I’d like to "borrow" last week’s Wifespeaks topic: Choosing a School for your Kids.  I’ve thought about posting a blog entry with this topic before but never got around to doing it.  I guess now is as good a time as any.

Choosing a school for their kids is one of the more serious tasks parents have to undertake.  Before Abby came along, make that before I even got married, I already had a school of choice for my future child…an exclusive school for boys located in Katipunan Avenue if I had a boy and an exclusive school for girls located in Ortigas Center (with yellow and white checked uniform) if I had a girl.  Fastforward to today, I realized I can’t be the least bit hasty when choosing a school for Abby for the very reason that her entire future depends on it.  For that, I’ll broaden my choices a bit.

When we were kids, our parents’ choices were limited to private or public, coed or exclusive, Catholic or non-sectarian.  Now, we hear terms such as "traditional", "progressive" and "montessori". 

Before we even get to "school hunt", the first question that needs to be answered is "when" or "what age" should our kids start school?  Because boy, do kids today start school so young! It used to be that the entry age is 4-5 (it was 7 during my Mom’s time!).  Now, age 4-5 may be considered a little late already.

Kids during my time attended nursery or kindergarten in the school where they intended to finish grade school and/or highschool.  These days, it’s normal to send the kids to a small preschool before sending them off to the big school to attend 1st grade.  And it’s amazing how preschools have sprouted like mushrooms in recent years!  Most of them have something to offer kids of different ages even as young as a few months old!  It seems like every street corner has a pre-school.  What’s even more amazing is what the preschools teach!  There’s motor skills development, music and movement, toddler’s playgroup, art and gym.  Oh, but that’s just the tip of the iceberg! There’s more!…E-nopi Math, Kumon Math and Reading and Aloha Math (I think this is the same as Finger Math) and computer classes.  So don’t be surprised if your preschooler comes home able to simplify complex algebraic equations!  Wouldn’t we love that?  Some preschools offer Chinese language lessons in their regular curriculum.  Let’s not forget the "extra curricular activities": piano, violin, guitar, voice, ballet and practically all official olympic sports!

These days, there’s no excuse for our kids to be bored out of their wits.  They’re actually in danger of being burned out at such an early age!  :)  I guess it goes with the times.  Let’s face it, if there’s anything that will give our kids that advantange to excel in school and eventually in the real world, we’ll happily grab it!  Parents today are more conscious about education than ever…and that’s a good thing as long as we don’t impose too much pressure on our kids. 

If Dondi and I were to put Abby in school next school year, which is when she turns 3, we’re more inclined to put her in a "progressive school" where she will discover and learn through play.  Personally, I’m still torn between having Abby attend an independent preschool "all the way" and transfer to a "big school" for 1st grade or start her in a preschool and transfer her to a "big school" when she meets their entry level age requirement which is usually 4 years old.  The image of a stern looking teacher standing in front of a class as she talks and talks and talks just doesn’t appeal to me.  That’s how it is in traditional schools, which most of us attended.  But my fear is the adustment Abby will have to make when she finally has to go to a traditional school for 1st grade or kindergarten after being immersed in a progressive environmet.  This happened to my nieces who switched from prorgressive (preschool) to traditional (big school).  Decisions, decisions!  Choices, choices!

It’s a given, of course, that the school be reputable with a good track record to back it up, with excellent teachers, clean and well-maintained facilities, safe and properly secured.  It would be a plus if it were in close proximity to where we live!  A 30-minute drive would be a lovely distance.

One thing I believe though is that it doesn’t follow that the more expensive the school, the better the quality of education.  And I need not look far to justify this belief.  My Mom is living proof!  The youngest of 6 children and born to a police captain (back in the days when it was a noble profession) and a housewife, my Mom never, as in NEVER, had a taste of private school education.  She was "state" (as opposed to "public") educated all the way.  And yet she became a successful, well-travelled entrepreneur who is admired and highly regarded by her peers. 

Happy school hunting!   

Yesterday, we went to Shangri-la Mall just so Abby could play at Gymboree’s play area.  We have 15 coupons for 1-hour gymplay which will all be useless by November.  Add to that the fact that Abby loves the place because she spent practically the entire month of May there.

We were at Gymboree’s doorsteps just as it was about to open its doors for "Gymplay" at 4:30pm.  Nannies watching over their wards in the play area is a normal sight.  I have a special admiration for the handful of parents who actually play with and watch over their kids during gymplay.  It used to be that both Dondi and I play with Abby during gymplay until I’ve acquired a sort of gymplay phobia (It’s a long story which I’d rather forget!).  But I’m sure it’s just a temporary thing. :)  I would so love to join Dondi and Abby for gymplay soon…and I will!

And so, Dondi and I agreed that he’ll just give me a call after Abby’s hour of gymplay while I went windowshopping.  Heehee.  10 minutes short of an hour, Dondi called me up and told me they’re done.  When I met up with them, Don immediately asked Abby to tell me what happened at gymplay.  My first thought was "Uh-oh, I hope Abby didn’t fight with any of the kids!"  Abby proceeded to tell me THE story:

Abby:  Ba-boy! (Translation: "Bad Boy" - Abby can say "bad" and "boy" but apparently not right after each other. Haha.) Brrrrr! (Makes this sound with shivering of lips and matching saliva showers.) Aaaaaaaaah! (Screams ever so loudly).  Boy…yun, bad! (points to the direction of Gymboree)

After some brief explanation from Daddy, I found out that some fat chinky-eyed kid screamed to Abby’s face after he made a face with matching saliva showers.  Apparently, this little boy was jealous of Abby because he was chasing after another chinky-eyed girl who was making friends with Abby and who told him to his face, "Siya (Abby) lang friend ko dito."

I then bombarded Dondi with questions:  What did Abby do? What did you do?Who was looking after the boy?  What did the boy’s yaya do?  Did the yaya see what happened? This isn’t the first time that something of this sort happened.  There would always be a similar story when Abby plays with the playhouses and slides in a toy store.  Kids being kids, I know that this is normal, can’t be avoided and heaven forbid, there’s more of it to come.  I’ve been there myself. :)  Not that I’ve been bullied…unless being teased a lot is a type of bullying.  I had a gradeschool classmate, let’s call him "DL", who always teased me for being chubby and chinky-eyed (translation: "matabang intsik" - Oh, this is opening such painful wounds!  Joke!).  I’m not as chinky eyed now, but when I was little, I was so chubby that my eyes were kinda stretched a bit.  :)  I’m now in my early thirties and I still remember that part of my childhood!  I’m afraid I’m scarred for life!  Huhu!

I do think it’s for Abby’s own good that she be in the company of kids both younger and older than she is as often as possible…kids with different temperaments and moods.  It will help her realize more that she is not the only person in this world.  And it will also help her see in other kids how she is sometimes!  It’s also a good way to teach values such as sharing, taking turns and being polite and respectful even to other kids.  She’ll have a better understanding of what makes an action bad or good, and so on and so forth.

Abby probably didn’t understand why that little boy did what he did.  Most of the time, she is "Little Ms. Congeneality" but there are rare instances when she doesn’t get very "good vibes" from other kids.  I wonder if she realized that sometimes, she does stick her tongue out at other kids for no reason at all.

Tomorrow, being a holiday, we’ll bring Abby to Gymboree for gymplay again.  I almost expect that a similar scenario will transpire.  As I’ve told Dondi, I think I do prefer having him looking after Abby during gymplay instead of me as I’m afraid I’d make patol when some kid tries to bully my daughter.  But that’s just the mommy side of me talking. :)  Not that I’d pull somebodyelse’s kid by the collar and tell him to back off if he knows what’s good for him!  Hmm…of course not!  That will just have to remain as a thought.

Watch out for the bullies!

 

Last week, I caught the tailend of a Game Ka Na Ba episode where Kris was interviewing Maritoni Fernandez just before she plays the jackpot round. Maritoni’s sweeping comment that “there are no good cheesecakes in Manila” caught my attention. She said that the cheesecakes here in Manila are either the ones with jello or too crumbly because of the cheese. She’s looking for the one cheesecake which is like that of New York Cheesecake Factory’s.  (This is my cue to roll my eyes).  And so, as a service to the Philippines, she has put up her own cheesecake business because she has a well-kept cheesecake recipe, which is so much like the New York Cheesecake she is pining for.  (Rolls my eyes again.)

Here’s  my take on her comment to which I don’t at all agree.  While I may have not tasted the New York Cheesecake which is Ms. Fernandez’ benchmark for good quality cheesecake, I don’t live in a cave and there are arguably a number of establishments in and out of Manila with good quality cheesecakes, and which I bet are at par with those from New York Cheesecake Factory.  We have a lot of talented pastry chefs in Manila and some of them are even lured to work in luxury liners.  From the top of my head, some of the places which offers a variety of oh-so-good cheesecakes are Cheesecake Etc., Goodies and Sweets, The Peninsula Manila Hotel, The Richmonde Hotel, Hotel Philippine Plaza and The Coffee Bean and Tealeaf.  The Skyline Restaurant can also come up with one mean cheesecake and so can our wedding ninang, Tita Mars who’s been in the catering business amost all her life.  Well, cheesecakes in Manila may not be “New York perfect” but there are a lot of good ones out there…you don’t even have to buy from Maritoni.
SWEETS RESOURCE

While I’m on the topic of sweets,  I’d like to share the ones I have on my list and where to get them:

1)  CAKES - The chocolate moist cake of The Richmonde Hotel Lobby Cafe is a must try.  A slice goes for Php 48.00 pesos and is about 4in x 4in x 4in.  It is melt-in-your-mouth goodness! A recent discovery is Kookie Korner’s chocolate roll which costs Php245.00 for the full roll, a few pesos cheaper than Red Ribbon’s.  I also like Red Ribbon’s choco-caramel roll and their silvanas.  The cheesecake resources I mentioned earlier are in themselves a treasure throve of other cakes…blackforest, chocolate mousse, etc.  The chocolate mousse cake of my childhood is that of the old Cafe Elysee which used to be found in all SM outlets.  Dexter’s Bakeshop has a unique orange chiffon cake which is popular among its patrons.  Other favorites of mine are Alba’s canonigo and Dulcinea’s brazo de mercedes.

2)  ICE CREAM - On top of my list is Fruits in Ice Cream otherwise known as FIC.  My favorite is their Raspberry Rapture, but that’s only if I have to pick one. I love all the flavors! :)  A sentimental favorite is Selecta’s cookies and cream and super chocolate.  Goodies and Sweets and Fiorgelato have very good choconut flavored ice cream.  A stall in Tiendesita, ECJ (or is it EJC) at the fresh fruits section/fastfood section has very fine and creamy durian ice cream.  Their fresh durians are the best as well!

3)  BIRTHDAY CAKES - Dexter’s Bakeshop for their moist birthday cakes in unique well-thought-of designs with goody goody frosting.  Of course, you can never go wrong with Goldilocks, with which most of us grew up.  You can choose the flavor and the filling.  The Shoppersville Bakeshop in Katipunan Ave. is also a very good alternative.

4)  ENSAYMADA -  Again, I’m a big fan of The Richmonde Hotel’s supersized Ensaymada in plain and ube flavors.  They are priced between Php50.00 and Php60.00 and can be shared by 2 people (but I can finish one whole!).  It’s best to first have them microwaved for a minute to melt the butter and the cheese.  I hear Cunanan’s is a good ensaymada but I have yet to try one.  I often see the name Cunanan’s for the best ensaymada in newspapers when the Christmas season is at its peak.  For pasalubong to relatives and friends abroad, one can never go wrong with Muhlach Melt. :)  The Lord Stowe’s also has very good bite-sized ensaymada in ube, plain and quezo de bola.

5)  SUMAN - Tita Paring’s suman latik is the best.  It is soft and yummy.  Some have tried to duplicate their suman but failed. :)  Tita Paring’s has a special box for their suman for gift-giving and pasalubong purposes.  I also love Antipolo’s suman, the long white kind wrapped in banana leaves which you just dip in sugar.

6)  BIBINGKA - Bibingka Galapong in White Plains, Katipunan Ave. is the ultimate because it’s really made from galapong. :)  One other favorite source of bibingka is Ferino’s.  There’s also Via Mare’s bibingka galapong with salted duck egg and white cheese, but they tend to be inconsistent.  I think some outlets don’t use the old-charcoal-style of cooking.  I know there’s an equipment which can produce a number of bibingkas at a time.  That must be it.
7)  PUTO BUMBONG - I love Via Mare’s puto bumbong with queso de bola.

8)  PUTO -  Oh, I can go on and on about puto.  I love PUTONG UBE’s, you guessed it, putong ube.  The Pangasinan puto (the small white ones) which can be bought from almost every nook and cranny of the metropolis has also turned out to be Abby’s favorite.  DEC’s (a Chinese grocey) big triangular-shaped white puto which goes very well with dinuguan is also on my list.  I also love the little round brown putos which an aunt buys from a supplier in Marikina and which I think is also available in Tiendesitas.

9)  KUTSINTA - I personally like the kutsinta which are cut in rectangular shapes and with langka on its red top more than the regular round orange ones.  There’s a stall in Shopwise Libis which sells kakanin and they have this particular kind of kutsinta at Php20.00 per slice.  I believe Latik also has them.

10)  SAPIN-SAPIN - Dolor’s is Malabon’s pride when it comes to sapin-sapin…until Dolores came along.  Unlike some sapin-sapin which comes in a layer of different colors, Dolor’s and Dolores’ sapin-sapin in a bilao come in individual layers of white, red, blue and yellow and brown (bico).  My favorite layers are the red (which is like kutsinta), yellow and white, which is why I like Doroles, because it is more generous with these layers.
11)  Halo-Halo - The Legend Villas’ Lola Maria’s Coffeeshop halo-halo has home-made ingredients which are already good in themselves, especially the leche flan and ube.  Razon’s also has good halo-halo but it only has about 3 to 4 ingredients plus leche-flan.  The ice they use is very easy to crush and does not get rock-like.
12)  CASSAVA - The best I’ve had is from Cassava Manila.  Unlike other cassavas which loose their appeal once refrigerated, Cassava Manila’s retains its goodness even after being refrigerated.  It only has to be re-heated in the microwave for a minute or so. 

13)  PICHI-PICHI - When I was still a little girl, My Mom would always bring home pichi-pichi from the Sampaloc Market every Sunday morning after she does her market shopping.  It’s another childhood favorite kakanin. I’m glad my sister-in-law discovered ARNY & DADING’S in Katipunan for the best pichi-pichi.  Their pichi-pichi has cheese and about the size of a pingpong ball. :)  You can keep it in the fridge and it will still be good to eat after re-heating in the microwave.

14)  DOUGHNUTS -  Thank God for Gonuts Donuts.  It is supposed to be the local version of Krispy Kreme (which I hear will make its Philippine debut in November).  I haven’t tried a Krispy Kreme doughnut ever so I can’t really compare.  Gonuts’ donuts are soft and they melt in your mouth.  My favorite is their pastillas de leche stuffit and their peanut butter driz.

15)  CREPES -  I like my crepes simple…happy na ako with Nutella. :)  Crepes and Cream have very good varieties of crepes.

16)  PANCAKES -  I’m partial to Pancake House’s chocolate chip pancakes which are served with peanut butter.  I also like Heaven and Eggs’ butter pancakes which are served 3 pcs. per order.  Yum!

17)  EGG TARTS -  The Lord Stowe’s egg tarts are very good.  Bread Talk comes as a close second.  Dexter’s also has very good egg pies.

18)  LECHE FLAN -  Again, Lola Maria’s of The Legend Villa’s has very good home-made leche flan, and so does Bon Appetit and Cafe Bola.  But, in my personal opinion, my late Nanay (my maternal grandma) makes the best leche flan.  Thank God her daughters, my Tita Luming, Tita Doris and Tita Baby inherited her leche flan making skills.

19)  UBE -  Lola Maria’s makes it to my list again.  If my mom’s sisters can make drop-dead-delicious leche flans, her brothers, my Tito Paquito and Tito Dingo, can make a mean home-made ube.  Ube is so labor intensive in that you have to stir it until its the right consistency and until your arms are numb.  My Daddy Maciong (my late maternal grandad) and my late Dad used to be tag-team ube stirrers when I was a still a kid.  My lolo’s brother, Tatay Turing, is also an ube expert (wala na rin siya ).

20)  COOKIES  -  I’ve acquired a special liking to my sister-in-law’s favorite, Chewy Chips Ahoy.  :)  Mrs. Fields also has very chew chocolate chip cookies.  And there’s another commercial brand, which I think is called Chips Deluxe which has the chewy stuff.  Yum.

I know there are many more dessert finds out there.  These are just the ones I could easily recall. 

Now, I gotta go get a bag of chips.  All this talk about sweets has made me a little suya.  Haha. :) 

Here’s a fun read which I got from my friend, Melisse.  It’s for parents and for everyone thinking of becoming a parent one day.  See if you are qualified! Enjoy!

POSITION :

Mom, Mommy, Mama, Ma 

Dad, Daddy, Dada, Pa 

JOB DESCRIPTION :
Long term, team players needed, for challenging permanent work in an, often chaotic environment. Candidates must possess excellent communication and organizational skills and be willing to work variable hours, which will include evenings and weekends and frequent 24 hour shifts on call. Some overnight travel required, including trips to primitive camping sites on rainy weekends and endless sports tournaments in far away cities! Travel expenses not reimbursed. Extensive courier duties also required.

RESPONSIBILITIES :
The rest of your life. Must be willing to be hated, at least temporarily, until someone needs $5 (That’s Php250.00.). Must be willing to bite tongue repeatedly. Also, must possess the physical stamina of a pack mule and be able to go from zero to 60 mph in three seconds flat in case, this time, the screams from the backyard are not someone just crying wolf. Must be willing to face stimulating technical challenges, such as small gadget repair, mysteriously sluggish toilets and stuck zippers. Must screen phone calls, maintain calendars and coordinate production of multiple homework projects. Must have ability to plan and organize social gatherings for clients of all ages and mental outlooks. Must be willing to be indispensable one minute, an embarrassment the next. Must handle assembly and product safety testing of a half million cheap, plastic toys, and battery operated devices. Must always hope for the best but be prepared for the worst. Must assume final, complete accountability for the quality of the end product. Responsibilities also include floor maintenance and janitorial work throughout the facility.

POSSIBILITY FOR ADVANCEMENT & PROMOTION :
None. Your job is to remain in the same position for years, without complaining, constantly retraining and updating your skills, so that those in your charge can ultimately surpass you            

PREVIOUS EXPERIENCE :
None required unfortunately.

On-the-job training offered on a continually exhausting basis.

WAGES AND COMPENSATION :
Get this! You pay them! Offering frequent raises and bonuses. A balloon payment is due when they turn 18 because of the assumption that college will help them become financially independent. When you die, you give them whatever is left. The oddest thing about this reverse-salary scheme is that you actually enjoy it and wish you could only do more.

BENEFITS :
While no health or dental insurance, no pension, no tuition reimbursement, no paid holidays and no stock options are offered; this job supplies limitless opportunities for personal growth and free hugs and kisses for life if you play your cards right. 

                                                      

I can safely say that all parents have at least one goal in common and that is to raise disciplined children.  But discipline can be a very sensitive subject matter and our approach to it can be as different as night and day.  How we were disciplined as children has a great impact on how we will discipline our own children.  Some are most likely to adopt their parents’ style if they believe it did them a great deal of good or maybe not if they think otherwise.

 

My brother and I got our fair share of spanking when we were kids.  Nanay, our maternal grandmother, would even come after us (including our first cousins) with a patpat!  It was our late Dad, however, who was the known disciplinarian at home and to say that we feared having his huge hand make a "low five" with our behinds is an understatement.  He is quite a big man, which means, he had big hands as well!  My Mom, on the other hand, had the "tiger look" down pat.  Just one look from her is enough to make my brother and me sit up straight and put our hands on our laps.  My parents’ version of the "time-out" is having my brother and me sit on the sofa with our arms folded across our chest (halukipkip).  When our Dad with his booming voice says, "Halukipkip!" our arms were stuck to our chests like glue until we got the go signal that it’s ok to move. :)  This is way better than facing the wall with both arms raised (dipa) or kneeling on monggo beans still with arms raised.

 

Although my parents employed spanking as one of their disciplinary tools, I don’t recall being spanked a whole lot.  In fact, I can only vividly recall 2 distinct instance when my booty got smacked.  One was when I was around 3 or 4 and I threw a fit when my Mom wouldn’t put curlers on my hair because she was already running late for work.  Another was when I bumped into one of the speakers of my Dad’s newly bought stereo causing it to fall because I was running inside the house.  I may be around 7 or 8 at that time.  All the other times, I may have just conveniently forgotten. Haha.                                                          

   

Truth be told, I honestly think that my Mom and Dad succeeded in instilling discipline in me.  I was a very well-behaved kid, if I may say so myself.  I didn’t run around like a headless chicken when we were invited to somebody else’s house, add to that the fact that I was actually a very shy child.  Really!  Almost every other word I uttered when addressing elderly people is "po" or "opo".  I need not be told to "bless" or "kiss" my aunts and uncles, ninongs or ninangs, and perhaps anybody taller than me!  I need not be reminded to do  my homework and to study my lessons.  (Ok, I was quite a geek as a student…throughout my school life!).

 

When  I became a teenager, the closest I got to smoking was "lighting a cigarette".  I only got "tipsy" from one too many Baileys and Sex on the Beach (the cocktail) about twice…during a friend’s 18th birthday gimmick celebration at the old "Euphoria" (Tama ba?  Basta, the Intercon’s disco before.)  and the other one I think was my own 18th birthday gimmick at "Equinox".  I didn’t get into a relationship until I was 18…and  my Mom wasn’t the least bit please about it (after college kasi dapat!).  My first boyfriend became an ex after 8 years of "going steady"…and that was because I married him.  I never kept secrets from my Mom even if I knew she’d disapprove of what I had to tell her (lik the boyfriend bit).  Etcetera, etcetera.

 

Now comes the big question, how will I instill discipline in my own daughter?  The easiest and sure fire way I can think of is to have Abby live with my Mom until she’s through with college.  Haha!  But I can’t get off that easily.  Personally, if I could help it, I don’t want to have to spank.  I know that’s easier said than doen especially when you’re dealing with a kids who’s all of 2 years old.  To be honest, Dondi and I have "tapped" Abby’s hands a few times, that’s after she hit her Yaya or us.  There was even one time in church when I was almost ready to pinch Abby but didn’t because my Mom saw what I was about to do and gave me a dagger look.  Dondi, on the other hand, shhhhd me.

                                        

To enlighten myself a little more on how to go about the discipline thing, I attended a workshop on discipline (for kids 6 years old and below) at Powerbooks in Greenbelt 4 last week (Sept. 30).  It was organized by Smart Parenting Magazin.  It sounds geeky but if we attend workshops to become

better professionals, who not a workshop to be come a better parent?  ;)  The speaker was from the Ateneo’s Center for Family Ministires (CEFAM), Ms. Vicky Cantada.  It was more or less 2-hours long but I did pick up a lot of useful pointers.  And being among other parents, moms mostly, was surprisingly comforting.

The workshop helped me understand why children misbehave.  And after the disadvantages of spanking were enumerated and discussed, I became firmer in my resolve not to spank Abby…if I can help it.  If you care to know, they are:  1) physically dangerous; 2) not effective; 3) unfair: 4) may stunt learning; 5) gives mixed/conflicting messages; and 6) develops emotional problems (low self-esteem).  All six are pretty much self explanatory.  The speaker added further that if parents must spank, it should follow the following “criteria”:  1) only as a last resort; 2) give the child 1 big spank 3) spank with the hand not with anything else; 4) not in front of other people and 5) do not spank kids who are already in first grade and older (the reason being they can already be “talked to”).               

"Time-outs" may not work for Abby just yet because it would be next to impossible to have her sit on a chair or stand in a corner as she would just walk away.  The only way this will work is if I tied her to the chair, which, or course, is unacceptable.  Shucks! :)  This time-out thing is more suitable for me.  I might as well just be the one to go sit in the corner to give me time to calm down.  They say the rule of thumb for time-outs is 1 minute for every year of the child’s age.  That means if I send myself for a time-out, I’d get a full 31 minutes to regroup.  Not bad!  I might as well bring a good book and a hot cup of cocoa with me.  Haha!                                                                                              

Another point that got to my head quickly is that "behavior is self-prophesying."  If we keep telling our kids that they are "makulit" or "matigas ang ulo", they will most definitely turn out that way.  Blame it on the "sponge thing"!  We should avoid labeling our kids and simply be generous with compliments for good behavior.

 

Dondi still can’t promise that he won’t spank Abby ever.  :)  Even I can’t!  But we’re really hoping we won’t have to.  For now, we let Abby reap "rewards" for good behavior.  It’s working so far.  Since Abby and I are together most of the time, I try to "condition" her before embarking on an activity, say meal time, which can be one heck of a challenge.  So before we go to the dining room for a meal, we already have our little talk…that she has to sit on her high chair and eat well so she can get a reward.  Abby often prefers to sit on my lap so she could easily escape after two or three (baby) spoonfuls of food.  These days, this only happens during breakfast.  That’s triumph enough for me!

 

It will take years of "training" befour our kids become a discipline lot, what with the many phases they have to go through.  And sometimes we are guilty of expecting too much from our kids.  If we were "easy" or even just "slow to warm" as kids, we somehow expect our kids to be the same way.  And if they’re not, we feel that something’s wrong.  Challenging or difficult times with our kids will just have to be our sources of grace.  Let’s think of it as "minus 100 years in purgatory" for every misbehavior we have to deal with…like plenary indulgence!  I know, it’s easire said than done.  Whoever said parenting was easy anyway?