March 10, 2014

Parenting with Less Stress

Dominique Parenting and Kids, Parenting Views less stress, Parenting, Series

Parenting isn’t an easy job. It doesn’t come with any manual which is given to you when your child is born. It is something that you figure out as you go along once you become a parent. It is a lot of trial and error as the child grows up. It can be very trying for both the child and parent to communicate effectively and efficiently with each other.

It can be extremely stressful too if one is unable to manage the problems that parenting brings. Your blood pressure shoots sky high and everything seems suddenly out of control once your child starts misbehaving or having a meltdown especially in public.

There is no perfect solution, no textbook solution to all the trials and tribulations that will be hurled your way in your journey as a parent.

My job as a parent started about 11 years ago when Monkey boy was born. All the books that I have read prior to his birth didn’t really help me that much. It could be said that there is a vast difference between theory and practical.

Being a new parent back then I was bombarded with both well meaning and ill given advice. It took me quite a while to figure out what worked and what didn’t work for my kids.

Even if a particular method worked well with kid #1 it is not guaranteed that it would work with #2 or #3. Each kid came with their own set of difficulties and challenges and it can be really exhausting tackling them daily.

The kids during Christmas last year

Children are bundles of joy to have. However at the same time they can be your worst nightmare. It is hard to really know what triggers them off at times and it can be really difficult to read their subtle cues. They can turn from angels into devils within seconds and back again.

It can really nerve wrecking dealing with toddlers or pre-schoolers who themselves do not know what they want. It doesn’t get any easier as they get older. They get more demanding and argumentative. Back talking starts and you need to have nerves of steel and also be a pro debater to be able to out talk them.

Join me as I start on this series on how it is possible to parent with less stress and share with you the struggles that I had, and am still having as a parent of three.

Post in this series

– Parenting with Less Stress ( An Introduction)

– Teaching Kids about coping with the fear of Failure (Part 1)

– Teaching Kids about coping with the fear of Failure (Part 2)

– Encouraging a Struggling Learner (Part 1)

– Encouraging a Struggling Learner (Part 2)

-Dealing with a Strong Willed Child (Part 1)

– Dealing with a Strong Willed Child( Part 2)

– An Update on Monkey Boy

–An Update on Doggie boy

October 31, 2013

It Began With You

Dominique Advertorials, Parenting and Kids Parenting, Pre-school years

The kids with Teacher J

It has been a while since Tiger girl has been in school. In fact, she is now in Nursery One after being promoted from the Playgroup class which she entered upon turning two. Tiger girl looks forward to going to school each morning and enjoying herself playing and learning alongside her friends in school.

Seeing her behaving this way confirms that I had made the correct decision of sending her to school. In fact all three kids enjoy going to school as they have loving and caring teachers to nurture them.

Tiger girl is studying in the childcare which her brothers used to attend. All of them started attending childcare at two years old and have been taught by Teacher J ( in the picture above). She and the other teachers in the school are among the most caring pre-school teachers who I know of.

Doggie boy at his end of year concert in 2010

I really admire the teachers at the kids school for their dedication and commitment towards the kids. Back then when I was teaching in the morning session they made special arrangement for me to drop of the boys at a teacher’s house before I headed off to work as I had to be at work by 7am and no childcare was open that early.

Each morning Teacher Nur welcomed the boys into her house and even bought snacks for them at times before taking the school bus/cab to school with them. Having the assistance of Teacher Nur really helped me as a working mother a lot as it solved the logistic problem of getting the boys to school and to work on time each day.
Being a teacher myself I know that it is not easy to take care of small kids. It can be really difficult to understand them especially if they are not able to articulate well and express themselves. Besides being responsible for educating the child the teacher has to handle his physical needs too ( toilet training/diapering). It really takes a person who really loves kids to be so dedicated to their well being.

Monkey boy in Chinese costume while at pre-school

The kids really learned a lot and blossomed under the love and care of their dedicated teachers. I am grateful that they were lucky to meet such teachers like Teacher J and Teacher Nur in their pre- school years.

Do you know of anyone who loves children and aspire to become a pre-school teacher?

Are you thinking about teaching as a career?

(Do watch the video below before answering these questions)

Are you still interested now?

Or still considering?

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