Sibling age gap can affect not just the siblings themselves but their families as well. There are really no ideal sibling age gap because it all depends upon the health of the mother, the ages of the parents, the financial and/or emotional and/or physical capabilities.

I know of several Chinese couples (mostly parents of students) whose philosophy in having children is to have them one after the other, with one or two years in between.

Having children in close age gaps may be very demanding but as they say, everything is done almost at the same time: visits to the doctor, going to school, growing up and so much more. All the “baby things” are done within a specified number of years so relief comes after they are all grown-up. Some say these children get along really well while some fought for attention to themselves, therefore developing sibling rivalry. Close age gap siblings are also easily compared and competed with one another. There are also instances when the older sibling, a toddler specifically, shows regress in his development upon the arrival of a newborn.

There are those whose age gap is so big that there is almost a “generation gap” between the siblings. I, for one, am twelve years older than my only sibling, my brother R. My eldest daughter Ate was almost six when her baby brother Kuya was born. While baby brother was barely two, the youngest girl Bunso was born. There were times when Ate and Kuya get along well. Sometimes it would be Kuya and Bunso. Sometimes it would be Ate and Bunso.

I had some difficulty adjusting too because I have to start doing the same things again: teaching them to walk, talk, eat and other stuff which I have stopped doing before them.

Whatever situation a family has, it is best to devote time to the children in their growing-up years. As a proverb says: what you sow, so shall you reap.

Click here, here and here to read about sibling age gap and a host of other interesting parenting topics..

I am a fan of American Idol. Of all the AI series, one that I have really followed was the AI3 year, when Fantasia Barrino won. One of the contestants there was Jennifer Hudson. Simon Cowell ridiculed her, embarrassed her, took notice of her clothes which I think almost brought tears to her eyes. Fast forward to now. What do you know, she has won a Golden Globes Award! Though her role was that of a singer in the movie Dreamgirls, still, she has come a long way from those AI days.

Is it good to have children set their sights too high on dreams/goals they want to achieve? Or is it better to set realistic goals that are easier to achieve and then going forth to achieve more complicated ones?

Oftentimes, educational and occupational goals do not necessary meet the skills that a person has. If there is a wide gap between the dream/goal and the actual achievements, wasted resources, anxiety and even depression set in. Getting an advanced degree or working as a professional or having high achievement is not necessarily measured by having good grades. There are other factors needed to be able to achieve that dream/goal that became the mindset. Hard work, perseverance, flexibility and focus are only some of these factors.

Whatever economic background, children start dreaming big dreams, or rather, dreams that their parents dream for them. Who wouldn’t want to have a doctor, or lawyer, or a scientist in the the family? But let’s face it, reality check should be done before devastation and depression seeps in the child’s consciousness which would probably prevent them from hitting a wall.

Of course, we don’t, really, we do not discourage children to dream big. But whatever it is that children want to achieve, we should guide them towards more reachable goals. We should prepare them for the ups and downs of achieving their goals. We should help them know, recognize and put to good use whatever potentials we see in them. In doing so, we are helping them take the steps necessary to achieve their dreams.

What are the most important lessons to be learned in preschool? In the years that I have been a preschool and a special education teacher, many parents I have talked with are mighty proud of their preschool children, of how much information they have in terms of academics or how ready they think the children are to go to school. They would tell me “Teacher, my child knows all the letters of the alphabet.” OR “My 3 year old child can already recognize shapes and colors.” OR “My child can count up to 20 and he is only three years old.”

I will ask again the question above: What are the most important lessons to be learned in preschool? Is it shapes? colors? numbers? letters? For me, the most important lessons to be learned in preschool are:

1. Taking turns.
2. Waiting in line.
3. Knowing how to share.
4. Knowing how to get along with other people.
5. Learning to discover things for learning.
6. Discovering your talents.
7. Expressing yourself freely and creatively.
8. Having fun

What does it take to be named as Teacher of the Year? Dedication? Hard work? Patience? Self-improvement? Ability to adjust? Creativity? All of these combined with other abilities that help such teacher do her best and give her best.

I have heard of some Filipino teachers who, after being recipients of such awards, go overseas to teach there. Kinda disheartening don’t you think? Would a teacher do something extremely hard to prove that she is worthy of such an award that she is willing to take more challenges, than rest on her laurels? I came across an article about Betsy Rogers who was named National Teacher of the Year in 2003. Let us all be inspired, even if some of you are not teachers, by her decision to take harder and more challenging challenges.

Click here to read about Betsy Rogers.

It used to be that I do not particularly dig this dessert. I have tried it a few times.

We use pandan leaves when cooking rice because it adds a fragrant scent.

Prior to new year, we bought a bunch of pandan leaves in the supermarket.

Then I thought, “Hmmm..why not make buco-pandan jelly for the kids?” I got 2 boxes of the gelatin, green and unflavored. Then the next day we got 2 pieces of young coconut. Why only two? I didn’t want to make a lot of this recipe because the kids might not like it. So we (Ate and Kuya helped) did the dessert. When they tasted it, there was no stopping them until it was consumed. Here is a photo of the dessert:

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