God is Good: Catechism for Young Kids this Quarantine

Deprived of proper socialization outdoors, my kids and I resort to watching kids play in vast playgrounds on Youtube.  We watch them enjoy and run freely.

We also rely on Youtube for online masses and religion lessons. We opt for videos that show other kids praying, singing, dancing, coloring and doing good deeds.  Since they are visual and kinesthetic learners, this is how I introduce gradually the Four Pillars of the Catholic Church.

The pillars are defined by the Catechism of the Church. Catholics should be formed in all four of these areas, both in knowledge and in experience. The Four Pillars are:

1. Creed - the beliefs of the Catholic Faith

2. Mass/Sacraments - how we worship

3. Christian Prayer - through prayer we grow in our relationship with God

4. Christian Living -  we are called to respect life and human dignity, and to work for justice and solidarity.

My 5 year old sometimes question: 

1. "Could God really hear prayers? Will candles make Him notice my prayer better?"  

2. "Is Jesus really in the mass? If He still exists why can't He talk to me like how He talked to Moses or Noah?"

3. "Isn't it scary and gross if you would eat Jesus' body? Won't that be ouchie for Jesus?" 

4. "Why does God allow some people to die alone? Don't you think that's unfair?" 

5. "Why do my pets die? Will they become God's angels too?"

Here are some of the things I make them watch online as a substitute for Sunday school/ religion class. These actually help me explain some of the concepts more conveniently:

1. Catholic Sunday Mass with Children (Archdiocese of Singapore)

Leji enjoys a bit of dancing and singing before the mass.  She likes the introduction to saints and the beatitudes.  They have a bit of role playing too & artwork sharing.  My daughter feels like she has a lot of classmates whenever we watch this.

2. Kids at Mass Online (Lourdes, Toronto)

Leji enjoys the games & colorful cartoons brought about by the multi-cultural catechists of Our Lady of Lourdes in Canada.  Sometimes she likes Kelvyne's (the host) explanation better than the priest's homily.

3. Children's Liturgy of the Word

Heidi Witte from the US aims to build "spiritual muscles" and briefly explains the ten mass parts with songs and stories.  She has just started her channel last March. She has a gentle soothing voice; my kids like her style.  She's fond of utilizing mosaic art while walking through the mass.  It's like having a friend as your teacher.

4. Superbook

Our classic TV fave is now on Youtube HD!  Sometimes we watch the 80s/90s versions too just so I could reminisce (Yeah Leji indulges me every now and then haha).  It practically applies gospel story lessons in Joy & Chris' daily lives so that the kids could relate better to the message.  Most of the time, I search for the story in the gospel or in one of the readings so that it's in sync with the mass. 

5. Kid's Mass (St. Benedict Catholic Church)

We can't travel; so watching mass from different continents help ease the longing for travel and pilgrimage.  The kids' attention span is quite limited though; we try to limit distractions but oftentimes we watch the mass in parts (like a series on Netflix).

6. Message in a Bottle by Fr. Joshan Rodrigues (Archdiocese of Bombay)

Fr. Joshan from India animatedly suggests activities that are reminiscent of a school recollection/retreat. We like their colorful cartoons too.

7. Stories of Saints

Kids need special heroes & heroines to look up to.  Probably this year we could celebrate All Saints' Day at home with a mini dress up party.  Watching short cartoons is a fun way to introduce them to iconic servants of our faith.

To encourage them to pray the rosary, I urge them to form their own rosary on the floor out of loose crystals (gifted to us by Lola Lyn).  We light a a candle pail near the cross (for Apostle's Creed) and a nice Himalayan salt lamp beside Mama Mary (for Hail Holy Queen) with five crystals in between (1 Our Father, 3 Hail Mary, 1 Glory Be). Then we lay out more crystals good for 1 mystery. We use 1 for Our Father, 10 for Hail Mary, 1 for Glory Be.  2 yr old Leon finds it very challenging not to mess the arrangement.  Leji holds on to a giant blue rosary (from her Ninang Rachelle) just so she wouldn't get distracted. :p  

Anyway, these are just tools to help them with their concentration/focus.  Hopefully when the experts get to come up with a safe vaccine for Covid-19, the kids and I could venture out and do more. Kindly message me if you have comments/suggestions in helping them grow in faith at home :)

Teaching Life Skills to Small Kids

Kids are naturally curious.  They want to know more about society and the world we live in.  They want to feel they are needed and that they could help in one way or another.

However, despite their good intentions, sometimes things don't turn out so well.  They spill food and water.  They can't fold clothes symmetrically. When they're very young, chores take longer than it normally would because of their questions.  Or because of their desire to improve/repeat things. Some even intentionally spill stuff again and again just to test how you would react.  Or they like certain things so much (like tissue paper or gift wrappers), they just want it all over the place always.

I'm not so fond of multitasking.  It takes a lot of willpower not to get annoyed.   

Covid-19 forced us to all stay at home and be with our kids far longer than we're used to. We're all out of our comfort zones.  Instead of complaining about their barbaric tendencies, we should seek help from the heavens and try our best to look on the bright side.  Now we have more time to teach life skills to our children!  We should impart to them the joy of getting things done.

Beng Feliciano of the Parenting Emporium believes in this and offered some tips in Inay Ko Po on how to get your kids involved at home (without losing your mind haha).  She says it's cool if you could start as early as possible.

1. Be specific with instructions

Sometimes the kids are quite clueless how they could help.  They see highly efficient adults all around them; they don't want to get in their way of doing things.  It's quite intimidating.  

For really young tots, Beng suggests that one could try to ask him to throw his dirty diaper in the bin or his soiled clothes in the hamper.  Toddlers who already know colors could sort white from dark colored laundry.  Some could be asked to wash toddler-safe plates and utensils in their sink (with the help of a kiddie ladder) or even hang clothes on hangers with clothespins.

For older kids, ask them to read labels when they use certain products.  They should study machine instructions carefully before they're allowed to operate them (especially the pricey ones).  They could also get involved in prepping ingredients for their favorite recipes in the kitchen.

2. Ease into chores for children

Show the kids how you want it to be done.  Be patient.  It takes at least five hours of daily practice for an average person to master a specific task.  Treat clothes folding and cabinet organizing like an origami class.  It takes time and focus. Some even incorporate working songs to encourage cheerfulness while helping.

3. Go easy with reminders and deadlines

Beng suggests making a chore chart for the kids.  Families with multiple siblings could have assigned days of the week for specific tasks.  Those who can't read yet can use symbols or drawings.  Beng discourages doling out cash to "pay" your own kids for their services.  She says they have to learn how to enjoy the pure satisfaction of helping out.

It's easier said than done, but we have to take small steps every day.  Hopefully our kids would all grow into responsible adults with a great love for God and life.

For more parenting tips and learning activity suggestions you may want to watch Inay ko Po on One PH :)

https://www.facebook.com/OnePHonCignal/videos/1264787953885227

Or check out the Parenting Emporium!

FACEBOOK: @theparentingemporium

CONTACT NUMBER: 0917 177 4366

EMAIL: theparentingemporium@gmail.com

Smart & Secure: Expomom Money Talk Quarantine Edition

I'm grateful to God He allowed me to start young. Somehow.

We're not super billionaires, but my parents were avid fans of insurance and investments.  My paternal grandmother apparently was a fan of buying "cheap" real estate here and there. So despite having 11 kids (3 died in childhood), passing away early in her 50s due to cancer, and her husband losing his leg & job due to diabetes they managed to thrive.  The investments increased in value and we continue to thank her up to this day.

A lot of my parents' investments failed (they couldn't afford to continue paying some of the Sunlife plans  and a time share they started in the past due to financial problems here and there triggered by small businesses and decisions that didn't work out).  Thank God, others provided what we needed to get by especially around the time when my dad almost got blind due to diabetes complications.  These were the educational plans from Eternal.  I was in college at that time when he lost his job abroad.  (That was around the time I started ushering events and modelling.) All three of us were able to graduate and have better jobs later on, my parents still own their condo & their rental apartment, and somehow life turned out better than it was before.