Parenting Questions and Answers

I recently came across an article while reading something about violence and kids. I got an article that originated in Commerce City, Colorado. There was a couple fighting over a really sick topic - which gang their 4 year old toddler should join.

The father was a member of the Hispanic gang, Westside Ballers, and the mother was black and is a member of Crips. Both had different ideas on how the baby should be raised and led to a topic about which gang the baby would "claim". The dad ended up being brought to jail and got a 1 year probationary status.

On my opinion, I would say that they both drop the idea of putting the child in a gang. They must turn around from the shadows of their past and basically give their child a better life. A gang will only make things worse.

"Dad, look!" And then I turned around only to find out that my son held my baseball bat and swung a home run at our neighbor’s bike. Well, he ruined the chain alright. The kid was crying. I had to literally drag my kid inside the house. After settling it with our neighbor’s parents, I immediately scolded my kid.

I asked him what was he thinking when he did that. He said, "Hey, CJ gets away with it!" Who is CJ? Oh yeah, I suddenly remembered, CJ is the lead character in a game. My kid is imitating CJ - a violent protagonist.

I told him gently that CJ is a game character and if he gets caught after an assault he could easily get out and escape. I told him that he can’t do this in real life because it is not the same as the game. Funny as it may seem, I think my kid got the point.

Laundry is one of the biggest headaches that moms experience almost everyday. When I was a kid, it was pretty rare if I ate without staining my clothes. I loved spaghetti and my mom does too but spaghetti on a white shirt is mom’s worst enemy. Not to mention the odor it leaves.

Luckily, today I realized that the Vodka I used to drink can now be put into good use. Not that I think it wasn’t good while I was drinking it, but this one is better. My wife tried it out with one of my clothes and it worked wonders. After she washed the stains away with her favorite detergent, she sprayed a couple of shots of Vodka on the shirt. She hang it to dry and there was no scent at all afterwards. It was like magic.

Vodka kills odor - causing bacteria but does not leave a scent when it dries. Perfect for moms indeed (and dads too!).

Some toddlers echo whatever you say. Be cautious. Why? This can be a sign of autism. If you notice that he is just repeating every word you say without trying to communicate with you, then there is absolutely something wrong with him. You have to talk to your pediatrician if this is the case.

In most cases however, it fades after 6 - 12 months. This is their way of learning and connecting with whatever it is that you are saying. Often times, they repeat the last word that you say. For example, if you say, "let’s play!" they will respond by saying, "Play!". You can help them out by using precise words. They can learn to command language on their own. Also, try to point to the objects that you name. He will then learn to establish a connection between object and meanings.

Be on the lookout for signs of autism. But, enjoy the little echoes as well.

My son just told me about this pretty girl in class. I was shocked. Well, not that I am totally awed because I had my fair share of crushes when I was back in grade school but I was just caught by surprise.

He is actually 9 years old. Pretty late! I had my first crush back in kindergarten. So I came up with this thought, is he ready to talk about sex? I guess not that deep yet. But for sure, he will be noticing the body of girls in no time as he silently stares at this beautiful girl in class.

So what am I going to do? Simple. What I did was tell him to look at the beauty of this girl and talk to her. Get to know her deeply and don’t be afraid to ask questions. I told him that he could invite her over for dinner if she wouldn’t mind. Liking someone is part of your child’s growth, you don’t have to restrain them. You just have to guide them.

There are some babies who are rejecting their pacifiers. Pacifiers are great in developing the motor skills of babies. They may also save a baby from sudden infant death syndrome when it is being used at night. So, if your baby is having problems with the pacifier, then you can always use the reverse psychology technique.

Whenever your baby is sucking on his pacifier, then you can initiate the reverse psychology by slowly removing the pacifier. This way, he will suck harder in a more aggressive way. You can repeat this for a couple of days and sooner you will notice that he will soon love the pacifier.

After 9 months of carrying the baby inside their womb and literally taking care of them for the whole morning (and night), it is undeniable that mothers know what is best. But then what will happen to the daddies?

This was the same problem that my friends were having with their first born child. She was always close to the mom and the dad will always find his way to get closer to his daughter. There was one thing that I noticed when I visited them once.

The mom was always on the look out whenever the dad was taking care of the baby. She helps out if he changes the diaper slowly, she scolds that dad for not holding her properly. I told her that she can help them bond together. The thing is, she has to leave them alone and give them spare time. The baby and the father has a connection. It may be in some awkward way but it is still a connection. They have this wonderful bond that only the two of them will understand. I was glad to give a helping hand. Now, they have a really good bonding moment.

During my childhood days, I started martial arts when I was 9 years old. It taught me a lot of lessons and basically, as a child, it made me a better individual. Up to this point, I am still carrying the lessons that I learned. Responsibility, strength, control are just a few of the things that I gained.

Recently, I saw my child looking at my previous pictures and playing with my belts. I was a 5th Jin for Karate during my time. My son is 6 years old. Basically, this is a good age to start martial arts. I was thinking that he might enjoy Muay Thai or kick boxing since I noticed that eh was very flexible and his punch was really strong. Don’t get me wrong, my son is not a mugger or a bully. I noticed his punching power when I played a little boxing with him.

I am now planning to enroll my son in martial arts classes and hopefully, he will become one of the best fighters who has a lot of discipline when he grows up.

When my kid turned pre-teen, I noticed that he was into a lot of singing. I can say that he is pretty talented. I just wonder where he got that talent since none of us are in the right tune. Anyway, he joined a choir in our church and he was doing pretty good.

There are a lot of outreach programs that the church choir is engaging into. The problem is, my son never wanted to attend any of it. Why? he just does not want to. I had a heart to heart talk with him one day after a really rough typhoon that almost took the roof out of our house. While watching the news, we saw people having a lot of problems with their houses and with the food that they eat. I saw a spark in the eyes of my son that he wanted to help but he does not know what to do. I told him to start by using his talent. I asked him to give it a shot to join the choir in one of their programs. I told him to sing his heart out for the people who are having problems with their lives. Somehow, his talent will give inspiration for others to continue with their lives no matter how hard it can be.