A Happy Childhood

this is a picture totally unrelated to the post. hahaha.

Because we’re products of happy homes, not privileged certainly, but happy nevertheless, we wanted to give our son the same, or an even better one.
As parents, we are still trying to learn the ropes. With 3 years experience, we have a long, long way to go. Our hope is that we’ll be able to raise a smart, happy, productive and a kind-hearted child who’ll be ready to face the world when the right time comes.

Without bias, I can say that so far, we’re in the right track in raising a happy kid. As with most children, he takes delight in simple things such as sticks and wires for toys. But unlike some, he is openly affectionate, far from shy, and seeks other kids out to play.

Here's our thoughts on a few things which we think affects our child's upbringing.

Establish routines. It says routines ground a child, give him an idea of order. We’ve included in our family budget (more on this in a separate post) a certain amount for our Saturday and Sunday activities. It’s not much and our activities can just be a simple as going to the park or mall—but we want to take our child out on a “date” on weekends. We (more of I) feel he’s cooped up inside the house on weekends and Friday night is the start of being with mommy and daddy. We let him enjoy his favorite things like running, playing at the park, Sundays at Mcdo, and pasgeti (spaghetti) at Jollibee. I sometimes can’t tolerate the smell of Jollibee anymore but all for the sake of the little boy.

Balance. He can’t have all the trains in the Thomas and Friends series, he can’t play with electronic games yet, he can’t have all the chocolates and ice cream. Even if we want to actually give him more than what we know is good for him.

Share. This is a concept we practice at home. Often, he’ll even shove a toy under a baby’s nose to “share” his toy. But he’s still a kid and just this weekend, refused to share his spaghetti with mommy...even if he’s done eating. So, we just repeat. Share.


Hitting. I think most kids go through the hitting part. I consider ours a lighter than normal problem. He’ll hit his daddy in the face when he’s excited. But not me. And for me, it’s more of waving his arms in utter joy (and hitting your face in the process)than really hitting to hurt someone. In the presence of younger kids, my son is more careful, more gentle in fact than when he's with us.

Set examples. Children this age are mirrors. What they see, they'll copy. He's affectionate because four people shower him with kisses every day. He has learned to hug and gather us in a big embrace to say "family" because that is what we do. He doesn't shout in anger (but shrieks in glee)because he doesn't hear that at home, he says thank you, please and welcome, even to total strangers (food delivery guys, even the cable guys).

I could go on and on but let me reserve that when I have gotten to know more about parenting and its many challenges.