growing children

tn
time indeed travels fast. rain is now three years old. she already knows how to do things in her own way. actually, she always wants things her way. i am proud of her for that. but she's just a child, she can't do all things right. i am still figuring out the right way(s) to make her understand things. it surely does require various techniques to get her to follow. in my case, i treat her like an adult, because believe me, she really thinks she is, already.

rain is a picky-eater. it really is hard to feed her most of the times. during her younger years, we try to entertain her to let her eat, to persuade her to eat. but when she got to learn to play around, it really is very hard to follow her to feed her. and when you let her stay in one place to feed her, it'll take minutes for her to swallow whatever is on her mouth. there even were times when i force-feed her. i try to scare her off or something. but, she's just a child and nobody wants a crying little child. it makes me hate myself. sometimes, we give her candy to encourage her to chew and then swallow. now, we give her a vitamin supplement to boost her appetite. i think it works a little. though, still she's not too graceful in eating breakfast. but it gets better during lunchtime and dinner. particularly during dinner, when the three of us (including his father) will eat together in the table, she seems to show interest on eating. especially when we include her in the conversation and give her some "inspiring words on eating well". this way, i get to relax a little, knowing that she stands just on the slim line of the normal weight (12 kg). but our friend, who is a doctor, says that its better that way than have her being obese or overweight considering she is a girl.

as a growing child, rain always like to play around. and she also wants to do things that adults normally do. like washing the clothes, washing the dishes and more. i always stop her to do all these things because i worry she might get colds. i never want my kids to get sick. kids getting sick is a very heavy burden to bear. it makes me feel sick a hundred times more.

being a young mom, it is hard to discipline a child. especially, in my case that i still haven't established that kind of patience that good parents normally have. i don't feel that i am good at disciplining her. but i am trying to learn the right way. i hate it when i scold her because it's like hurting myself a thousand folds back. i try to tell her calmly but sometimes it really doesn't work. it's really hard to get her to listen, specially when she's busy doing something important (at least, for her). sometimes, it requires me to raise my voice so i can get her attention. i don't want to raise my voice, but i want her to grow up right.

most of the times she cries if what she wants does not happen. it takes a lot of explaining and compromising to get her to understand the case. i guess (and i hope) these are all just normal things for a growing child. in her case, she is used to having everything the way she wants it. this is because she is our first child. she is also the first granddaughter of both our parents. and it was long before she had a sister or a cousin. during this time, all attention is towards her alone. and she gets everything that she wanted.

don't get this wrong. she is a nice child most of the times. but maybe it's just normal for a child. she is still a child. i always try to remind myself that. and she still needs more growth, physically and emotionally. so i guess, i'll just have to take my time and enjoy every moment of her young years. i know she won't be this young forever. she'll grow up, and we definitely have something to do with what she will be when she grows up. my role as a mother is a very critical and significant thing in her growing up. so i must try my best to be the best mother that i can be. with the Lord's guidance i know i can cope up.