Let the children play!

Dear Joshua

Daddy loves it when you are having so much fun. I am blessed as daddy thinks its great for us to be crazy and be ourselves...

Daddy love to read on how to develop children's creativity. In one of his textbooks (Runco, 2007), a longitudinal research done to study parent's personality traits related to a child's creative potential.

Runco and Albert (1985) looked specifically at the relationship between parental
independence and the creativity of the children. Here independence
was defined as an attitude, and parents actually rated how much indepence was
appropriate for children in various situations.... Parental appreciation for the
autonomy of their children is related to the actual independence of the
children and to the creative and divergent thinking skills of the
children. The highly original children have parents who allow independence at an early age. Recall that independence is one of the most important traits of creativity in the personality research. Independence may take
many forms, including a tolerance of unconventional ideas and a tolerance of
seemingly unrealistic perceptions. I am referring here to the imaginary
friends and worlds that creative children sometimes construct. These may
challenge a parent, for they are unrealistic. (p. 56)

What does that say to us? In daddy's humble opinion, a child's creativity is unbounded when we let them be free with their imagination and appreicate them for how they may choose to express their own creativity. In that way a child at a young age learns to open see their world and construct what is creative to themelves.

Children have a right to PLAY ;~) Dance on Joshua!

References:

Runco, M. A. (2007). Creativity-Theories and themes: Research, development, and practice. San Diego, CA: Academic Press.

Runco, M. A., & Albert, R. S. (1985). The reliability and validity of ideational originality in the divergent thinking of academically gifted and nongifted children. Educational and Psychological Measurement, 45, 483-501.

A tribute to my parents" I am sorry" on Mother's day 08.

Dearest Daddy & Mommy,

I really love both of you. You are the world to me.

Pls don't cane me; I am really a good boy. I am doing my best, just like you have always taught me.

I cry because that is what I know best; I have known this since birth, and I am still learning to manage my many different emotions. They are hard to explain in words (in the first place, I don't know that many words), and my body feels funny and I don't know why. So pls don't ask me what's wrong; I don't know how to explain, 'cos I really don't know what is wrong. I only know pain, after I get canned.

Sometimes I don't understand why you get so upset with the emotions I am feeling but I cannot explain in words. Didn't you get those funny emotions when you were young?

I love Mommy so much! I can't bear to let her go every single time. I am afraid of what happens after she is gone. How would I know if she will be back for me? I cannot bear to let her go. Maybe I can learn to draw my emotions out, but I will still cry my heart out. How can I not love Mommy? I don't understand what it means by not being attached to Mommy. I know I will be a strong boy some day, but right now, I don't think I am ready...

I don't like to vomit, you know. It is yucky, makes my mouth sour. But when I cry really long and hard, my body does that to me & I can't help it. I hate it when my mouth feels yucky, and my body feels pain from the caning. Come to think of it, maybe that could be part of the reasons why I cry; I know that all this funny feelings are coming, and I just hate that part of the day, so I cry...

Daddy & Mommy, would you please give me some time? I will be ok some day, at my own time. Yes, I am a high need boy, but you know, many geniuses were also high need children. I think I will grow up to be a Sensitive New Age Guy (Aunty Carol told me that, but I don't understand what it means...).

I will miss my friends from school...but I love you both, and know that God will give you the wisdom to raise me up the way I should be.


Love,
Joshua

Raise children to become respectful, hardworking and compassionate

Dad is wondering how much truth there is in this presentation by Connie Podesta.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hDeHCh7dHD4

Dad believes that he would do all he can to make me and Joshua happy. However, Connie rationalised that it is a mistake to do things to fill happiness. Joshua at times would lament that he is bored. However, Connie shared that this cry of boredom could be dangerous. And she does make sense. Daddy would like you to share your views after watching this video. Do you agree/ disagree/ to what extent do you think its true?

Kids who eat well do well in school (My Paper, 16/4, pA19)

While I am happily still nestled in my mum's embrace for the best nutrition, dad is pondering what is the next best thing to start me off to eat right. I know gor gor still doesn't really eat vegetables and dad is quite sure, I need to get it right, from the start.

" Report noting the findings of a study in Nova Scotia, Canada, on the correlation between eating breakfast and performance in school.

Report noted that the study found that pupils who ate an adequate amount of fruit, vegetables, protein, fibre and other components of a healthy diet were significantly less likely to fail a literacy test. The study investigated 4,589 children in fifth grade participating in the Children’s Lifestyle and School-performance Study, 875 (19.1 per cent) of whom failed an elementary literacy assessment.

Report noted that the study found that the better a child’s eating habits based on several measures of diet quality, the less likely he or she was to have failed the test, even after the data were adjusted for the effects of parental income and education, school and gender. "

Teething problem

Last Sunday (6 April 08), daddy enrolled me into a baby competition in Braddell Height CC. I was not happy. First, I was recovering from the running nose that Josh spread the germs to me. I wish, at times, he would kiss me less. Anyway, I rarely smiled throughout the competition. Then, my two front teeth were about to come out and I was not te most excited about it. It wasn't the most exciting competition for me. Joshua has been rehearsing for the whole week practicing his "go, joanna go,...." We left the place with him asking, "so when can I start cheering for her..."

The Parenting Pyramid

I want to grow up in a family environment where I know I am loved, respected and empowered to be myself!

Josh and I look so alike!!!

Its scary... it seemed like I resemble Joshua so much, but I am the Venius-tian version! Daddy took this photo when he was only 4 months old.


We just took over all of daddy's baby fats! LOL