Children Want Mums (or Moms, if you are on the other side of the ocean)…

This is a double whammy post… i’m hesitant to write such posts because i don’t want one point to have more emphasis over the other. But i think these 2 work well together.

Not too long ago i read a very very encouraging article written from the heart of one mummy to all the mummies out there (by April Perry).  Her opening lines got me right in the gut…

“There’s this crazy phenomenon going on right now. Good, devoted mothers get on Pinterest . . . and blogs . . . and Facebook . . . and Twitter . . . and then they flip through parenting magazines and TV channels (full of advertisements and media hype) . . . and they’re convinced they’re not enough.”

Do you feel that way… sometimes? i certainly do… many many many times and sometimes i take it very hard and other times i can talk myself out of this trap. Yes it is a trap because… this is what April says of her own mother (which i believe to be true of most mothers):

“My mother didn’t specialize in home decor or gourmet cooking, and she didn’t lift weights or run marathons. But she makes me feel like I am the most important, wonderful person ever born. If I could pick any mother in the whole world, it would be my mom.”

i would pick my own mummy too – my mummy who is neat and tidy and a great cook, who loves us to bits and pieces and gave up so very much to give us everything she could, who is always always there for us in her quiet ways. i hope i am such a mummy to my little guy too.

The whole point of the article is this:

“Can we remind each other that it is our uniqueness and love that our children long for? It is our voices. Our smiles. Our jiggly tummies. Of course we want to learn, improve, exercise, cook better, make our homes lovelier, and provide beautiful experiences for our children, but at the end of the day, our children don’t want a discouraged, stressed-out mom who is wishing she were someone else.”

So let’s encourage each other that we are the best mummy for our children, just the way we are.

Here’s the whole article:  Your Children Want YOU! | The Power of Moms.

Now i want you to hold that image of a mum who loves her children, who cares for her children, who tries her best to give the best to her children… got that in mind?

Now meet Samantha and Kristina:

Little 7-year-old Kristina waits for a family to come for her.
8-year-old Samantha needs a family to help her along in life.

Aren’t they lovely little girls?

They don’t want a mummy – they NEED a Mummy to come and love them, hug them, do their hair, and make them the most important persons in a Mummy’s life. They have had so very little in life. And they have been transferred to an institution which means unless they get adopted, they will likely live the rest of their lives behind those four walls and never know the love and support of caring family.

Samantha (8 years old) has brown hair and stunning green eyes. She has Microcephaly which has resulted in mental retardation. She is physically capable, is a friendly and affectionate girl. She would do well in family environment.  Her medical report also states a high likelihood of fetal alcohol syndrome.

Her younger sister Kristina (7 years old) is cognitively delayed but physically capable. She is said to be helpful and friendly.

These girls would only be able to reach their full potential if in a supportive, loving family. Please do pray for them, for their daily needs and most importantly for a family to come and give them a caring home.

They have a very small amount in their adoption grant (click on their names or pictures to go to their profile page on Reece’s Rainbow). They would get more notice with a sizeable grant like US$2500. Please consider donating to their grant. This will also help the family who comes for them to reach them faster.

Have you ever thought about growing your family? Would you consider adoption? If yes, then do consider the possibility to adding Samantha and Kristina to your family.

Should you donate to Samantha’s and Kristina’s grant, do leave a comment so i can send you a personal thank you. Or if you decide to pray for them regularly, you can join us at RR Official Prayer Warriors FB page. And if you are considering adoption, click here for more information.

Thank You.

syc

No TV = Good, Computer Games = Bad…

Is parenting really all that simple?

Or maybe the question to ask is: Should parenting really be all that complex; with all these eternal arguments about exactly how many minutes of television programming our kids should watch and exactly which programmes are appropriate?

i’m not saying that all these concerns are not valid. Yes they are very valid issues which parents should deal with. However, it is not the end all and be all of raising a child. You are not a failure is you let your child watch an hour of cartoons while his friend is only watching 20 minutes. Your child will not become instantly hyperactive from an extra 15 minuntes on computer games. You have not let the next generation down if you do not insist on extra reading time every other day. Children will not fall to pieces if you yell at them once in a while when there is a need to.

To me, parenting is a very individual thing; what works for you and your child may not work for your best friend and his/her child. Which is why i really like what Flappiness has to say:

Here’s what we know for certain about raising children:

1. They need to know they are loved and valued.

2. They need to be protected from illness and harm.

3. They need clothing, nourishing food, and shelter.

4. They need an appropriate education.

5. They need opportunities to play and safely explore their world.

That’s about it. It doesn’t matter what race, religion, or tribe you hail from, this is what you need to grow into a healthy, well-adjusted adult. And I just want to take a moment to say to all of the parents out there whose children are receiving these five basic things: You are a good mom. You are a good dad. Your children are who they were meant to be all along. You’re doing a good job — not matter who is suggesting otherwise.

Flappiness is a mum to a NT (NeuroTypical) child and an Autistic child, she writes from her heart and she writes honestly and beautifully. Click here to read the full post.

This 7-year-old cutie needs a family… could that be you?

Now i want you to hold that thought about giving your child all those 5 essentials in your head, at the same time, look at this picture of this sweetheart, Brent. Isn’t he just a cutie?

Keep holding on to those 5 basic things: Love, Protection, Nourishment, Education, Opportunity…

Brent has not all the basic things a child needs to grow up strong, healthy and well-adjusted. He does not have the love of a mummy or daddy. He does not know that there is a single person who truly, deeply cares for him (i’m sure the staff at the orphanage do care but they are stretched thin at best). His protection from illnesses are at a minimum, if there is any at all. He has serious need of good medical care. He is fed what the orphanage can afford, which i’m told isn’t much at all. He can only dream of an education and without an education, without someone to believe in him and champion for him, there are no opportunities for him.

There are people who do care for him (just look at his adoption grant – an amazing US$10209.35) and we do pray very hard and give where we can. However, what he truly needs is a family, a family to love him, to care for him, to show him life can be so much more. Please do pray for Brent. Please do share his story, advocate for him so that his forever family can find him. Of course, if you can help his adoption grant grow further, please do that too.

To read more details from his profile on Reece’s Rainbow, please click here.

Praying that every child can have these 5 fundamentals in life.

syc

Happy Father’s Day… a day late…

i can’t believe i missed posting on Father’s Day! i, the gal who has always felt and known what an important role a father plays in a child’s life and growing up years, didn’t forget that it was Father’s Day yesterday. But somehow my brain didn’t make to connection to posting about it here.

Oh my, i just took a long back at past years and realised i have always posted late for Father’s Day – how terrible! (See here and here.) Here’s to making up for it:

My Tributes

My father is very important to me.
He is my champion, my hero.
The one who always cheers me on.
i am who i am because my father is who he is and he loves me so very much.
My need to protect my loved ones comes from my father who was and still is very protective of me.
i laugh a lot because my father is always cracking jokes and bringing laughter into our lives.
i love life and dare to live it because my father is my example.
My father is very important to me.

I LOVE YOU DADDY!

Loving time with Daddy!

To my husband, the father of my son, the one who can fix all things
(not everything in the whole wide world, just everything in my son’s & mine). 
The father of my son, the one who is the strength of this family. 
My son’s father, the one who loves in his silent and practical ways. 
My husband, the father my son looks up to and eagerly awaits his return home each day.
My son loves his father so much, it’s fun to watch the two of them together.
Together, father and son, sharing interest and laughter.
My husband, the best father my son can have.

DADDY WE LOVE YOU!

syc