Lasting Gifts You Can Give Your Children

Are you doing the right thing for your child?

Sometimes all it takes is one wrong move and your child’s future is doomed!

This is one scary thought that has been playing in my mind like a broken track. Why is it that parents are burdened of what their children might become one day? Is it really the words we say, the actions we make and the lessons we share that mold our children to who and what they will be when they grow up?

When I was younger, I have always been proud of my roots. My parents were… well, should I say, not the softy type. We are basically not allowed to have low grades, not allowed to be friends with people with a reputation, not allowed to go out on gimmicks on a school day and not allowed to entertain boys, more so have a boyfriend until after college. When I was young, I couldn’t understand these things, but nonetheless, I followed (err… okay, maybe not the last bit about having a boyfriend after college). Some say that if my parents really care for me, it shouldn’t matter who I become friends with or if I fail some, they’d still love me for it. But now that I’m older, I guess I somehow understand that they did all that because they really do care for me.

All teenagers cannot and probably will not – ever – understand this during their teens. Blame the hormones for all I care. But when maturity kicks in and when you get to have your own kids, whose small and fragile little bodies you held when they still couldn’t, whose little chests you stare at all night just to check if they are breathing properly, whose small lips you always kiss whenever you had the opportunity, whose life is more precious than yours, I am sure they’d finally understand.

I love my son. He, for me is the smartest, cutest, lovable kid that ever lived! (Biased. I know. What mother isn’t?) And it scares the life out of me whenever I think of his future. If I could protect him until death I would, but I could only do so much.

As a first time mom, I had to ask a lot of people, preferably someone older like my mother of what and what not to do. I bought books that would teach me how to handle my child. Can you believe it? I am the mother, yet I am so helpless that I need to ask someonelse’s opinion to help me raise my child. Chico, my son, (that’s his nick name. I don’t know what my husband was thinking at the time, but I guess having a boy made us all too excited.) is now a year and 6 months old. I’m not kidding when I told you that he is smart. At his age, I’m surprised that he can now distinguish what an Ipad is! He can even “click” on which game app he wants to play. Kids now a days are really learning – fast! It seems to me that he is able to pick up and understand everything around him. This makes me worry a little more.

If he is able to acquire by himself everything around him, then maybe with just one wrong move his future might be doomed! I have to be extra careful and vigilant to ensure that he is protected.

Mother’s day of 2013 an officemate, who himself has a young daughter, gave me a book entitled Lasting Gifts You Can Give Your Children authored by Arun Gogna. I left it at the in-out tray on my desk because I had to do something urgent. Up until 2 days ago while cleaning up my desk, I saw it again. It’s a 130-page, paperback. I flipped over the pages and saw that the font is a bit big compared with the usual novels I read (maybe a Times New Roman 12). So, since I had the entire day with nothing else to do, I picked it up and started reading, little did I know, I was already at the last chapter.

The book is interesting. It’s funny, direct to the point and easy to understand. Any mother (or father) would appreciate it. I am thankful that someone gave me this book. If I were to browse the entire section of family books at the local bookstore, I would have stared at this book forever but I wouldn’t spend a minute to read its contents. The author, a father of two gorgeous children, a boy and a girl, wrote it with the main intention of sharing to his readers how he rears his children. He’s a speaker, an award winning author and… a full time dad. He knows what he’s talking about.

I got a lot of tips on how I should talk to my son. Not the way I should understand it, but the way my son should. He talks about how to encourage your children so that they’d grow up with self esteem. He tells something about how each parent should enjoy the attention their children seeks as these will eventually pass. Letting this magical opportunity slip away from your hands would result to regret when you are the one seeking your child’s attention. Here, your presence not presents as parents is one major factor that will dictate your child’s happiness in life. Your child loves playing, but you are wrong when you think that he loves playing with only his toys because he will love it more when he is playing it with you. He also shares what our roles are as parents. That we have three hats to wear, the Controlling Hat, the Coaching Hat and the Consultant Hat. These all play an important role in the lives of our children as they grow up and have their own families. Most importantly, the book tells us that as much as we want to keep our children safe from harm, we should remove the “bubble wrap” and let them fly. If we have done our part as loving and nurturing parents, we should not be afraid to remove our protective arms around our children. Yes, they may fall and commit mistakes at times, but with the strong foundation, trust and love that you nurtured all these years, he will stand up and spread his wings to fly.

The most fulfilling feeling in life is not to bear a child alone, but to make sure that the child that you brought into the world will succeed in all his endeavours with flying colors. When you leave this world, you will smile because you left a legacy.