My 2¢: What Can We Learn from DepEd's D.O. # 36?

The religious and non-religious communities were stirred recently by the Department of Education's department order (D.O.) number 36 which changed it's vision and mission statements, and removing the phrase "God-loving" from it's vision statement. It was a response by the department to a "request" made by a local secularist group called Filipino Free Thinkers (read their open letter to the DepEd here).

As expected, people from the religious group responded to the issue (first from Cross Currents' Nation Watch and followed by a blog post by Pastor Dennis Sy). Yesterday, Dr. Sylvia Claudio, an adviser to the secularist group and a contributor to Rappler, replied in defense to the open letter and to the subsequent action by the DepEd. It was immediately answered by Rei Crizaldo, the writer of Cross Currents' article, through another blog post that same day.

The on-going discourse on the department order can go on for days and weeks. And sadly, in this progressing society that we are in today, we won't see the end of this discussion. Like oil and water, no matter how hard you mix both things, will not become one.

But I'm not going to the same direction these well-intended writers went. I desire that Christians should not respond condemning the unbelievers. Rather, I want us to take a reflective approach on the situation. I see this as a wake-up call for Christians to realign our lives to how God has called us to live. Asking ourselves "what can we learn from the DepEd's department order" and then respond properly with a goal of making the greater impact in the society.

So what can we learn from this? Well, I have thought of the following:

1. Secularism and atheism are gaining ground. Years ago, we can still hang on to the traditional and conservative norms of the society and had the clout to suppress any ideas and practices that are contrary to the Roman Catholic belief system. But with the advent of freedom and rights came openness to other thoughts, ideas, and practices. With our unquestionable adulation of anything West, it is inevitable that what happened with them will sooner or later happen to the Philippines. In the past, secularist and atheistic views are best kept in the shadows, and people just pretend to be religious just to evade antagonistic glances and criticisms from others. But the situation has changed, they've become open, more vocal, and actively recruiting and converting others to join their ranks.

2. We have to accept this fact and that we are one of the parties to be blamed. In the past, the country basks under the glory of being "the only Christian country in Asia" as the Philippines was the only predominantly Roman Catholic country in the region. Although this is true, we have seen over and over again that in both Roman Catholic and Protestant churches we have not been good examples of living according to what we preach. There were many reports in the past that the clergy and used their influence to do immoral things. And we know that we at the Protestant leadership are not exempted from unbiblical practices. Ordinary believers were also living their lives like there's no God to judge their actions. We have made a bad witness for our Lord towards other people that led them to believe that there's no God.

3. Not only that we are contributors to the problem, we even tend not to address our own omissions and then direct the blame on the non-believers. Our common response to these issues are counter-attacks against their ideologies. But I consider these as "belated actions" for the church could have done something in the past to preempt these scenarios.

What must the church do to address this? Well, I have to admit, there are certain limits as to what we can do. If the President, religious as he is, would notice the impact of the changes, might direct the department secretary to rethink the new vision and mission statements or revert back to the old version. Someone from the religious group may want to make another open letter like what the secularist group did. But that will only lead to submissions of never ending open letters from both groups.

These actions are possible, and someone has to do them.. But I would like to rally all Christians (whether Roman Catholics or Protestants) to do an internal action of our own.

1. We have to change the way we live our lives. In Phil. 1:27-28, Paul encourages the Philippians "only let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving side by side for the faith of the gospel, and not frightened in anything by your opponents. This is a clear sign to them of their destruction, but of your salvation, and that from God." Though this is an encouragement in the face of oppression and persecution, the principle remains the same. It is sad to note that many people who profess to be Christian live almost the same like anybody else. The way how we live out our lives is a reflection of what we truly believe inside. 2 Corinthians 5:17 says, "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come." If we truly believe in Jesus Christ, in the holy and righteous God, then changes has to occur. We are to turn and run away from any sinful practices. We have to have true conversions in our habits, from bad to good. Our testimonies are vital in convincing them that God exists and there will be a time that He will judge both the living and the dead. We also have to remember that most of them live by "to see is to believe" motto.

2. We have to make true disciples of Jesus Christ. Proclaiming the gospel of Christ and biblical preaching of God's word is a must. With the popularity of self-help, prosperity, and feel-good messages and books, no wonder that the church is producing more synthetic than authentic Christians. These messages have led Christians to become self-absorbed, self-satisfying individuals. Churches also have become too focused on numbers and therefore have resorted to these type of messages. If the church attendance is getting low, the leadership will have to demand that the pastor preach on shallow messages than preaching the gospel. People have shun away from deeper teachings of the faith and just satisfied themselves in the thought that they are already saved, and that's enough for them. Also, the gospel of Christ is, by nature, offensive to us. 1 Corinthians 1:27-29 states, "But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, so that no human being might boast in the presence of God." If we try to sugarcoat the message of Christ just to invite more people in, then we're not making a true disciple of Christ. We're only deceiving people that they are saved. We're only adding members to a club or an organization. It's like declaring to God, "I want to be saved, but I don't believe in the power of the Spirit and of your word."

3. We have to address the offending sheep by the proper administration of church discipline. The proper administration of church discipline is vital to the preservation of the integrity of the church. If there is a wandering sheep who's gone doing what seemed right in their own eyes, the church has to lovingly address the offender, correct the wrongdoing, and help rehabilitate the person back into the right path. There are cases wherein churches have chosen to do away with church discipline in the spirit of love, peace, and order amongst the members. Or perhaps the involved are close friends, relatives, or associates of the pastor or leaders, using the Filipino trait a deep sense of debt of gratitude to escape responsibility or discipline. Church discipline is a necessity and the church has to practice it without compromise and hesitation. Jesus himself gave a specific instruction on how to do the process of disciplining a sinning brother (Matt. 18:15-17). And James 5:19-20 even gives this encouragement, "My brothers, if anyone among you wanders from the truth and someone brings him back, let him know that whoever brings back a sinner from his wandering will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins." In reality, we're not really helping and practicing love towards that wandering brother if we chose not to apply church discipline.

4. We have to realize that we need to equip ourselves to become better (if not the best) ambassadors of Christ. Many Christians are ill-equipped in apologetics. Many Christians, once came face to face with someone who is truly searching for the truth of the Bible, will not be competent enough to lead others to Christ. Some see it as the role only for the pastors and missionaries. Some tend to have an agnostic attitude towards the deep truths of the Scriptures saying, "I'd rather not know these since I won't be able to understand them," or "I'd rather not study them since my brain can't handle difficult things." But Peter, addressing Christians in general, said, "but in your hearts regard Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect, having a good conscience, so that, when you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ may be put to shame" (1 Peter 3:15-16). How can we then be called representatives and ambassadors of Christ if we don't know anything about Him, His gospel, His work, and everything about God? Paul sets a good example for all leaders and pastors who will do the same task and ministries after him, "Him we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, that we may present everyone mature in Christ. For this I toil, struggling with all his energy that he powerfully works within me" (Colossians 1:28-29).

These are just some of my thoughts on the matter and how we can turn things around. If churches, from the leaders down to the members, will seriously and prayerfully and depend on the Holy Spirit to do these, we might be able to not only save the next generations but also convince those who are seeking today or those who have renounced anything to do with faith and organized religion. As one popular cliché says, "changes in the society should start from a change from within oneself."

Remembering My Stint as a Teacher

My wife found this story in a book today...

A student in a biology class was given the assignment to learn about birds. He was instructed to learn the classification, the scientific name, the common name, and characteristics of all the birds. The professor said, "Learn everything about them."

At the day of the exam, the student was horrified when he looked at the test. The birds were pictured from their knees down. He knew the birds well but he couldn't identify any of them from their knees down. He tossed his paper onto the pile of exams on the instructor's table and explained his frustration.

The unsympathetic professor said, "Well, you'll just have to take a zero. I told you to learn everything about them. What's your name, son?"

The boy reached down and pulled up his pants to his knees and said, "You tell me!"

I taught senior high school students for six years from 2008 to 2014. I had my fair share of ups and down, excitements and worries, successes and failures. I "might" have given some ridiculous quizzes and assignments, but thank God I did not have a student like that in the story!

I love most of the aspects of teaching, sans the checking of papers and quizzes. I like interacting with students and helping them answer questions from and about the Bible. The most precious times, I say, are not the times when I'm doing the lectures. I cherish the most are the times when the students ask questions, discuss issues and ideas, and help the students understand the teachings of the Scriptures deeper.

I just hope and pray that the students did not take for granted their opportunity to learn Bible lessons before going into the world. As what I've been hearing year after year, students have difficulty adjusting and struggling when they go to college. Some eventually succeeded and overcame the hurdles of college life. But some did not, gave in, and compromised just to gratify the urges to fit in and be accepted.

I'm glad that some of them continue to consult and ask me questions from time to time. But my concern goes to those who go out there without proper guidance, going their own way without a shepherd. May the Lord keep watch over them and lead them to the right path.


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It's been more than three months since I last taught. Thank God I'll be teaching once again, albeit not in formal classroom setting and just on Fridays for the whole month of August.

A Worrisome Future

Last Sunday, my family and I went to visit a church in Manila for a possible ministry work. We also took this opportunity to see a young friend who came from Cebu for his college degree.

As I had asked him how he was doing, he told me that he had a culture shock with his new school. Studying in one of the prominent universities here has opened him to a lot of temptations coming from his peers. Knowing where he studied his high school and having grown up here in Manila, I have a clear understanding the daily struggles he faces.

This morning, my wife brought this topic up with me while having our breakfast. The conversation lead us to think of what would our children's future be. Comparing today's situation with that of ours just a little over a decade ago, the temptations of today are no different in their descriptions, just more intense and sophisticated. Peer pressure in the society has always been there, just different in its form and substance.

After we had our breakfast, I read news and other posts on the Internet. To what seemed like a hand of fate had placed everything together, two news articles have been trending today in the local web: Text scam and the latest child kidnapping modus operanda.

Since we know from Scripture that the world will only get worse, I am tempted to just keep our children away from the rest of the world and protect them from its bad elements. The world just keeps on getting worse in its continued downward spiral on sin and immorality. Sometimes, it's seemed safer for us to completely isolate ourselves from the world and live peacefully throughout your life, away from the troubles of the modern world.

But this path is not my lot, I think. And due to my vocation, I am called to be in the world but not of the world. I can only teach and guide my children, and protect them up to a certain point. And I just have to trust God and pray that my children will receive wisdom from Him on how to deal with the world's dark side.

- Photo credits to this site

My 2¢: Teaching the Chinese Language/Dialect to Kids

Growing up, my siblings and I were reminded by some of our relatives every now and then to speak our Chinese dialect and be fluent with it. Truth be told, there were times that I dislike going to family gatherings or meet-ups because of this.

Not that I'm making an excuse for myself and for my siblings, but it was difficult for us to even speak a phrase or a sentence in our dialect because we were not used to speaking it. You see, we grew up under the good care of our maternal grandmother. She took great care of us while our mother was away to work oversees out of necessity. But one of the things that she wasn't able to teach us was to speak our dialect. Not because she chose not to, but she just simply can't.

Just like us, our grandmother's internal lexicon of the Hokkien (a.k.a. Amoy) words were limited. Though I don't know much of my grandmother's history, what I know was that although she had Chinese genes in her, she didn't had much opportunity to learn and study the dialect. So we ended up learning and speaking the local language.

This is typical of the majority of the succeeding generations of the Chinese diaspora. Most descendants of the Chinese immigrants tend to adopt the local language where they currently live in as their mother language - in speech and in thought - aside from the Chinese language or dialect that their parents (or even grandparents) have. This is due to the fact that every day most people whom we need to interact with were non-Chinese speakers. With our young minds, we thought that it will be more profitable and easier for us to communicate with the local language than stick to our native dialect. And I may not only speak for myself with this.

Therefore, I have an open letter, so to speak to some people groups out there, with the clear intent to help the next generation speak the language or the dialect and not to cause conflicts or divisions.

First, to the Chinese language adult advocates. I do understand the patriotism and the need to preserve the Chinese culture, tradition, and language to the next generations. But forcing these to them because "the adults-say-so" just doesn't help. With all the news and propaganda that we read and hear every now and then about China, there will be some of us who will find it difficult to love being a Chinese. We have to help the younger ones to love our heritage and the language. As adults, we understand how the children's mind works - the more you force them to do something they don't like, the more they will become rebellious against doing it.

Another aspect of this situation is when adults impose, in a veil of suggestion, to other kids to speak Chinese whenever they hear them speaking in English, or another local language/dialect. I find this very intrusive, since the authority to impose language to kids are their own parents or grandparents. Especially if we know that with their own children or grandchildren they are not strict about it. We may only, in an honest manner, suggest the necessity and importance of the Chinese language to other kids. And restrain ourselves from labeling Chinese kids who do not speak the language as "Hoa-na gong", or any similar derogatory remarks.

Second, to the Chinese-speaking institutions and organizations. Sometimes, if not most of times, our deep sense of patriotism (or some personal reasons) leak out from the confines of our homes to institutions and organizations that we are involved with. We have to understand that institutions and organizations have their own purpose and goals. Unless propagating or teaching the Chinese language is one of their main goals, then we cannot force it upon them the importance or necessity of the practice. Chinese churches, for one, have the primary purpose of propagating the Gospel of Christ. Just as the Bible has taught Christians for generations, different languages and traditions come as second only to the doctrines the Scripture teaches. I believe that language, traditions, and values learning should primarily be taught at home.

And third, to the Chinese schools in my country. I studied in one of the prominent traditional Chinese schools in Manila. From the primary to the secondary education, we were taught with three main subjects: one for language, one for history/values, one for mathematics. I believe this system does not work for the majority of the students if the goal is to educate them with the Chinese language.

Majority of the Chinese in the Philippines speak Hokkien as the primary Chinese language at home. The medium of instruction in the schools is Mandarin. In my opinion, there are two things that the schools need to do...

One, they need to teach both Mandarin and Hokkien in schools. Adults often tell me that I need to polish my Mandarin in order for me to be more valuable to the world. The prosperity success story that is the modern China has been gaining momentum in my lifetime. And because of this, I understand the importance of learning the language for global competitiveness. However, I also understand that not all modern Chinese families speak Mandarin at home. I know many adults, parents and grandparents alike, even use English to speak to their kids. But they continue to emphasize to speak Chinese whenever they can. Therefore, it is vital that the schools equip the students with both Mandarin and Hokkien to prepare them for the world and to strengthen ties with the older generation.

Two, they need to change the Chinese subjects they are teaching. The subjects themselves, except for the language, are redundant with some of the subjects that the English curriculum teach. If we want to preserve the Chinese language, we have to maximize the time that the students have in our schools, remove redundant subjects and focus on language proficiency and communication. I'm glad to hear that some schools have a change of perspective and slowly are changing their system. Though they cannot let go of the other redundant subjects, I guess removing some is already a big change in a culture where tradition and old habits trump over changes.

I hope these thoughts will be considered for I, too, have a stake in this. I have two kids and I intend to teach my kids to speak Chinese. My eldest speak Hokkien like an old lady, to the amusement of the old Chinese folks I know.

When I was young, I didn't understand the importance of knowing how to speak and write Chinese. But looking back, I wish I had known better.

- Photos taken from Chinese Culture Symbols and Chineasy.org

On a side note, I found an interesting site that teaches Chinese Mandarin through visuals. For the current generation, this is very helpful, since majority learn through visual stimuli. Click here to visit their site and learn more.

Crazy Monday

It was an unusual day for us today.

This morning, my son and I were left together to have some father and son bonding. My wife went out to bring our daughter to school and attend a prayer meeting with the other mothers.

While my wife was out, I tried to have a play time with my son to keep him busy and entertained. After a while, I have to let him play on his own at the puzzle mat so that I could finish some of the things in my to do list for today.

However, due to unknown reasons, my son just won't stop crying every time I put him down. I had to close our main door at times because I thought some of our neighbors are being disturbed by the cries of my son. Tried playing with him again, sat by his side, carried him up, danced with him, rocked him on the rocking chair... All in a vain attempt to calm him down and help him to stop crying.

Then came my wife, two hours after she left. After a change of clothes, she took our son from the playpen and played with him on the puzzle mat. Immediately after, our son stopped crying, played with my wife with all smiles.

It was a crazy Monday morning for me and my son. I guess he just misses his mom very much.

- Photo credit to sweetcomments.net

The Future's Cyber Life / Tragic Fight for Freedom

Another storm had just passed our country, few months after Typhoon Haiyan came and left many places in our country in shambles. This time, our country was prepared, with only minimal lives lost. But because of the storm, we have experienced more than twelve hours of power interruption and life started to crawl. So I took this time to read articles from magazines while resting after cleaning up some mess brought forth by strong winds.

I came across one article from Time Magazine that caught my attention.

The article, written by Jack Dickey, is entitled "The Antisocial Network: Inside the Dangerous Online World Kids Can't Quit", details the negative consequences of social media on children. Since the advent of social networks on the Internet, reports and concerns about cyber bullying are on the rise. With the establishment of new social networks and the increasing availability of smart phones to kids as young as seven, bullying in school has now become closer to one's own bedroom. (visit CNN's and Yahoo's coverage of the incident)

The almost constant feed of insults and harsh words bring teens to their miseries. Causing them to commit suicides because they just can't take it anymore. I knew in the past that Japan holds the most number of suicide cases, most committed by adults, due to pressures at work, life, or perhaps difficulty in finding a suitable spouse. Modern technology is quickly changing that.

Of course, the authors and owners of these social networking sites will not admit that it's not their fault. That they are just espousing freedom of speech, dynamic sharing of ideas, equality, among many others. True that they are not completely to blame, but they are not making things any better. Just as what the reports says, the owners of one social media site admitted that they are just after the profit.

This is the future that our kids are going to face. As adults and parents, how are we going to help our kids face this? Will this become the norm for our children's "rite of passage"? Will this be an inevitable possibility for all?

- photo credit to The Social Clinic

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It's a tragic day to wake up into.

The first thing that popped from my Facebook's news feed was news from different networks and agencies about a downed Malaysian Airlines flight MH17, bound for Malaysia from Amsterdam. Initial reports say that the flight was shot down by Ukrainian rebels' surface-to-air missiles. The remains of the commercial passenger jet crashed in the rebel-controlled East Ukraine.

Investigations are underway, a temporary truce between competing forces are being discussed. International investigators are also on their way to study the crash scene and collect evidence. Hope they will find the real cause, whether it's a shooting or not. Our hearts and prayers go to the families of the innocent victims, all 298 of them.

My 2¢: Our Misplaced Patience

the start of the line

Before I proceed, I would like to categorically state that we love Krispy Kreme!

Last night my family and I went to a mall nearby for a quick dinner. When we arrived at the mall we were surprised with a long queue for the Krispy Kreme stall.

The line immediately caught our attention. The queue was so long that it ran a loop going back to the Krispy Kreme stall. We heard by asking the people toeing the line that the famous doughnut company made a promo announcement at their Facebook site for a discounted price tag on their original glazed product (Krispy Kreme just celebrated their 77th birthday by treating their fans half a dozen doughnuts for only Php77).

As I have read the comments on the local Krispy Kreme Facebook page, majority of them were happy that they got a dozen doughnuts for a cheap fare. But there were some who went to fall in line yet at the end they got nothing. Some complained that the stock ran out quickly. And there were others who complained of unequal treatment as there were people who got special treatments from store managers.

But I have a different take on the situation yesterday.

the long queue

When we saw the people lined up for the doughnuts, we were amazed at the patience these people had with the long line they have to endure just to get 6 or 12 doughnuts. When we got to the mall, it was already past 6 in the evening and the promo only runs until 7. The line was still long when we decided to go home.

But there's another thing that I realized with the queue of people last night. There are times that we have misplaced patience, just like we have misplaced priorities. There might be many reasons for falling in line for 6 or so doughnuts. Some might be good, like, treating friends or family to the sugary sweet delight. Some might be bad, like, I just want to eat more of these doughnuts.

Regardless of the reason, we can fairly observe that there were instances in our lives that we don't practice the same level of patience. There were times, the motivation, or the lack of it, is selfish.

They say that the good things in life come to those who are willing to wait. The good things do not only include doughnuts and other sweet goodies. The first description that a famous verse about love in the Bible used the word "patient" (1 Corinthians 13:4). The Apostle who wrote these words encourages the people to apply patience in their relationships, especially if they claim that they love that person. Can we not apply the same amount of patience on some other things?

Even as I was typing this entry, my daughter was demanding that I hand over a coloring book that her grandmother had just given her early this morning. I asked her if she can wait until I finish the entry first then I can give it to her. But she answered me with a negative. She wants to have it now.

Impatience starts early with my daughter, I guess. But it's not yet too late to teach her to wait for things.

How to Teach Your Child to Love Reading Books

Do you love reading books?

Growing up, I was not fond of reading books. I see them as a chore rather than something that I would enjoy doing. I only read books when needed, and most of the time I "speed read" the assigned readings up until I reached mid-college.

My appetite for books (or the lack of it) changed when I became a Christian. Since then, I desired to read and absorb whatever I can, began buying and collecting books, and would really sit still and read books for hours long.

And I want this desire for books to be passed on to my children as well.

Loving to read books doesn't come out naturally for most of us. As in my case, it took a life altering moment for me to like reading. How can we encourage our kids to love reading books?

It all started with stories. When our daughter was just an infant, we would tell stories to her from the Bible. We bought kids Bibles and some gave us other versions. Every time she feeds milk or before she goes to sleep we read to her stories from these books. Later we added other children's books to add variety to her reading list. And soon enough, she started to ask us to read to her books whenever she wants to.

Just last week, I thought my daughter leveled a notch higher. She brought home a children's book she borrowed from her school's library! She was very excited when she presented to us the book. And since it's a new story, she asked us to read it to her every night before she would go to sleep.

Yesterday, she brought home another book from the school library. This time, the book is about Moby Dick. After she had her afternoon nap, my wife and my daughter sat down and read half of the book until we had our dinner, and the other half afterwards. It was tough for my wife reading to our daughter the book. Because she need not only to read the story to her, but to explain and at the same time translate some of the words in Hokkien Chinese (my daughter's primary language). But it was well worth the hard work.

By doing this, we are accomplishing a few things. First, we are encouraging our daughter to continue to love reading books. Second, we spend enough time to be with her and do what she likes to do. Third, we are also teaching her new English words that are written on the books. And fourth, we are also encouraging her to continue to learn and to speak our Chinese language.

Aside from these benefits, I desire that my kids will embody a quotation famously attributed to Dr. Seuss, 

"The more that you read the more things you will know, the more that you learn the more places you'll go."

I'm hoping that when they grow up they'll be able to accomplish a lot of things in their life, go to more places than the places that I've been able to go to, and connect to more people for God's glory than I had, am, and will be able to reach.

- Photo credits to Motivational Memo and Open Colleges

Our Son and the Three Turtles

Do you have any pets?

Almost two years ago, we bought three turtles (red eared sliders) as additions to our growing number of aquatic pets. It was a request by our daughter who saw grown turtles at her previous school.

Earlier this morning we brought out these three turtles from their container and allowed them to wander at our terrace. They were so restless and they even tried banging the sliding doors in their desire to come in to the house. We decided to let them walk around every day and put them back into their container in the afternoon so that they can their exercise, sun bathing, and grow bigger.

A while ago we placed our son on a puzzle mat for him to play on his own after lunch. While my wife and I were busy doing some chores we noticed that our son was staring at our screen door every time the turtles would pass by. At some instances, we caught our son would rock himself up and down in excitement and would make some funny sounds.

It seems that our son and our turtles have this connection. They say that having pets at home is beneficial to one's health and sanity, therapeutic even to others. I may not claim that it does so, but we're glad that we didn't leave our turtles behind when we transferred from Cebu to Manila. At least, they're helping us entertain our son while our hands are full.

Do you have any pets? Share with us what your pet is and how they help you lighten up your life's load everyday.

Photo credits to Austin's Turtle Page

In Their Own Time

My son and daughter at the beach

Our family loves to swim. So for the past six years that I have worked in another city, we go to the beaches nearby and have an overnight stay at the resorts whenever we can.

When my eldest was still a toddler, her relationship with the water didn't start well. Whenever we dip her into the water she would cry and struggle to get herself out from it. But as time passed by, she began to slowly love swimming.

In our desire to teach her to love swimming, sometimes we went beyond encouraging. The playful me has forced her to immerse herself into the water, there were times that I have jumped with her into the water. A few times even that I got angry at her just because she didn't want to try what we told her to do.

One of those times was when I accompanied her to try the water slide. I told her that it was fun and that we'll try the kid's slide just for her to experience it. I had difficulty convincing her to try it, and eventually she agreed to slide with me guiding and holding her as she slides down. It didn't work out well for her first, as she cried hard and vowed not to slide again after that.

But just few months back, something unexpected happened. We went to have our last stay in a resort before coming back to our hometown. Just as when we were about to head back to our room she asked us if she could go to the kid's pool and swim a little more. My wife went back to the room with our son and I accompanied our daughter. And it was there that she made another request that she be allowed to try the water slide.

With a little hesitation, I allowed her to go. And I think I made the right decision at that time, for she had fun on the slide and she did it not just once but many times over.

When it was time to go, we headed back to our room and I told my wife about what happened. We realized that there are some things that we cannot force our children to try and to love. Sometimes it just have to come onto them naturally. We can't force our way to our children all the time, sometimes we have to trust our children that they will have them in their own time.

Looking Ahead

What did you dream of becoming when you were little?

As I was reminiscing my early childhood this morning, I remembered my dreams and what I would want to become when i grow up.

In the early days I wanted to become a doctor, but I had this inexplicable fear of blood. I have lost my consciousness a few times whenever I got wounded or saw my blood coming out a wound.

I wanted to become a soldier or a cop, but I was thin and my body was weak. No matter how much I ate, I still didn't gain any more weight.

I wanted to become the boss of my our business or company, but we were not rich and our resources back then were limited. Aside from that, I only got few guidelines on how to effectively save and manage money.

These are just some of my dreams. I didn't pursue them because I had perceived roadblocks ahead of me. Also, I received a different calling when I was in college.

Now that I have my own family, I have this deep desire to be with my kids and guide them as much as I can. Looking ahead, I have this strong desire to see them grow and not miss anything as long as I can. And as my family and I journey this life together, I have this sincere hope that they will live fulfilling and productive lives. And I hope that I can help them guide and prepare themselves to face the future.

Winston Churchill once said, "It is always wise to look ahead, but difficult to look further than you can see." I can always hope for the best for my family's future, but only God can know exactly what will happen in the future.

Photo credits to http://s1.hubimg.com/u/7515022_f260.jpg

Freedom Friday

Today, the Americans are celebrating their Independence. Many would be celebrating it in traditional ways - family get together, picnic, parade, barbeque at the park - with fireworks and all to cap the day's events. All in remembrance of the sacrifices of the heroes of the past that fought for the freedom of the oppressed and the enslaved.

However, as time passes, people's understanding of freedom and independence has changed, and sometimes abused.

Our society has grown to become liberal and relativistic in our perspective of things that sometimes I wonder how I will teach and rear my children in this age. I fear that there will come a time where people will question many, if not all, facets of life and social order. People will come to believe whatever they want to believe, black will become white and white will become black, depending on one's choice on how he perceives things.

In order for us to truly enjoy freedom, we have to understand that all things created, tangible or otherwise, have limits. Even our understanding of things are limited by what we knowledge and information we gained in our own lifetime.

Further, to truly enjoy freedom, we need to see and understand that there are absolutes in this universe. There's right and wrong, black and white, logical order of things, etc. These absolutes do not exist to suffocate us or limit our enjoyment of things. On the contrary, they help us to live our lives free from regrets and disappointments.

Enjoy your freedom wisely!

Photo credits to Lextran.com

A Daughter's Wish

Last month, my family (minus our 10-month old son) and a niece, went to watch the movie How to Train Your Dragon 2.

We enjoyed the movie and loved the story and would love to watch it again and again if we can. The movie itself had a lot of great lessons for all of us, young or old, to get and to learn from. But a request made by my 4-year old daughter during a turning point in the movie that gave me the greatest lesson that day and struck a cord in me.

When Hiccup's father, Stoick, was killed by his own pet dragon, I heard sobs and sniffs coming from my left. I look at that direction and saw my wife and daughter wiping off some tears. Being a male as I am, I smiled at them and made fun at them a little. After a few moments, they regained their composure and we continued to watch the movie.

After we finished, both my wife and daughter went to the wash room and it was there that my daughter told her mother that she doesn't want her father die like what happened to Hiccup's dad. She was really afraid of losing her father someday.

We explained to her things about her fear afterwards. We hugged each other tightly and told her not to worry. And told myself that I should cherish these special moments with my daughter. This also taught me not to take lightly her emotions and fears, her thoughts and intellect. As a father, it is also my responsibility to help her have a better grasp of things around her.

"Resistance is Futile"

 "We Are the Borg. You Will be Assimilated. Resistance is Futile."

These are the words of the Borg as they threaten to assimilate any life form they encounter into their collective. They utter these words as a warning to anyone that they will be assimilated no matter what. Leading many to think that once you encounter them, surrender is the only logical choice.

But I would like to borrow the last sentence and use it in a different way: Change is inevitable. Resistance is futile.

Changes happen all the time: from the tiny cells and other matter that make up our bodies, to the events in our lives and all over the world. But a great majority of people don't like change. When we encounter a sudden change in our situation, or perhaps in our daily routine, we often feel irritated and show to others that we are. Because of this, we like to put ourselves inside a virtual life bubble. For as long as the bubble stands, life will be as comfortable as it can be. And we like to put others in the same bubble as well, especially our children.

In the concrete jungle that we live in, it's easy to think that putting our children in a bubble will be the best choice to protect them. This may be best for the short term, but in the long run, we are raising people fearful, if not totally resistant, to change. In time, when that bubble bursts, they will not be able to adjust well and be flexible enough to meet all the challenges in life head-on. Worse, if they are in a position to lead and address the needs of people, they will not be able to do so. They will become irrelevant to the very people whom they are leading and serving.

As parents, there is indeed a pressing need to protect our children from any harm. But we need not to over do it to the point of crippling our children before they can even run. Change is truly inevitable, resistance is futile.

Kids and Connections

How's your communication with anyone lately?

Humans are social creatures. We are in constant need to communicate and socialize with each other. Lately however, I've seen changes in how children are interacting with people - they're actually interacting less.

Just look around you when you're in a restaurant or even at your home. Kids from all ages are exposed to gadgets and they interact only with these devices with all focus. Parents today are too dependent on electronic devices to distract their kids and keep them calm and controlled during meals.

It's just so sad that we don't talk to our kids anymore. Kids at their age need to communicate and know how to make connections. If we want to help our kids to have a better future, then we have to talk to them and not let them spend more time on these devices.

I've seen posts and emails concerning a quote purportedly made by Albert Einstein entitled, "The day that Albert Einstein feared may have finally arrived". The quote states:

"I fear the day that technology will surpass our human interaction. The world will have a generation of idiots."

Whether it's made by Einstein or not, it has some truth to it. We have been warned, whether it's from a genius or from someone else.

- photo from EcoOpportunity

How to Train Your Child to Eat Any Food

"Kids are natural picky eaters..."

Or so they say. But I do believe that we can do something about it.

I recall a family tradition that we had when my sisters and I were growing up. Our greatest commandment, so to speak, on our dining table is "whatever food (particularly, any viand) is on the table, you have to eat it."

This has been a strict rule in our house and our grandmother and mother implemented this by cooking just one viand every meal. We only get to have a feast on special occasions and when we were invited to parties. This method has trained us to have a taste, if not eat entirely, any food and not be picky.

I have encountered many parents having difficulty feeding their children, to the point that some give up and feed the child with whatever the child likes. They give up because they fear that their child will lose weight and all, among other reasons. Please don't get me wrong, for I don't have any intentions to antagonize any parents, especially the many mothers who are hands-on in taking care of their children. My daughter likes chicken and rice, every time you ask her what she likes to eat, she will answer you with "chicken and rice." But we don't always feed her with chicken and rice.

Parents should know better, and children should not be the one dictating to their parents. Our method of discipline with our kids today have become child-centered. It's the parents who follow the whims of the children, and not the children following the wisdom and guidance of their parents.

Children are not natural picky eaters. But we allow them to be one.

- photo from In-Montgomery

Kids and their Values

Children will definitely have a different perspective on how they will value things.

Early this morning, I saw my daughter playing with an app on my wife's phone. As she was playing, I heard sounds that made me realize that she was "purchasing" things in the app using the game's virtual coins. She developed a habit of buying things that are not necessary or needed at that time, just so happens that she had accumulated a lot of coins through the in-app games.

Then, it dawned on me: She does not understand the real value of money yet, and this game distorts their minds about money in two ways. One, it leads them to think that once they have the money they can do whatever they want with it - to the point of using every single one of them in one sitting. And two, they can acquire money easily. The phrase "hard-earned money" doesn't ring a bell to them.

Because of today's technology, children will definitely have a different perspective on how they will value things. But not if we do something about it. As parents, we should not let the responsibility of teaching our kids things about life rest on the shoulders of technology. Sit down with your children and teach them the right stuff.

Also play with them, as much as you can.

- photo from Duke University