people sees my kids. Remember, we know our child more than they.

One of my friends had an austistic son. Imagine what he had felt the day he learned about that. His self-esteem parts. He blamed himself constantly. He was inconsolable. But after sometime, he said enough is enough.  The winds were howling and the rain is heavy.  "My son needed me and there is no way I am going to leave him in the middle of nowhere!", he said full of courage.

Learning to be a confident parent is not limited to books. It is best learned from experience. From years of taking care of your children.

Smooth seas do not make good sailors. I became stronger, more confident father in the eye of the storm.
 

:)

TIPS on Saving Money

Are you having some trouble in saving money? Are you trying to save for a rainy days but feeling like you can't get ahead of the storm? Welcome to the club!

In these trying times, saving money are getting tougher. In fact, there instances that it seems as if the whole world is conspiring against you. Ha ha... you're not alone.

But making some money-saving tips may help us a little in our money problems. How ever small are these but collectively it can make a big difference.

Here are some:

Transportation

Walk in every chance you get. Not only save energy but also you also get energized (unless of course if you have a heart problem). Or have a grocery shopping every two weeks to save gas.

Groceries

Have a list and a calculator with you. This will help you buy all what you need before you buy what you want. And don't hesitate to join in supermarket promotions. You not only save some pesos but get some freebies as well. If you can, Buy in a bulk and wholesale. Buying big pack of detergent powder is actually cheaper than buying in a stacks of sachets. 

LPG

When cooking, put the heat to low to medium level. It may take you a little longer in cooking but your LPG consumption will be lower.

Electricity

Minimize the consumption of electric appliances. Have the ironing of clothes once a week for example. When you only have a couple of clothes left to iron, you can unplug it. Use energy-efficient appliances over electricity eating monster. 

Phone bills

These days, cell phone companies are offering discounts and unlimited offers on texts and calls. Smart got good deals on their consumers. Globe telecoms  got their own terms. TMs subcribers also give less discounts. Some are giving free cell phone which you can sell. 

Or get a Sun Cellular. Really!  

Life is hard. The economy is still down. But sometimes, finding more money is not only the solution. One need to be very intentional with the money we have. 

Hey, I bet you got a brilliant idea! Please share.

:) TIPS ON WHAT TO DO ON ELECTION DAY

Children Go On Banking!

Teaching children to save money isn't easy. They usually want to spend money once they receive it. Giving them a piggy bank  usually do the trick. My children feel so proud when they are able to put their coins in theirs.

Then open a kiddie account for them. Find a savings account for them to deposit all their coins and let them watch their money grows. You can look for an account that doesn't have monthly maintenance fees or minimum balance requirements or the lowest you can afford. In addition, make sure there is no limit on the number of small deposits. Also watch out for banks that charge fees for inactive accounts and read all the small print before opening the account.

METROBANK FUN SAVERS CLUB

We chose Metrobank Savers Club for its many features. Though it has a minimum P500  requirement, it gives more than just interest on saved money.  It comes with a P50,000-educational trust fund that your kids get as a beneficiary in case of accidental death of a parent or guardian. They also give the parent or the guardian a free personal accident insurance worth twice the average daily balance (ADB) of the month prior to the month of the accident, not to exceed P1 million. Other benefits include a welcome kit that comes with a membership card that gives your kids privileges in some establishments. Your kids will also receive greeting cards on their birthday.

Life is getting harder. 

Let's encourage our children. 

Let them fill those piggy bank to the top!


:)

Money Lesson For Kids

Kids must learn money spending. And this lesson should come from the parents. If not... they gonna turn on television or friend or the internet.  The thing they could learn from them is spend, spend, and spend.

Liana, my daughter, used to ask to buy her toys she want to have. But what a price! There are something in children today that tell them what are the branded ones. And they won't settle in lesser brand but with more affordable price. 

I explained them that we are gonna be short of other things if we always buy every toy she wants to have. By telling them what are more important things to have like our food  (of course they don't want to starve), electric bills (they had experienced how bad it is during power failure) and the likes, makes them understand. Kids now are bright and can apprehend more if we explain.

I told my daughter that we can have the toy if she will save some money for it. I require her to save part of her allowance in her piggy bank. And she did. While still in school, she has a daily allowance. Aside from her sandwich and juice or cold water as she always prefer to drink,  she also got herself P20. She was in her 3rd grade then. She learned how to budget her allowance by not spending much.

We should teach our children how to spend money wisely. They should know how to save. How to budget. If you don't show them how, no one will!

BILLS! BILLS! BILLS!

Another monthly dues. Electric bills. Water bills. Phone bills. Almost everything are going higher and higher. From meat in the market to vegetables. 

Cutting some of our needs and things we used to do are necessary in this hard times.

But not the quality time for your kids. My wife and I see to it that as we try to lessen some spending, we still enjoy our family ties. 

So instead of going to mall on weekends, or eating to their ever favorite Jollibee, we thought nature as good playground for them. We took them to the garden. We asked them to collect some stones, leaves and dried branches. We talked about size, shapes and texture.

With these, they also increased their vocabulary because we uses new words to describe what they saw and felt like smooth, rough, soft and hard, tall and short.

They became aware of their surroundings. They enjoyed watching the small butterflies that flies from one flower to another. Beetles and bugs in plants. Different insects in the ground. They even noticed the singing of the birds and the wide blue sky. We even played telling what animals or objects the clouds formed. 

See. It's enjoying simple natures with your family without spending much money.


:)