Being a parent back in the day was totally different and more complicated compared to being one today. Thus, there are some things that are not applicable to my children even if age-old tales tell me that they were effective parenting techniques in the past. For example, allowing kids to speak out their mind freely was not a common practice before. In my time, we practiced maximum restraint in speaking with elders. No raising of voices, you should be talking only when asked, etc.etc. Today, kids are more open and it is much easier for them to express themselves that without proper guidance, would lead to disrespecting other people or persons of authority like their own parents and teachers.
Of course values remain the same. Teaching kids the true meaning of respect, love and peace will never go out of style.
Today, with the onset of digital revolution, responsible parenthood is indeed crucial. Whether we like it or not, teenagers nowadays have become ‘smartphone natives‘, they always cling to their phones and computers like second skin. You’re lucky if you’re able to talk with them for 1 minute straight because they have short attention span. This is the reason why parents must be proactive in dealing with their children. Gone are the days when parents must be overly strict and authoritative, imposing stern rules. I truly believe in being great friends with your kids so they don’t have to share their problems to others first. Love and kindness goes a long way, however, don’t forget to set limits and boundaries for them to follow, properly explaining the pros and cons of things.
Indeed, moms and dads need to join hands and pool their sincere efforts in raising their children to be God-fearing, law-abiding citizens of the community.
Parenting is one gargantuan task. It is NEVER easy but the joys of parenthood are priceless.
PS. I have made a short clip on things we need to remember for our parenting journey.. hope you could relate to this moms and dads! 🙂
THOUGHTS ON PARENTING
- Strengthen connection with your children – strong WIFI connection is good but strong family bond is GOLD!
- Delay use of social media as much as possible
- Delay use of smartphones as much as possible
- Don’t be afraid to set limits (e.g wifi access) – don’t be intimated by your own child.
- Be a model with healthy habits – Do what you preach!
- Monitor how each your child responds to the digital age
- As a family, spend more time together for dinners, car rides, vacations and other simple but fun activities!
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#makeITsafePH campaign
Hootsuite, a US-based social media management platform, has released its “Digital in 2018” report of social media and digital trends around the world. The report revealed that the Philippines now has 67 million Internet users, with all of them active on social media. This widespread use of the internet gives rise to the emergence of internet-related crimes such as rape, theft, bullying and piracy which made the public, especially the youth, very vulnerable.
Because of this, Globe Telecom, being a purveyor of digital lifestyle, came out with the #makeITsafePH cybersecurity and cyberwellness campaign to educate consumers about online threats and what they can do to avoid becoming a victim. The campaign also teaches the public proper online etiquette so that they would not become a source of such deplorable behavior.
