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

There are several categories to choose from: 3k, 5k, 10k and 15k. The route will be inside and outside Ateneo Campus.

This run is for the benefit of teacher development of Batino Elementary School, a public special education institution in Quezon City.

RACE CATEGORIES and REGISTRATION FEES
15K Route: P700
10K Route: P550
5K Route: P450
3K Route: P400

GUN START
15K 4:45 AM
10K 5:00 AM
5K 5:15 AM
3K 5:30 AM

REGISTRATION VENUES
Online Registration
Download the registration form at http://ateneospeed.org/nsl and send an accomplished copy to nospeedlimit2012@yahoo.com. Payment and race kit pickup options will be sent to you.

Other Registration Venues:

ATENEO DE MANILA UNIVERSITY
January 9-13 10:30AM – 4:30 PM MVP room 215, MVP Building
January 16-20, 23-26 10:30AM – 4:30 PM Doghouse, Zen Garden

ROX, FORT BONIFACIO (3rd flr)
January 13-15, 20-22, 23-28
2 – 7PM

RUNNR, TRINOMA
January 10-27
Monday to Thursday 10AM – 9PM
Friday to Sunday 10AM – 10PM

TOBY’S, MALL OF ASIA
January 10-27
10AM – 10PM

CONTACT
For Sponsorship & Registration Inquiries,
Text/ Call: Abby @ 0917-691-9500 and 0922-863-0433
Email: nospeedlimit2012@yahoo.com

Facebook Fan page: http://www.facebook.com/NSL2012
NSL website: http://ateneospeed.org/nsl

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.

Exams are coming up and there are so many projects and activities that need to be accomplished. I still have to do the reviewers for the children.I also have some a lot of house chores to do and I hope I would not have to resort to having weight loss pills due to all the cooking I will do to be able to wear Christmas-y clothes. I have not done the tree yet as of today.

I am, however, optimistic that I can do this. Writing new posts about special education is long overdue and it is time I update.

And now on to do the dishes first! LOL.

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). I got several ADHD related posts here.

Affect is the general feeling tone. We can feel the happiness or sadness of a person based on his/her affect when they express themselves. For children diagnosed with autism, however, they need to be taught how to talk differently depending on their mood because most of them exhibit monotone voice when talking.

Alternative Career Options for those who are mainstreamed but would probably have difficulty getting full academic college degrees.

Auditory Discrimination is the ability to detect differences in sounds. One of the exercises for this would be drills about homographs. More about the terms pertaining to the auditory functions in this post.

Assessment is testing and evaluation to know what kind of services are to be given to a child diagnosed as having learning difficulties.

I am sure there are a lot more important terms that I missed so I am hoping I would be able to add more to this list.