My SAHM wife wanted to do her hair the other day. And usually the only opportunity for her to do so are on weekends when I can take over and look after our 4-yr-old son, Jadon.

And so happily she went one weekend.

When she came back, my son (who was not used to NOT seeing her for hours at a stretch) said,

” You don’t look familiar.” LOL!

I was brought to the attention of this non-profit agency recently. What is does is to provide free summer vacations to New York City children from low-income communities, letting them enjoy rustic experiences in the country and suburbs, while enjoying the friendly warmth of host families.

Such a visit can make all the difference in the world to an inner-city child…just take a minute and listen to the experience of Brandon Mendoza below:

I am writing this post to help Fresh Air Fund solicit Host families to bring cheers to our deprived city children. Can you help me spread the word and spread some FRESH AIR? Thanks!

I made a terrible error the other day of speaking before I think.

My son was doing some coloring at the dining table and I was sitting beside watching him. Footywife and myself had noticed that over the past few months, his coloring skills had improved tremendously, especially in the area where he was supposed to “color within the line”. We were always lavishing praises on him for coloring well.

However in this instance, he seems to have lost a bit of confidence and did not seem to be in the mood to color well. He said, “I can’t do it”, referring to coloring within the lines.

In my enthusiam to encourage him, I said, “Com’mon, don’t give up”.

He immediately caught on the new phrase and said, “I want to give up“, and instantly stopped.

I just thought, “Fantastic… I had just provided that little bit of catalyst to promote despondence.” Hopefully it doesn’t create a lasting impact on him, but he had certainly learned a new phrase.

I just wished I had watched what I said.

My wife was talking to her sister recently about her 8-year-old daughter, Jeanette and her experiences in primary school.

One of the topic they touched on was money management.

It was recounted that my sister-in-law was trying to teach Jeanette how to count her money and get her change back after paying for  food during recess breaks. To which Jeanette confidently replied, “no need Mama, it is very easy!”

My sister-in-law was probably pleasantly surprised until she continued,”…. just let them count and return you the money!“

Any better advice?!

In line with our earlier post on “Where is your ideal summer vacation?”, this video looks like great rustic fun for city kids!

Thanks for your inputs, Donald, Bk and Affection! I myself am thinking where to bring my parents and my own little family of three to. Tough to think of an ideal location where young (my 4 year old son) and old (my 70 yr old parents) can equally enjoy.

I know it is winter still for the folks in the northern hemisphere. I am just getting a little ahead of time here and would actually like to know where do city parents usually bring their city children to during the summer holidays?

How do you identify or determine where to go and what to do?

My guess is to bring the kids to somewhere to enjoy some Fresh Air! No, it should be a lot of Fresh Air! To roll on grass, run by the beach, smell the flowers, etc… Or on the other hand, it could be determined by where we the parents desire to go

For those of us who can afford it, we would even bring them to another country and experience the diversity of life on earth. Who doesn’t like to travel anyway?!

Where is your ideal summer vacation for you and/or your kids?

theChildisKing wishes all readers, especially our Asian readers, a very blessed and healthy Year of the Tiger!

PS: Don’t eat too much junk! Remember, our kids will follow!

Yes, if you are a parent or a caregiver, regardless of whether you are a GOOD role model or not, your little ones will follow you. And children learn what they see. So be careful what you do in front of them.

My son, needless to say, is no exception. He likes to imitate the things I do. I think I have mentioned previously that I like to roam around the house without my shirt on, and so he follows.

• When I whistle, he asks me how to do it

• When he sees me work at home sometimes, he says wants to be an “office staff” when he grows up! (So much for my dream about him being a professional footballer!)

• When he eats, he chews them deliciously and noisily…just like me

• When I keep his toys, he continues playing!!! (ok, this one is different)

• When he sees me sweeps his toys using my feet, he does the same

This evening when I came back home from a cell group meeting and wanted to keep my shoes in the shoe cabinet, I saw his school shoes had already occupied “my segment”.

Need I say more?

Children learn by seeing what their role models do and aspire to be like them.

The role models’ behaviours are also their definition of what are acceptable and unacceptable behaviors. If you realize you are one, keep your chins up and be the proud and responsible caregiver. It is a joy when you see your little ones pick up the “good” stuffs from you

Recently I was explaining to my 4-year-old son what color blind means. I told him people who are color blind cannot identify certain colors correctly. That was it, and so I thought he understood it very well.

Then one day, when we were walking down a shopping street in sunny Singapore, a Caucasian boy with a pair of beautiful green eyes walked past us. The next moment was the killer.

Never in my wildest dream could I have seen this coming…. my son screamed out, “Papa, that boy is color blind!”

I did not know where to hide my face.

PS: By the way, do you know that while color blindness may be seen as a disability, some studies have shown that certain of these individuals could actually penetrate color camouflages better

I am guilty of often hearing this pleading voice, “Papa, come play with me..”

I was listening to a Joyce Meyer sermon in the car today and the message that screamed aloud was this, “Are today’s children raising themselves up?”

In most of today’s so called “affluent” societies, most families are “Dual Income Families”, where both parents work. Resultingly, the amount of time the children spend with these parents are far shorter compared to those where one of their parent is not working.

And I can’t help but compare the kind of love and attention a stay-at-home mother (SAHM) can give, vis-a-vis those from a caregiver or nanny.  I have heard of cases where children grew up mastering the language of the caregiver instead of those of their parents. How sad.

Granted, if income is tight and both parents need to work, then so be it.

And we are all too aware we would rather that our children grow up in a wholesome environment rather than in one that is “rich” materially, but “poor in the soul”. But most of us seems to end up with our priorties mixed up!

Why?!!?

Ever heard of this conversation between a son and his dad?

Son : Come play with me, Dad
Dad : I need to work son. Who’s gonna pay our bills?

Son ran upstairs to his room and came down very shortly.

Son: How much?
Dad (without looking up and sounding annoyed): What how much?
Son: How much are you paid for your work? Here’s $50. Can you play with me?