Indicators

There’s nothing like the experience of becoming a parent to your child. When I was single, I was totally clueless of the roller-coaster of emotions and challenges involved in parenting even though I heard a lot from DEWKS (dually-employed-with-kids) friends. I now share the old words of my Mom- “You will never understand until you became a parent yourself.”

What is with this life-transforming vocation that can really seep through you in time? I am amazed at how parenthood contributed a lot to my maturity, having newly-found the virtue called patience and the capacity to love and care spontaneously and selflessly. As Mommie to two precocious children aged 3 and 1, I’ve transformed from a “cool Mom wannabe” to someone who sincerely loves the job. The idea of changing my baby’s diaper in a public washroom used to intimidate me as a 1st time Mom, now I can only smile while looking back how far I’ve improved.

Much has been gained from being a parent and I can only say that I took the roller- coaster ride and enjoying it too. As an output of my reflection sessions, I’ve come up with some practical indicators related to parenting that tell if you are really into it:

1. You do crazy stuff just to give your kid an unforgettable experience
Keith is fascinated with toy trains. He loves his Thomas and Friends collection. He knows each and every character by color and body number. He scolds me when I mess up the identities of Gordon and Edward or Emily and Lady Thomas.

Inspired by the idea espouse by Bo Sanchez on nurturing a child’s passion, I’ve decided to take Keith to a train ride from Pedro Gil to Central Station and back via the LRT one busy afternoon. Keith enjoyed the ride and upon descending from the train, requested for another one. Without wasting a minute I bought another token and we took the Pedro Gil to EDSA route and I decided to transfer him to the MRT which is bigger and spacious. Cinders and ashes! (a Thomas expression), I was shocked to find EDSA station choking with passengers at 3 in the afternoon.

In spite of everything, my kid breeze through the throng, he was overwhelmed with the idea that he was actually in the middle a train station’s hustle and bustle. He looked up to me and said, “Mommie, it’s like Thomas’s Train Station!” We got off from the MRT at Shaw Blvd station and he has wearing his happy smile on.

2. You equip yourselves with knowledge to relate with your child

I and my husband always find time to watch our children’s brand of TV shows; I find Mr. Meaty amusing as I shared a good laugh with my kids on Parker and Josh’s outrageous ideas and behavior like the episode wherein they inventively transplanted a hotdog for a nose in a lady’s face. Mickey Mouse Clubhouse requires more interaction from its children viewers with my little Ysa performing the Hotdog Dance. Toy Story 1 & 2, Nemo, Shrek 1 & 2, and Monsters Inc have turned into my kid’s movie staples.

Keith & Ysa Banana's Top Picks

We read and re-read their big and little board books that include Peter Pan, Noah’s Ark, Tigger’s Bouncing Story, Toy Story (again), Baby Einstein books and Lampara bilingual books (English-Filipino). My kids never discriminate as long as stories are told animatedly and creatively; they even patronize the free story books that come with their milk.

Keith & Ysa Banana's Top Picks













Taking the extra mile, I even do internet research to gather relevant snippets on my children’s favorite characters, mall tours/live appearances, shows including lyrics of its TV theme series. Further, arming yourself with loads of information is essential especially when you buy toys for your kids. At least you could assert to Mr. Salesman that Racer X is different from Speed Racer. You could explain to a misinformed salesgirl that Elly in Pocoyo’s show is a girl and not a boy and that you are looking for a pink-colored elephant ballerina and not Lumpy, the violet colored elephant from Pooh’s tv series.


3. You do product testing on yourself as well as food tasting
How can you prove that a particular baby shampoo brand is really tear-free? There is no other way of finding out unless you try it on yourself. This sounds humorous but I really do. I try my kid’s shampoo, lotion, toothpaste and oil before I could actually convince myself of its worth. J&J though traditional is consistently good to my baby’s skin while I find Nivea and Huggies baby products too perfumey.

The same with food, both Keith & Ysa Banana are fond of eating fruit yoghurt. Thanks to my sister-in-law Leah, I got into the habit of giving my kids fruit yoghurt and cheese which not only taste good but are great sources of calcium. Moo and Yamoo are big favorites though I prefer the latter; not too sweet but with a milky flavor.



To be continued...



PS: Image sources will be properly cited.