The Insightful Path

  (Image Credit: http://sarkarilife.com/)   If I were to give an unsolicited advice to parents who want their kids to develop the love for learning and communication, it would be to "find time to read to them". At this point in time when my only real quality time with my son is towards bedtime, away from the distractions of housework and television or the intenet, I really relish our pre-bedtime routine. It starts (and by start that would mean after a few minutes of running around to catch him or coercing him to finally want to go to bed) with a bubble bath and ends with both of us lying side by side and reading two or three stories, one of which is a story about bulldozers and heavy equipment - his personal favorite! I'd like to consider my son as especially gifted (but as parents, don't we all?) . His milestones, both physically and mentally were quite advanced - he learned to walk and talk and a lot of other things way earlier than most k...

First of all, I’d like to greet everyone a Happy Labor Day since it is almost May 1 st , Philippines’ National Labor Day celebration!  It will be a non-working but busy day for activists and labor groups but for some non-partisans, it could be the start of a long weekend so regardless of where you in the spectrum; this day is sure to be a memorable one!  I would like to digress though and create my own LaborDay celebration because it being a day for workers is obviously already commemorated. I would like to re-declare today as National #LaborDay and share my Labor Day story...after all, not one is ever the same, ask your mothers! ;-) It is also very timely since Mother’s Day is just around the corner!  It was on November 15 th 2011 when my LaborDay story started... (cue nostalgic music..) I had gone to my routine pre-natal check-up and all was well, after all, my expected due date was not until the 28 th . After my check-up, I went to Robin...

(This was submitted to a newspaper but never saw print) Update: I just realized this was actually published on May 12, 2012 in SunStar Daily. What does motherhood mean to me? Before I got my own share of this “lifetime commitment”, I would’ve answered this question with a wide range of complaints as to why my own mother was very protective, always nagged about budgeting and house expenses, never allowed me to go out with friends, and how things were different during their time. Now that I have a more personal perspective about motherhood, things took quite a turn for me. If there is ever a great lesson that motherhood brought into my life, it is the value of selflessness. Although children rarely see it as it is but really mothers would forgo a lot of things just so they could provide for their children. It is normal for mothers not to dwell on the price tag of milk, diapers, infant’s wear, and all other sorts of nursery stuff and then cringe a...