generation gap

Generations: The 3rd Pinoy Parenting Blog Carnival

When I was young, there were things that me and my parents did not agree about and promised to myself that when I have children of my own, I will do things differently. Now a parent myself, there are things that I realize my parents were right about and sometimes I even do not realize it, but I am raising my child the way my parents raised me.
One of the things that I would definitely follow is not to spank my child to discipline him. I was never ever spanked. My mom would talk to me, explain things to me but they never laid a hand on us. I do not believe that spanking would help to raise a more disciplined child. Now on Joaqui, even at his young age, I try to always explain the consequences of his wrong actions. Sometimes we would have our "kwentuhans" before bedtime, and through this "kwentuhans" with my son that I try to instill good values on him. Of course, being a good example is the best way to teach children. Another thing that I would follow, as my parents did, is to be open to my children. My parents always communicate with us, so that they know if something is bothering us. They also know who our friends are, who we go out with and takes the time to know us better as individuals. I like this about my parents, especially my mom, who until now I share my thoughts with.

I grew up with my mom working, so I was taken cared of by yayas. I admire my mom for being hardworking and trying to balance her work and family responsibilities, but I also wanted her to be at home, especially when I come back from school. Because of this, I wanted to be a stay-at-home mom. This was difficult for me at first, but then I strived hard and made sacrifices to be always there for my family. Doing things differently, I made a choice to be a work-at-home mom.
Even though that there is a generation gap, there is still a lot that we can learn from our parents, and these are valuable lessons in life that made me the person and the parent I am now.