I love this Time Magazine (online) article aptly written by Rachel Simmons, co-founder of Girls Leadership Institute and the author of the New York Times bestsellers Odd Girl Out: The Hidden Culture of Aggression in Girls and The Curse of the Good Girl: Raising Authentic Girls with Courage and Confidence. I read it like three times! LOL!

Even her article’s sub-title is an awesome slogan: “Here’s why being on your phone doesn’t make you a bad parent.”

She writes that a lot of journalists and would-be parenting experts are asking parents to stop using their phones in front of their kids. “They say it makes kids feel less loved, and teaches the wrong lessons about how to use devices.” Her answer? “No. Noooooo. Noooooooooooooooo.” Hahaha!

Simmons says parenting can be boring, like when you’re pushing a stroller the entire morning which is similar to watching paint dry. “Hell yes I’m going to be on my phone.”

Another quip is not to make her daughter the center of her attention the entire day. “My daughter’s name is Estee, not Lady Mary, and I am not her valet, at her beck and call.”

Other reasons Simmons writes in her article are titles “My kid could use some space” and “I have a job.” In the end, it’s a matter of balancing the act and the practicalities of using your phone and parenting. “Instead of telling me everything I’m doing wrong as a mom, it’d be nice if someone cut me a break and told me what I’m doing right. It’s enough to make you want to find a volleyball for company.” – You have to read her article to understand what the volleyball is all about.

Source: Not Without My Smartphone: The Case for Somewhat Distracted Parenting by Rachel Simmons via Time.com.

Photo by futurestreet at Flickr.com.

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While it made a popular Rick Springfield song in the ’80s, “Don’t talk to strangers” is way too broad of a statement. I’ve actually never said this to my children in so many words. It certainly doesn’t fit my detail-driven personality or my parenting style.

Here’s just a few of the problems I have with this statement. How do we define a stranger? Is a fireman we don’t know on a first-name basis a stranger? Is the lady who delivers our mail each day a stranger? We may not know her by name either, but she’s a welcome sight to us each day. Often times, she will hand the mail directly to my 5-year-old son, as I watch the entire exchange to ensure he doesn’t get too close to the curb or drop a pile of unwanted bills in a puddle. The ritual gives him self-confidence, allowing him to help with a chore while also learning to look an adult in the eye.

Interacting with unfamiliar people is something children need to learn or they may eventually become socially awkward adults. There’s really no way to teach children how to make casual, small talk in a grocery store check-out line. Perhaps when a child answers a store clerk’s question that could be a start.

So what do I tell my children?

Find out more from Julia Sherwin, the host of “Perspectives on Parenting with Julia Sherwin.”

Photo from pixabay.com.

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The Philippine Daily Inquirer is going to hold an advanced workshop in effective writing entitled “Write with Impact – The Inquirer Way.” This is only open for teens entering college or those who are at college age.

Seminar fee is P6,000 for three whole days, slated on May 21-23, 2014, from 9:00am up to 5:00pm at the Mind Museum in Bonifacio Global City, Taguig City. The seminar fee includes meals and workshop materials.

For inquiries, please call Binaca Kasilag at (02) 897-8808 local 352 or e-mail her at bkasilag@inquirer.com.ph.

See poster for more details.

Image copied from @inquirerdotnet

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John Kiernan of the Wallet Hub recently posted a study about women in the American workplace which comprises about half of the employed people. It is not just about equal pay but equal work as well. U.S. President Obama once quipped, “She deserves to have a baby without sacrificing her job. A mother deserves a day off to care for a sick child or sick parent without running into hardship – and you know what, a father does, too.”

So, WalletHub analyzed state and local dynamics across nine metrics in order to identify the Best & Worst States for Working Moms. Their findings include New York as having the best day care system but has one of the highest child care costs, Alabama having the fourth lowest child care costs but ranks high in the worst day care system, and with a conclusion that the Blue States are more friendly to working moms than Red States.

Curious? Just click on and read WalletHub’s entire report at wallethub.com.

photo from wikimedia.org

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Pope Francis addressed 100,000 people at St. Peter’s Square in the Vatican last October 26, 2013 during the Year of Faith celebration of family life. “A Catholic wedding is not simply a beautiful ceremony; through the sacrament of marriage a couple receives from God the grace they will need to fulfill their mission in the world,” Pope Francis said.

Catholic-San Francisco wrote that vowing to love one another in sickness and health, joy and sorrow all the days of their lives, Catholic couples put their lives in the hands of God and rely on him for strength.

The faithful who attended the celebration, from children to grandparents, were invited by Pope Francis to speak to him and the crowd, to share the story of their family lives. “The sacraments are not decorations in life; the sacrament of marriage is not just a pretty ceremony. Christians celebrate the sacrament of marriage because they know they need it,” added Pope Francis.

Read more at Catholic-San Francisco, the official newspaper of the Archdiocese of San Francisco.

Photo from wikimedia.org

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Singaporean  Daniel Wong writes through the work he has done with thousands of students and parents, he has come across a lot of angry, bitter children and their loving but confused parents. “As a parent, sometimes love isn’t enough.”

“Just to be clear, this article is about parenting from a child’s perspective, which is my area of expertise given that I’ve worked with many youths,” he adds. Parenting can mostly be summed up by two traits: unconditional acceptance of their children and expectations of excellence of their children.

Read more about these traits and the various categories a parent goes through in parent at Yahoo! Singapore.

Photo from source.

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“I have said it before and I will say it again — and again; parenting is hard,” says Northumberland guest columnist Leisse Wilcox. “There are times we high-five our sweethearts and smugly boast about how great we are at this.

Then, there are the other times.” Wilcox continues that those are the times when it is most important to steal away for a “sweetheart getaway,” a night away for you and your honey to go and be a couple again. In these getaway events, she offers three rules so that you get back on the horizon to put it all in perspective.

Read more at Northumberland News.

Photo by scottsnyde at rgbstock.com

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The panel of judges who selected the winning families in the country

Jollibee through its flagship product Chickenjoy launched in August its Jollibee Family Values Awards in honor of Filipino families whose strong and joyful ties help and inspire their communities in unique ways. “These are the families whose exceptional bonds enrich not just their own lives but also that of their respective communities. Through their examples and collective deeds while embodying respect, optimism and generosity, they show the many joys that close family ties bring and how these positively affect society,” shares Albert Cuadrante, Jollibee VP for Marketing.

Recently, Jollibee awarded the winning families during the Gabi ng Parangal para sa Pamilyang Pilipino held at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Ortigas. “It was a nationwide search and we invited everyone to join as a family or nominate other fun and outstanding families who have touched their lives and their community one way or another.” Out of 1,400 entries, the list was shortened down to 25 families until the panel of judges came up with the 5 families.

The judges were comprised of TV/radio personalities Julius Babao and Christine Bersola-Babao, Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Undersecretary Alicia Bala, parenting columnist Cathy Babao-Guballa, Center for Family Ministries Director Fr. Allan Abuan, Jollibee vice president for Marketing Albert Cuadrante, Jollibee vice president for human resources Theresa Jotie and Jollibee marketing manager Kent Mariano.

Five winning families from Mega Manila, Northern Luzon, Southern Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao will each get P100,000 in cash (tax-free), a trophy specially designed by Michael Cacnio, and P10,000 worth of Jollibee Gift Certificates. The families were judged based on the following criteria: family values (40%), impact outside the family (40%), degree of participation of the family (10%) and uniqueness of story (10%). Of the shortlist of 25 families, everyone was personally interviewed and were required to submit supporting documents.

Named most outstanding families were: Ireneo and Flordeliza Depleo and family from Sta. Maria Bulacan (North Luzon); Emmanuel and Mila Mercado and family from Quezon City (Mega Manila); Edonis and Christine Francisco from Lucena City (South Luzon); Ernesto and Remedios Suplido and family from Silay City (Visayas); and Rey and Marjorie Cartojano from General Santos City (Mindanao).

Sources: Manila Standard Today | Jollibee Buzz Room

Photo by Jollibee

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Hugh Jackman horses around with his kids at Bondi Beach in Sydney, Australia

The 43-year-old Hollywood celebrity icon of the X-Men fame admits that his family usually picks his movie role. Though fame and fortune usually conflicts with parenthood, he and his wife Deb always try never to be apart from their children more than two weeks, regardless if Jackman needs to fly long-haul flights or long drives. He says that he discovered a wonderful ability to carry on for months without sleep while being with his kids on and off the set.

Jackman started his career in an Australian TV called Correlli and from then on went to become the famous Wolverine in the X-Men movie series, Kate and Leopold where he was nominated a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor, Van Helsing and the recent box-office hit Real Steel, to name a few.

The Australian-born Jackman met his Australian wife Deborra-Lee Furness in an Australian TV show and has been married to her for 15 years. After two miscarriages, the couple decided to adopt two children, son Oscar (born 2000) and daughter Ava (born 2005). Furness is also an actress but devotes more of her time to causes and organizations like The Rafiki Society in Vancouver which she co-founded, National Adoption Awareness Week in Australia, the Lighthouse Foundation for displaced children in Melbourne Australia, and many others.

Sources: Daily Record | Wikipedia 1, 2

Photo by hollywoodkids at Flickr.com

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