The two younger children are looking forward to spending time with her too but with the recent notice that there will be an increase in tuition fee and another payment for “development program” for next school year, I don’t think that would be possible with these two increase fees times three. Sigh.They would surely miss summer fun where they get to spend a lot of time in this garden with Bamboo shades.

Oh the woes of parents who want the best in the education of their children. Private education is really expensive but we all have to make do with what we have for our children, even if it means tightening the already tight belt.

Encouraging your children and giving them the much-needed support to be able to reach their goals and make their dreams a reality. There are no definite steps or ways to make these happen. More often than not, parents do not merely lead what they think is best for their children but they feel and know what it is their children like.

There are of course those parents who insist on making their children do things without regard if the children are liking the experiences but that is another story.

So, how can parents encourage their children?

• Develop their self-esteem.
• Be able to provide for avenues to let them have experiences and develop skills that will further hone their talents. These need not be expensive, with the right creative approach, parents can give their children the support they need.
• Encourage them to love learning new things like making best friend gift ideas rather than buying or by trying out new things to see what they really want to pursue.
• Encourage them to be creative because being creative can open avenues for them to explore further.
• Let them know that mistakes don’t mean that they failed, but these are chances for them to stand up and do better.
• Love them unconditionally.
• Set limits. As a parent, you’ll know when is the right time for setting limit

These days, children do not really get to enjoy what summer vacation has to offer. In Metro Manila cities, they do not have access to parks and recreational areas (well, except those who live in gated communities) where they can ride their bikes, run, play and just have fun without parent getting worried that they might get bumped by vehicles.

Recreation these days come in the form of handheld devices where they just click, tap and do small movements with their fingers.

What are your summer plans for your children?

Of course, there was no way I will burst their bubble by saying that … never mind. When asked if I tell my children about Santa Claus, I tell them that I teach the children about the birth of Jesus Christ and what it represents to the Christians.

I also tell them that we traditionally ask the children to choose what they want for Christmas to be given as gifts. They are surprised I do that. But I tell them, better we give what they like (as long as these are within the budget) than they get something they don’t like.

So what do we teach the children about Christmas besides the Bible-related verses? We teach them that Christmas is about:

• Love. Loving your family and friends not just during the Christmas season but the whole year through. Year after year after year.
• Generosity. Generosity that does not just pertain to gifts and things that money can buy but generosity of kind words, respect and kind words among others.
• Family. Christmas is about family and how we should treasure each and everyone in our family.

I hope you all had a blessed Christmas!

This post written today, December 28th, but time-stamped for an earlier date for the ABC posts that I had not done since the last post I published dated December 6.

No matter how much we brief our children on what to do just in case they get bullied, it is another story when they are on their own.

Young children are not exempted from bullying.

Online bullying happens and is probably just as scary as being bullied at the back of the school building because more people read and see what is happening. It is important to teach children about being careful when they do online activities.

For the teens, with the many issues they are going through, there are some things happening that make them vulnerable to being bullied or becoming bullies themselves. Coping with the challenges they face may make them unsure of what they should do and there are cases when they act out unexpectedly.

Reports of young people taking their own lives have  made headlines. I for one is ambivalent if these should be reported because others who are going through so much would probably take interest. At the same time, incidents like these, though depressing and really sad, inspire schools, teachers and parents to be more vigilant in safeguarding and teaching their children about bullying.

So what should parents and teachers tell their students? Here are a few tips:

•  Teach your children to stand up to the bully and tell the bully to “Stop it” without being physically aggressive. Better if others are able to hear this.
• If the child can’t stand up to the bully for fear of being physically attacked, he/she can be taught to ignore or turn the other way. Best if the child being bullied/taunted walk away from the bully.
• If the bully waits in a particular spot like maybe a water fountain or a cafeteria table, it is best if the child being bullied don’t go there alone.
• Report to the teacher-in-charge and other school authorities.

Bullying cuts across races and geographical settings. What is happening to one child on the other side of the world is also happening on our side.

Bro. Bo Sanchez has an interesting article on bullying. Another article this time about cyber-bullying written by my friend, Ria. Here is an article written about bullying in the Philippine setting.

Here are some interesting reading materials about bullying: Stop Bullying and Bullying Statistics.

The Christmas tree still needs to be taken out of its hiding place and decorated.

What do add to the list? leather backpacks? new shoes? wait we got those for the kids two weeks ago when we braved traffic to go to a sale. Do these count as gifts?

I think not.

My thought on gifting? As I have written in this post, “…expect me to wish you happiness and joy, without a gift tag”

Now, please excuse me while I help one of my children finish a book report and polish a poem with lots of rhyming words at the end of the lines for another one.