#49: Braving Your Kids

Sometimes I wonder why there seems to be more kids that are too dependent, too pampered. I remember that during my time, my older cousins have the sense to concoct their own bubble liquid using detergent powder and crushed hibiscus flowers, construct their own toy truck and do their own homeworks. I also remember myself "harvesting and grinding" grains gathered from the heads of the weeds in the backyard or the neighbors lawn then make a "soup" from it. I even remember making a makeshift stove, lighting the fire and placing an old can on top filled with water and our garden leaves. 

When I was 7 years old, parents were admonished by the elderly if their 4 year-old child is still not weaned from the bottle. In fact, that was already embarassing! But now, I am amazed how kids who are used to being spoon-fed (or rather bottle-fed up until they're *yo!) with everything from food, to fancy toys. Are parents too busy to spend time anymore that they make up for it by just giving everything their child whines about? I do not exactly know why but parents seem to be less eager in imposing appropriate restrictions and responsibilities to their kids. 

I know it is scary, exhausting and exasperating to impose discipline on our children. It takes a lot of effort to stop and actually think about what is happening, why this is happening and figure out what to do about it. But to just give in to make our children's lives as comfortable as you can muster is not necessarily going to turn out for their best in the long run. Be brave and actually say "no" to your child CALMLY. Explain properly in a level tone. Your child may not understand immediately, that's for sure. He may throw a horrible tantrum. You may need to continue explaining the same thing for a full year. But that is a price you have to pay to make sure that your adorable baby will grow up to be an adorable and responsible person. Just try to stick this out for 5 years or so and by the 6th or 7th year, you will find that your child has developed an emotional quotient that can handle disappointments and frustrations well. It will be worth it. You will find when you are old and gray that disciplining yourself to discipline your child is the best investment you made.

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#48: To Do List for Parents

Now I'm sure that this is better than the memos you receive in your ofice. Parents should learn to have fun with their children, right?

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#47: Real Poverty

#46: Lessons While in the Middle Part 2

Now that I have two daughters, I feel like the mysterious door of the adult perspective has been opened to me and revealed a whole new world of wisdom that was simply beyond me during my youth. Everything my parents and elder friends told me before that sounded killjoy, narrow-minded and inconsiderate now actually makes sense. Yet, I still understand why I thought what I thought before. The sentiments that I held before still hold value for me. I just see now the gap that keeps these two generations apart in their thought.

So being here in this unusually eye-opening boundary, here are the insights I learned. I posted the insights I want to share with the elder sector in a previous blog entry. But here, I'm talking to the youth. Yes you.

#45: Good Children

This is easier said than done. You will have to use a lot of emotional muscles and re-arrangement of priorities to do this. But I tell you, it will be well worth it.