The month of May will soon be over and that means students are coming back to school. This is the time for parents to spend the savings they made for enrollment, books and uniforms. But with the constant increase in tuition fee, we barely have money left to buy for school supplies. Times like this, we really have to find stores which offers best buy.

The first time I heard about ADHD or Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder was 5 years ago when it was featured on television. This documentary would most likely have an impact only to those experiencing or seeing somebody experience the symptoms. I never imagined that a healthy and hyperactive child may have the possibility of having a behavioral disorder. But lucky for kids experiencing ADHD nowadays, they have the chance to be assessed and undergo appropriate corrective actions before its too late.

I remember when I was a kid, I was also hyperactive. It was difficult for me to remain seated (if I do sit at all) and keep quiet. Falling or being stuck is a normal scenario to me. I even locked myself once in the bathroom with no keys to open the door. 

When I was in Grade 1, I remember my mom crying and talking to my school adviser. I should have been the first honor, but thanks to my conduct which was B-, I was disqualified in the honor roll. (gosh… now I understand how frustrated my mom was). All throughout my elementary and high school days, although I was consistently in the top 10, I was always noisy and talkative. (To think that at that time, I was wondering why I was not getting a Christian Living award! Poor me.) During recess, I don’t want to spend time with studious and behaved girls. I’d rather go with the happy-go-lucky brood. (Aw! That is why I prefer playing with boys).

Now that I have a degree and have a decent job, I still do experience misdemeanors. At work, when I don’t like what I’m doing or didn’t like the person I am working with, I tend to be inefficient, emotional, display low self-esteem and worry about being judged.
I also have problem focusing on work when I have something in mind and I want to do it right away. These symptoms push me to be impulsive and well change jobs frequently. (haha! Plus the fact that I get easily bored when I get used to my responsibilities).    

Am I saying that I had and still have ADHD? I don’t know and wouldn’t want to know. I guess its too late for me to undergo therapy or even medication. And so far things are going great for me, except for some difficulties at times. All I want to tell you is that before we “brand” a person, specially kids as “pasaway, makulit o tamad,” let us give the person a chance to be understood. (I’m guilty with this!)

Attachment parenting (AP), a phrase coined by pediatrician William Sears, is a parenting philosophy based on the principles of the attachment theory in developmental psychology. According to attachment theory, a strong emotional bond with parents during childhood, also known as a secure attachment, is a precursor of secure, empathic relationships in adulthood.Attachment parenting describes a parenting approach rooted in attachment theory. Attachment theory proposes that the infant has a tendency to seek closeness to another person and feel secure when that person is present. In attachment theory, children attach to their parents because they are social beings, not just because they need other people to satisfy drives and attachment is part of normal child development.

Dr. Sears’ attachment tools, also known as the seven B’s, is a style of caring for your infant that brings out the best in the baby and the best in the parents. The B’s include birth bonding, breastfeeding, baby-wearing, bedding close to baby, belief in the language value of your baby’s cry, beware of baby trainers and balance.

Dr. Sears reminds the parents of his patients that AP is a starter style, and that there could be medical, environmental, or family circumstances that could prevent parents from practicing each of the seven B’s, and that they are to be a tool to get parents off on the right start.  It’s not to be considered a strict set of rules, but encourages responsive parents by recognizing their baby’s cues and level of needs. 

He again emphasizes the phrase “tool” over “steps.”  A tool can be individually chosen based on its usefulness, whereas a step implies that each must be used in a correct order to get the job done.   He encourages parents to stick with what’s working and adjust those tools that aren’t. This process will help parents design their own parenting style unique to them that helps baby and parents plug into one another.

It’s all great to hear advice during your pregnancy, especially unwelcome advice. I’m sure you’ve been told by one person or another how to live. Am I right? It only gets worse the further along in your pregnancy you are. Someone will want to tell you that you shouldn’t bend, or walk a certain way, not to pick up a baby in case you hurt the one in your stomach or put yourself in labor. As the pregnancy gets closer to the due date you’ll be told many different home remedies of how to put yourself in labor. Got a headache?  Someone can tell you exactly what to drink to get rid of it without any medication, remember it is important to ask a doctor before trying to take something you’ve never tried before doing it.  But the most fun I have during the course of the 9-10 months stretch is hearing all the wives tales, also known as myths.

I’m pretty sure you aren’t going to even care at this point what sex the baby is, all you want is for the morning sickness to stop. You may even be counting down the days until the first trimester is over.  Chances are if you morning sickness someone is bound to tell you what sex of the baby is.  One wives tale is if you are having severe morning sickness is a sign you are having a girl.

Here’s a wives tale that is a lot of fun and you can test it on everyone in your household. Take a thin piece of string or your hair, slide your ring down it, hold it above your belly and let the ring dangle above it. If the rings spins in a circle it is a boy, but if it goes from one side to the other, it is a girl.  Once you’ve tried it out on your tummy, get someone in your house and do it above their hand. Does the ring spin in a circle above your husband’s hand? Hmm, is it really and old wives tale or is there really something to it?

Many women claim to suffer from bouts of heartburn during the pregnancy, according to the old wives tell this would mean your baby will be born with a head full of hair.

Right before the end of your first trimester your doctor will listen to your baby’s heart rate, this is to make sure the baby is doing alright.  The wives tale goes, if the heart rate is high it is a girl and a low one is a boy. 

Ever have someone tell you that you are carrying high or low and wonder what that really means? Basically if you are carrying your baby low it is closer to your abdomen, a high baby is closer to your chest.  Look at yourself in the mirror. How is your baby sitting?  The old tale says that if you are carrying high it is a girl, carrying low is a boy.

Wives tales can be a lot of fun but keep in mind these aren’t fact. Don’t go preparing your child’s room just because one of these told you, you were going to have a girl.