Jumbo grew up!

I'm so glad this project's finished. Even though I researched a lot about being a parent, tips, challenges, solutions for dilemmas, it will never be compared to raising a real child. This project was challenging and I really don't want to ever do this again. It was a really great learning experience, but not so much fun.

Jumbo grew up from being this...

to this...

Ha ha ha...    =P

Being an only-child

My son is 19 years old and is now in college away from home. I was wondering if being an only child had its bad side effects, besides the good ones. And as I found more and more information on this topic, I realized there were many good things about being an only, but many bad things as well.

Teen Parenting

After leaving Jumbo at his party, I started wondering about teen parenting challenges and did a little research. And this is what I learned from it...

Most of the times teenagers get pregnant and become parents is because they want to find intimacy with someone. Boys and girls are able to reproduce when they start their puberty. Times vary for different people, but the sequence is always the same.

Challenges of being a teen parent include, but are not limited to: may have unrealistic expectations, become impatient, develop poor self-esteem, lack of determination, difficulty to keep up with the financial and social needs, poverty, neglect and abandonment, dropping out of school, and not getting a job.

One of the major problems in teenage parenting is child abuse and neglect, and poverty. Many children die because of child neglect. Child abuse usually happens in families that are living in poverty.

To help teenage parents raise their young children, there are several interventions that they can take. For example, there is pregnancy prevention (#1 intervention) parenting education, child care support systems, and many other things not included in this list, including help for welfare payments and social support.

Research shows that teenagers that have very strong, supportive people around them, providing them positive and constant feedback, and helpful advice are more likely to finish school, find jobs, and feel more confident in their parenting roles (Brooks-Gunn & Chase-Lansdale, 1991).

No matter in what program teen parents sign up to, the most important component to consider is that it assesses and treats the adolescent the best suitable way for the person.

In conclusion, as responsible and caring citizens, we should help those adolescents socialize, and offer the best supportive programs to help them succeed in their roles of parenting young children and growing as a young adult.

Party all night!

Jumbo is now 15 years old, a teenager basically. He has just been invited to a party yesterday and I told him today I would give him the answer. So today during lunch, he asked me about the party again.

"Yes. That's exactly what I wanted to talk to you about. You are 15 years now, Jumbo. You are responsible enough to distinguish what is wrong and what is right. You know that drinking any alcoholic drink is bad, having sex during this young age, tongue kissing, well, you know all these things are not right. I am letting you go, okay, but I will be picking you up at 10- 10:30pm. No later than that."

With no smile, no sad or mad face, just accepting the facts that I was telling him, he said, "Okay mom."

And tomorrow I will go leave him at the party. I think this decision makes me a flexible parent because I am letting my son socialize and find his identity during his adolescence and young adult period. This also makes me a responsible parent too because I am not letting him party all night (he has a curfew time) and I am also warning him about what he shouldn't do, which he clearly knows well.

Found $1 million!

Does this belong to anyone?

This Saturday, Jumbo and I were having some time off for his 10th birthday on the beaches of Cancun. While Jumbo was playing by a small hill of sand, he found a $1 million bill and yelled at me "Look mommy what I found! Look! Look!" waving the $1 million bill in the air. He came to where I was seating and said, "I found this small box in the sand and I found this 1 million dollar bill inside with this telephone number." As he handed me the bill and the paper with the phone number Jumbo asked, "What should we do, mom?" I thought for a moment.

The right thing to do is to call to this phone number and ask the person who answers if he/she has lost some money. "I think we should keep the money, mommy, that way we get more money and can buy ourselves a lot of things. What do you think?" I only thought 'what a naive child'. Of course, he's just a little kid and knows not too much. He's in the stage of pre-conventional morality - morality of self-interest and in which the actions are either to avoid punishment or gain rewards.

Because I knew better, I answered him, "No son, that would be called stealing. The right thing to do is to call this phone number and ask the person who answers if he or she has lost some money. Then, you ask how much money she or he lost and where did he or she lose it. If that persons gets those questions right, then the money is certainly theirs."

So we stood up and went to the nearest telephone booth and called... The result: the money belonged to the person we called.

TANTRUM!!!

"OH, EVIL WOLRD, SWALLOW ME NOW!"

That is what I thought when my kid was like this:

Yesterday, when Jumbo and I got back from Disneyland for his 8th birthday, I suffered as never before. As we were approaching the exit doors of the airport, we passed by the Cinnabon store and Jumbo's conscienceness didn't stop him from yelling, "Oh mommy, mommy! Can you please buy me cinnabon? Please, please, please..."

At that very moment, everyone around and in the store turned to stare at me. What was I going to do? Only this came to my mind: "Oh, evil world, swallow me now!" So I said to him, "Okay son, but first let's leave these bags somewhere safe so that we don't have to carry them all along until your father comes and picks us up." I think Jumbo saw that because many people were watching, he obeyed and followed me quietly until I found a place to rest the suitcases.

Once there, I told he should never do that in public. "Never ever" I repeated him. "If you want a cinnamon roll, pizza, ice cream, candy or anything else, you should ask me to my ear 'Mommy, can I please get some ice cream?' Then, I will think about it and choose whether or not I am going to let you have some. For this time only, Jumbo, I am going to let you have a 'cinnabon', but only for this time. Do you understand?"

"Yes mommy," he looked at me in a guilty face.

"I don't want you to repeat this again, okay. If you do so, I am certainly NOT going to buy you what you want." He hugged me, as if saying 'I'm sorry' and then I said in a happy mood, "Now, let's go buy you a cinnabon." And we walked happily holding hands to the Cinnabon store.

In the end, I think I did the right thing because, well, if I would have let him have his cinnamon roll right there and then without giving my speech, then he would still make tantrums in public just so that he receives what he wants. "Kids think differently than adults," says Jean Piaget, who created the belief of Cognitive Development, "but they can think logically because they are in the Concrete Operational Stage of Cognitive Development."

Lost puppy dog

Oh my! My kid lost his favorite puppy toy! What am I going to do?!? - Ha, ha, ha... you fell for it! ;-)
Jumbo didn't actually lost his puppy. That's what he thought had happened. But you can't imagine how loud he was crying and yelling and whimpering because he thought his little puppy had "gone forever."

I left him playing with his little puppy plush layed back on my bed while I was preparing dinner. He was very happy (and quiet) with his toy but all of a sudden I heard a large cry. I went to the room and saw him crying as a wild as possible and his puppy fallen in the floor.

Oh my... It's his puppy. Jumbo is still does not have object permanence yet. By this I mean that before babies get to this stage, they think whatever is out of sight is gone from the universe forever. So I picked Jumbo's puppy and gave it back to his arms. As soon as he saw and felt it again, he was happy and quiet as before.

Oh! I almost forgot! My cooking... some parts of the chicken I was cooking burned a little. But no worries, it was delicious. (I mean that unburned parts!)

School Fights

Today I received a phone call at work from the kindergarden teacher that Jumbo was fighting with another kid from his class. Apparentyl, it was over thier water bottles. Although this might sound a silly thing, it can never be ignored. So when I picked up Jumbo from school, in the way home, I asked him how was his day at school and what did he do. Thank God he confessed the fight and talked about it with me!

I made him understand that fighting is bad and will never solve things. So in the end, Jumbo was sorry about fighting with his classmate. It went something like this...

I asked him, "What do you think should be the right thing to do, Jumbo?"

After a while of thought, he said, "Umm... talk it out...?"

"Right," I answered. "You should stay calm and relaxed when saying the other person that you don't llike what he or she is doing to you. What else should you say?"

"Please stop?"

"Yes, but other than that, what else should you say - as a very respectful person?" Watching him from the rear view mirror, I saw he looked puzzled. "You should say, 'I'm sorry if I hurt you in any way. Do you forgive me?" because maybe, just maybe, the other person feels you, unintentionally, hurt him or her. So just in case he or she feels that way you say --"

"'I'm sorry.'"

"Good, you've learned! Now let's review again: what should you do when someone's bothering you?"

"Stay relaxed... talk it out... and say 'I'm sorry'."

"Yes!"

Once we got home, we ate lunch and he started his homework. I am glad he learned how to deal with fights today. I saw how he accommodated this new lesson to his current schemas (concept or framework used to understand and interpret information) of the world.

1st Day of School

My little Jumbo went to his first day of school today in the morning. I could sense he was a little excited, nervous, and scared at the same time. I based all this week's and last week's conservations with him on the few research I did to deal with preschool separation anxiety.

I tried to keep everything the same these last two weeks, so that when the major change of getting up early, changing into a uniform, and going to school doesn't attack my son that big and make the transition easier.

Last Friday we made a field trip to the school so that he gets to know the school building, the teachers, playroom, and where the bathroom is located. It was hard for me to not ask Jumbo how he felt and was he worried about being away from me. I know I couldn't ask him that, so instead I encouraged him more to like school by saying he'll meet friends, learn new stuff, play and work together with other people.

Yesterday, I was planning everything I was going to do today, from getting up to leaving my child with the teacher. I planned it all in my head. So today, leaving Jumbo in his classroom, I remained calm and positive, I hugged him, told him I loved him and the exact time I will return, left him. I don't know what his reactions were after I left the room, but I'm pretty sure the teacher handled it.

To end this, when time comes for me to pick him up, I will be there 15 minutes earlier so that he makes sure that I will always be waiting for him. This is really important for him because children of this age are in the stage of Autonomy vs. Shame and Guilt of Psychological Development. This means that the child will be able do certain things by himself (autonomy) or feel guilty, ashamed, and inferior to others because he can't be independent from his mother.

Potty Training!

Potty training time came! My little egg is now 18 months old and I should start preparing myself how will I teach him how to go to the bathroom by himself. That's why I have chosen my aunt Kate, a former kidergarden teacher, to advise me on this procedure. I asked her how and what did she do to teach children how to go to the bathroom by themselves.

First, my aunt Kate told me that children must be physically mature to hold their bladder/bowel movements. She said most parents start to toilet train their children when they're around 2 years old, during their pre-operational stage (according to Piaget's Stages of Cognitive Development). Aunt Kate explained me everything step by step, so that when the time comes for me, I know exactly what to do. And that time came... soon.

Jumbo and I were in the house last Sunday afternoon: he was playing in his room and I was outside talking with a friend. He came running outside yelling, "I want to go to the bathroom! I want to go to the bathroom!" I stared at him, surprised, and then said, "Okay, hold it. Let's go." Standing up and walking towards the bathroom, I was replaying my aunt Kate's procedure on how to go to the bathroom.

First, I asked him, "Do you want to do pee or poop?" signaling the parts where pee and poop come from. He looked as if thinking, so I repeated myself.

"Poop," he said.

"Okay, first lower shorts and sit down in your potty," I said showing him what he needed to do. "Now, push so that poop can come out. Did it come out?" He nodded. "All of it?" He nodded again. "Then, when you feel all the poop has gone out, you grab this toilet paper and you fold it 3 times around your hand," showing him how to fold the paper. "Now wipe your buttocks with it," and I gave him the folded toilet paper. After he wiped his buttocks with it, I told him, "Now do the same thing I did for the paper - fold it 3 times in your hand and then wipe yourself again." As I was saying this, Jumbo was folding the paper. "Repeat cleaning yourself until you see that the toilet paper comes out white after you clean yourself. Check to see if the paper is clean now." Jumbo checked and saw the paper wasn't white. "Continue cleaning yourself then." He continued until he finally saw that the paper came out white. "Now, flush the toilet, wash your hands, and let's put some underwear to you!" I said in a good mood. We did so and in the end, I think we did a great job. Even though there might be accidents, I should always remember to stay calm and think 'it's okay'.

Potty Training - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G29_mKNZrZY
How to Potty Train a Toddler - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1bAKUxFtoWY

Bathing Jumbo

How do you do? Are you having a bad day? I'll make it better. Your having a good day? I'll make it even better. This is a funny story that happened when I was bathing Jumbo today. I know you'll like it, so read along.

I was in the bath room tub with him. Jumbo was having fun with the bubbles, toys, and stuff. Jumbo was making his little yellow ducks go down and up in the water and was making small noises. I told him, "Jumbo, it's time to go out of the bath tub." He obeyed, but submerged into the bubbly water for one last time. When he rose his head up again, his face looked somehow like this:

Just wanted you to have a laugh! :-D

I guess he did this because he wants to explore the world more, and he can only do this through his senses - by touching, grasping, and shaking things with his little hands. This is called the sensorimotor stage precisely because of that. It begins at birth and lasts until the child is 2 years old.

I want to sleep now

Oh my! I can't do this any longer! Waking up every 4 hours is really hard and almost impossible. I don't know how other parents are dealing with their children, really.

I now see that it's really hard being a parent, especially during the first year. I am still going to school (that's enough work already) and then Jumbo came along... double the work. I hope he starts to learn how to control his bladder shortly. I'm just glad this waking-up-every-4-hours ended (I guess). Now, I'll go take a rest, because I haven't slept enough... and you know why.

(Yawn) Woke me up (6)

He's done it again and I have to change him. I wish he'd be one of those children who are so tranquil and let their parents sleep through the night. Now, back to bed... zzzz

Feeding Time! (5)

It's feeding time again! Can you imagine? Is he so hungry after taking a whole bottle of milk already?

Feeding Time! (4)

It's feeding time again and Jumbo drank a whole bottle of milk!

Poop... Again?!?!!! (3)

Changing time (again) and this one's stinky!  =(

Diaper Change (2)

It's changing time now!

Jumbo woke me up (1)

It's feeding time!

Baby Nursery

Now's the time to make up my baby's room and create a great baby nursery for my little baby, Jumbo. So basically, this is what I need for the baby's first year (take note that more will be needed for the following years for its food, clothing, toys, and personal desires):

• feeding, clothing, medicine/first aid, toys/books/media, infant car seat, basic stroller, front carrier, diapering, diaper bag, play mat, crib & crib mattress, changing table, mobile, dresser, bathing tub, diaper pail, baby scrapbook, photo printing
• Sub-Total Cost: $5,306

EIS schooling (these are payments for the 15 years at school, taking note that the child will hopefully get a scholarship for college and then live on its own expence):

• $5000(admission), $200(enrollment fee), $9750(pre-school), $22,000(elementary & middle school), $14,000(high school)
• Sub-Total Cost: $50,950

Total Cost for Raising a Child = $56,256

I have to keep in mind that when I create Jumbo's nursery, I must have complex patterns in his toys and room. It's recommended that in the first years of my baby, I should talk to him in high pitch voices, touch him a lot -but letting him time for practice walking- and give him a few sweets once in a while, especially bananas. Another thing that I should be very aware of is not to push Jumbo into doing things if he is not in its critical period -best time for a baby to achieve something- and is not mentally and physically ready for it.

Remembering...

Hello again! I just put Jumbo to sleep, and that's a miracle! Meanwhile, I was remembering the time when I was 5 months old pregnant of him at my doctor's check-up. The doctor did what he needed to do, and all was fine he had said. The doctor told me, "Everything is looking good until now. You have taken care of yourself really well, since the beginning until now that you are in the fetus stage."

"What's that?" I asked him.

"The fetus stage is one of the prenatal development phases of a baby before it is born. There are three stages: the zygote, embyro, and fetus stages. When the sperm fertilizes the egg, it's called a zygote. About 10 days after conception, the zygote attaches to the uterine wall and the outer part of it is called the placenta, where nutrients come in to feed it. It's until 2 weeks later that this zygote turns into an embryo and the heart begins to beat and other organs develop as well. This stage lasts about 6 weeks. The last stage stage is--"

"Is the fetus stage," I interrupted him.

"Right. By then, it looks like a human alien. And after about 6 months, the stomach, brain, and all the other organs have developed. A women can have birth to her baby by this time. But it's always safer to wait until 9 months have passed."

"Wow. That's really interesting. Thanks for letting me know. Thanks for the check-up, bye-bye!"

That conversation had been really helpful. I had a blurry idea of what fetus meant then, but after the doctor told me this information, it stayed in my head and I have no doubts about what it means anymore.

Raising a Child

I want to propose myself to raise a great child, with character and with love. I want to tell you that I will try to be the best parent as possible - from now to his infancy, from childhood to adolescence - I will not stop loving this child no matter what. One thing that I will always keep in mind is to take care and give love to this child of mine, no matter what. Everybody needs love and attention and... I really want Jumbo to be able to talk to me about his school life whenever he needs me. I will also show & teach him from the very beginning what things are wrong and what things are right. But for that, I'll have to be a really good example for him. I know I have a trillion mistakes, but whenever I make one, I'll tell him, "Even though mom does this, you shouldn't do it Jumbo. I make mistakes too and what I am doing is not right." I hope he understands that. :-)

La, la, la, la... I'm not listening to you.

I'll use both my ears and my one mouth for the use God gave them to humans: first hear, then talk. I'll give Jumbo both my ears, listen to him, and take him very seriously. Whenever I punish him, I'll do it with love. (Maybe this won't work because all kids hate being punished after all and they don't understand that we, parents, do it because we love them.)

Other important things I shouldn't forget (because I was like this as a teen) are:

• Everything on the plate is to be eaten!
• Keep yourself and your belongings clean and organized!
• Strict bed time is at 10pm!
• Strictly finish your homework and then play!

And all these goals I've set myself are not to be done alone, but with God's help. We will read each day's lectures and pray before eating a meal and doing any task at home, school, or work.

My Newborn Egg!

Hello! I'm a happy [single] mom of a baby egg. He was just born today! (He's staying at the hospital for tonight.) Here are the details of his birth certificate:

It's a baby boy egg!

Your Baby Egg's Name is Jumbo

He was born on April 6, 2010 at 7:20 am

in the Eggs' Hospital in the city of Egg Town

His weight is 7 lb. and 11 oz.

Health: very healthy indeed

Egg ID Number: 0501-2010-0871EGG (0871344)

Born to live a long life!