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SINGAPORE — After completing her O-Levels, Madam Janessa Puvaneswari Kumaran joined the PAP Community Foundation (PCF) as a pre-school teacher in 2001, but the changes in the education sector meant that she could not remain indifferent to them. Not only did she obtain a certificate in pre-school teaching a year after she began work, she also attained a Diploma in Early Childhood Care & Education-Teaching.
As a former after-school teacher, I’ve spent three years working with kids in a more relaxed environment than the classroom. And, in those hours with kids as their less-guarded selves, I’ve seen the bullying, teasing, whispers and shoves that scarcely get reported home to parents.
risha Prabhu, a 15-year-old who gave a TEDxTeen talk about cyberbullying, created an app called ReThink that’s designed to get your kid to do the one thing you might have a spotty track record with: think before they do something stupid. Specifically, before they send a text or post a message to social media that might make another kid feel like crap.
Elaine Rose Glickman, parent and author of Your Kid’s A Brat, And It’s All Your Fault, says that a kid’s shitty behavior, at least partially, comes from the ones that made them.
“Most people have a sense of when their child has gone off the rails, and lot of times we deny it and we try to push it down,” says Glickman. It’s completely natural for a kid to test the limits, but when it becomes behavioral pattern, that’s when they’ve crossed the line into brattiness, and it’s up to you to do more than just dismiss it as a tantrum or a phase. “Some things we overlook or explain away are behaviors we need to deal with.” So how should we deal with?
1. To Be A Parent, You Have to Actually BE A Parent
2. “It’s Just A Phase” Is BS
3. The Whining Has to Stop
4. Limit Their Options
5. Let Them Be Mad Sometimes
6. Mind Their Manners
“Oh my god!” the mother squealed. “Baby, are you OK? Did that hurt? What hurts, baby? What hurts?” The little girl commenced sobbing as what I deemed a nice save turned into a tragedy warranting a call to 911.
"Why can't a superhero, builder or dino explorer also be a nurturer?"
Need some fresh ideas for your next family movie night? Our editors help you choose the best movies for kids -- movies the whole family will love.
In a tropical country like the Philippines, a family outing is just a drive away no matter what time of the year. We are fortunate that way. So take advantage. But, in case you need convincing, here are a few not-so-typical reasons from experts on why you should pack your bags and get out of the house:
Screen time is an inescapable reality of modern childhood, with kids of every age spending hours upon hours in front of iPads, smartphones and televisions. That’s not always a bad thing: Educational apps and TV shows are great ways for children to sharpen their developing brains and hone their communication skills—not to mention the break these gadgets provide harried parents. But tread carefully: A number of troubling studies connect delayed cognitive development in kids with extended exposure to electronic media. The US Department of Health and Human Services estimates that American children spend a whopping seven hours a day in front of electronic media. Other statistics reveal that kids as young as two regularly play iPad games and have playroom toys that involve touch screens.
A great way to get kids to make good choices on their is to Make a Kindness Jar! With 9 & 10 year old siblings, a fair amount of bickering and unkindness occurs in our household. Having tried (and failed) a variety of different ideas, we came across an idea last year that helped them keep kindness top of mind. Inspired by this Good Deed Jar, we took the idea of a Kindness Jar and made it our own.
Maybe you didn’t hear me. I really, really, really want it.
Researchers suggest helicopter parenting may keep kids from making — and learning from — mistakes. Helicopter parents are those who intercept their kids' mistakes before they even have a chance to make them. That protectiveness may help keep kids from getting hurt or from getting bad grades, but a new study found this parenting style may cause serious harm to a child's psyche..
Being a mother in Singapore isn't easy, so it's no wonder that recent surveys have revealed how woefully unprepared Singaporean mothers are for retirement. A 2015 survey showed that 75 per cent of the mothers surveyed had not even thought about retirement, let alone started planning for it.
Here is a list of questions that your child could hopefully answer with more than a single word or grunt!
Maybe you’re a bit nervous about math class (I know I was!) but at the same time you’re also really excited to try out for a sports team or the school play. You can feel both at the same time! And don’t forget to fill the piñata with back-to-school supplies for some extra fun!
Prince George and Princess Charlotte may come from a royal family in the United Kingdom. However, their royalty parents, Prince William and Kate Middleton do not want both royal babies to receive the impeccable royal treatment. Even though they have inherited a number of luxury bedroom spreads around Kensington Palace in London, their royal parents prefer to treat them as average children.
As a result, Prince William takes on the responsibility to go on a 10-mile journey to pick up his son from pre-school. George who is now 2 years old has begun his study at East Walton's Westacre Montessori School for a 3 days a week program. This set up, makes Prince George converse better and improve his social skills by being around other pre-school students. This successfully eliminates the gap between the son of Royal Prince and the average regular student.
According to US Magazine, Prince William and Kate Middleton like to take care of their children by themselves without special assistance. "I very much feel if I can do it myself, I want to do it myself", Prince William explained after the birth of George 2 years ago.
The best gift I’ve ever received was a slim black folder that my dad presented to me when I graduated from college. Inside were about 15 different letters, not from my dad (or at least not officially), but written to me from all of the imaginary characters we’d created together during my childhood.
You might think “tough love” is a good motto to hang onto as a parent when your child is crying because they can’t find their favorite toy, or they stubbed their toe. After all, it’s a rough world. Nobody’s going to coddle them in the real world – Why should you? But you might want to think twice in light of evidence that suggests telling your kid to ‘suck it up’ can do a lot more damage than good.
In this information age where communication is so crucial, our kids are reading less and less. How should you approach this problem? What can you do?
SINGAPORE: Malay-Muslim community leaders support an idea to make the Asatizah Recognition Scheme (ARS) compulsory for all Islamic religious teachers. The decade-old scheme recognises teachers and scholars who meet the minimum standards of qualification to preach and teach Islamic religious knowledge.
Parenting is a tough job and there are infinite ways to succeed and fail. With so many ways to parent, how can you be sure that what your doing is best for your child? Here are 6 science-backed ways unsuccessful kids have in common.
For a decade and a half, the big chocolate makers have promised to end child labor in their industry—and have spent tens of millions of dollars in the effort. But as of the latest estimate, 2.1 million West African children still do the dangerous and physically taxing work of harvesting cocoa. What will it take to fix the problem?
Practical solutions for real parenting problems - 3 Guiding Principles for Parents
This DIY Personalized Homework Station is a useful project that teens or tweens can customize to enhance their work space for back-to-school! There is plenty of room for memos and important notes.
How can you keep your kids safer without being their full-time watcher?
Among the signs: feeling sad or withdrawn for two weeks or more may indicate depression, and intense fears or worries that get in the way of daily activities may indicate an anxiety disorder.
Because it doesn’t look like the world is going back to pen and paper anytime soon, here are some of the best i-alternatives (and one iPad) that can be your kid’s new study buddy.
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is usually diagnosed early in children and it is something that parents should not take lightly. Most parents neglect and don't even notice this situation in their child because they know that it is normal for their kids to be active. The question is how you would determine the difference between an active normal lifestyle of your child between them being hyperactive.
There”s nothing more adorable than the sight of a toddler happily immersed in an afternoon of play. Wee hands stack blocks and peals of excited laughter escape from his tiny body as playtime ensues. But when two toddlers come face to face during playtime, they’re ready for a showdown, and their battle cry in a playground full of toys rings: It’s mine!
In today’s society, we are concerned with obesity in children but there are also children who are underweight and would benefit from eating more. Some parents may be tempted to feed their children with high calorie foods to boost the child’s weight, but eating wisely is important as children have small stomachs and should consume calories that are of good nutrition. Here are 12 healthy foods that can help young children to gain weight!
No matter the age of your little Picasso, these creative compositions are simple yet elegant, making for a stunning wall of kid art. And each activity boosts your child's budding fine motor skills and imagination with basic materials you can pick up at your local craft store.
It starts from carpet: 200,000 bacteria...PER SQUARE INCH.
I was on the phone with my friend Elizabeth when I heard her 9-month old daughter Poppy screeching in the background.
“Ooooh!” I winced. “Is Poppy okay?”
“She’s not crying. She’s laughing!” Elizabeth explained. “Greg’s playing Tickle Monster with her.”
Biles, a 19-year-old gymnast for Team U.S.A., is already the most decorated gold medalist in world championship gymnastics history. In Rio, she is on the fast track to becoming the best in the world, again, being an odds-on favorite to bring home as many as five gold medals.
Five years after the nuclear disaster, 20 Japanese schoolchildren are in Singapore for fun therapy, at a unique art camp to help them deal with the trauma of 3/11 and their disrupted lives.
To mark the end of Nutrition Month, stories on the importance of healthy eating habits and taking care of one’s body were the focus of Saturday morning’s Inquirer Read-Along session held at the newspaper’s main office in Makati
What if he is gay? Will he need to be afraid every time he goes out with friends? What if he is targeted for being part Jewish? What if someone chooses to hate him for his profession, his looks, his interests, or his lifestyle?
Coconut oil is basically pro-health and anti-everything bad. It tops the list of anti-inflammatory foods, and it’s also anti-bacterial, anti-carcinogenic, anti-fungal, anti-microbial,anti-viral, and has antioxidant properties. Coconut oil can help stabilize blood sugar and insulin levels, lower your risk of heart disease, kill candida and other harmful fungi, and it can even help you maintain a healthy weight.
But what is meningococcal meningitis, why does it occur in seasons, and why does it strike fear into the hearts of so many?
“I don’t want any more babies to die from this disease, or any disease that can be prevented too easily.”
The habits of kids will later make their character and will help shape their future. It is therefore important to teach kids to have good habits at their early age. One of areas where they should have develop is to have the discipline in having the right habits with the food they eat.
Make sure to know what to look out for when it comes to spotting a good nanny from a bad nanny. They're the ones taking care of your child after all!
These are so lusciously creamy, sinfully rich-tasting – the kind of thing you put in your mouth and kind of can’t believe what’s happening. Vegan, almost raw, and full of whole food ingredients, they are also downright filling!
5-Ingredient Vegan Magical Fudgesicles
Makes 4 cups / 1 Liter / 10 fudgesicles
Ingredients:
1) ½ cup / 75g unroasted, unsalted cashews
2) 1 14-oz can / 400ml full-fat coconut milk
3) 1 large, ripe avocado
4) 1 cup / 250g pitted, packed soft dates
5) ½ cup / 55g raw cacao powder (cocoa powder will also work)
Optional add-ins:
1) a few pinches sea salt
2) vanilla (seeds from 1 pod, powder, or extract)
3) a few drops of food-grade essential oils (peppermint, orange, almond etc.)
4) finely diced fresh fruit (strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, mango etc.)
5) a pinch of cayenne pepper
6) espresso powder
7) finely chopped toasted nuts (cashews, hazelnuts, almonds, pistachios etc.)
Optional toppings:
1) melted raw chocolate (recipe here) or melted dark chocolate
2) cacao nibs
3) finely chopped toasted nuts (cashews, hazelnuts, almonds, pistachios etc.)
4) dried fruit (I used raspberry on the ones pictured)
5) citrus zest (lemon, orange, lime)
Directions:
1. Place cashews in lightly salted water and let soak for 4-8 hours (overnight is fine).
2. Drain the cashews and rinse well. Add to a blender (a high-speed blender is highly recommended) with the remaining ingredients (and any flavourings, if using) and blend on high until as smooth as possible. Add water only if necessary – you want to mixture to remain quite thick.
3. Spoon mixture in popsicle molds. Firmly knock the molds on the counter a few times to remove any air bubbles. Insert a popsicle stick into each mold and place in the freezer until set – at least 6 hours. To remove popsicles, run the mold under hot water until you can easily pull a fudgesicle out.
4. If you want to decorate your fudgesicles, dip or drizzle them with melted chocolate and sprinkle with desired toppings. Eat immediately, or place back in the freezer to set until ready to enjoy.
Recently, Sean took his son to grab dinner at a Chinese restaurant. He couldn’t help but notice that there was something oddly familiar about their unassuming waitress. “Over small talk and water refills, I got the sense that this single mom didn’t want to be there, but had to be there and she was doing her best to smile,” Sean wrote on Facebook. “It tore my heart out.”
The characteristics gifted children have often lead to social and emotional behavior problems that can affect their development. To understand your gifted child completely, it's a good idea to see how your child's giftedness can influence his behavior.
All parents know that sleep is important to growing kids, especially now that kids don’t seem to be getting enough of it, thanks (or no thanks) to tablets and smartphones. Where it gets quite confusing, however, is how many hours of it children really need as different health institutions and experts seem to be giving inconsistent info.
Of the products EWG reviewed, they had “serious concerns” about 750 of them. That’s way more than a CVS aisle-worth.