Tot Can't Cut It?

Is your child having a hard time handling scissors? Is your child holding the scissors incorrectly, with the thumb pointing downwards? Is he or she cutting for all its worth, but still unable to make any kind of cut on the paper? Join the club! After trying out some cutting exercises with my 3-year-old daughter - who was near tears when she realized she just couldn't cut the paper on her own - I turned to Google for help. Thankfully, the ever-faithful search engine did not disappoint. Here's how my child learned to cut on her own within 1 week:

(1) Have your child hold the scissors the proper way. The thumb should go in one of the holes. The other hole should have the middle and ring fingers. The pointer or index finger should be outside, helping the middle and ring fingers push the lower part of the handle. The thumb should always be on the top side. Sometimes it helps to put a sticker on the lower part of your child's thumb as a guide - he/she would know she's holding it right side up if he/she could see the sticker.

(2) Use thin cardboard paper first. Calling card paper sold in National Bookstore or any Office Supplies store would do. Because the paper is firm, it will be easier for the child to cut through (i.e., most of the time ordinary paper would crumple easily or follow the scissors if the child does not yet have the proper grip or control). Because it's thicker than ordinary paper, it's also good for strengthening your child's grip and control of the scissors.

(3) Draw lines on the board paper for your child to follow. Start with simple straight lines, then slanted, then curved. Practice everyday, but stop when your child says he or she is tired.

After a week of practicing on at least one board paper a day, my daughter gained confidence. Her face simply lit up when she cut her first board paper! On the fifth day, I gave her the paper exercises again and this time, she finally had the proper hand grip and was able to cut through the lines without any problems.

Another good tip I found was in teaching the proper way to hold the scissors. Teach your child to grasp the blades (when closed) within their fist. Do a simple march after the cutting exercises to help them remember the proper way of holding scissors while walking.

Lastly, make sure you are using scissors appropriate for your child's size and age!

Toilet Training: Tips, Trials, and Tribulations

As is evident in the numerous articles, tips, and mommy tales on the subject - the right approach to potty training appears to be a case-to-case basis. Below is my own personal experience in training my tot, as well as the highs and lows of the process.

(1) We started by showing my daughter how the rest of us use the toilet to help her get used to the idea. There are also a lot of books (FisherPrice, Dora, etc.) available to introduce your toddler to the concept of using the toilet or potty.

(2) As soon as my daughter was able to sit on her own, we started sitting her on the toilet whenever she would poop. This takes a lot of patience and alertness on the part of the parent/caregiver. The moment we see her put on her "poop" face, we would rush her to the toilet and told her that this was "poo poo". Eventually she was able to say "poo poo" before the actual deed, giving us ample time to find a restroom. We have not yet transitioned her from diapers to underwear at this point.

(3) At around 18 months, when my daughter was already able to communicate with us using words and short phrases, we started removing her diapers and putting her in underwear for a couple of hours every morning. This involved a lot of accidents at first, afterwhich we would explain that this was "pee pee" and she should use the potty to avoid getting wet. The adjustment time varies. This was done to my niece when she was 2 years old and she was so disgusted after she wet herself that she immediately took to the potty. My daughter took a bit longer. For a few days, I sat her on the toilet during times when I expect her to pee, such as right after waking up and after snacks. When we did away with the diaper entirely, I sat her at least once every 1-2 hours. One of my neighbors put her daughter on the toilet every 15 minutes, but I think this may have been a little extreme. Eventually my daughter managed to say "poo poo" and allowed us to rush her to the nearest toilet before relieving herself.

(4) Sometimes a reward system helps. Most books on potty training come with stickers to give to a toddler for every successful use of the potty. Since I did not allow my daughter to eat sweets or candy, we got into the habit of giving her a marshmallow every time she used the potty.

(5) At first, I thought having her use the toilet directly was a good thing, but soon discovered why a potty was handier - particularly while traveling. The farther we traveled, it became increasingly difficult to find a clean public toilet and my daughter refused to use the potty. She started holding her pee until we got home which put her at risk for urinary tract infection. Thus, we trained her to use a potty at home. Now she's able to adjust and use either a toilet or a potty. We've took it up a notch by teaching her to use a potty for "pee" and the toilet for "poop".

(6) Teach your tot early on to wash up after relieving himself/herself.

(7) It's good to get a toilet seat made especially for toddler and young children - the type you place on top of your own toilet - to lessen the risk of them falling in. Make sure to check if you're using a regular or elongated toilet in order to buy the appropriate seat.

(8) Make sure your child uses the toilet before he/she sleeps. This lessens the probability of wetting the bed.

My daughter was fully toilet trained by age 2. She was the one who told me when she didn't want to wear diapers anymore. We've had some instances of her "wetting the bed" and for the longest time, poo-poo and pee-pee were both "poo-poo" to her, but we eventually worked out the kinks. This process takes a lot of patience and practice on both your parts. The important thing is to keep at it and not to be discouraged. Everyone eventually gets it right. My favorite advice on this subject is from a parenting magazine I once read that said (loosely translated as I don't remember the exact wording) "you don't see seven-year-old kids running around in diapers - a sure sign that at some point, all kids learn how to use a toilet".

First Step: How to Apply for Philippine Postal ID

After quitting my job, I found myself with no other valid ID other than my passport and credit cards, neither of which I'd be willing to leave with a guard whenever I attempt to visit a new location/building.

I figured the easiest ID to obtain would be a Postal ID.  I tried searching online for the steps to get this done so I could prepare any and all requirements beforehand, but all I could find was an obvious "go to the post office". 

For everyone else with the obsessive-compulsive need to be prepared before going into anything, here are the steps to get your Postal ID:

(1) Go to the postal office (make sure it's the postal office handling your current place of residence)

(2) Pick up an application form.  If they only give you 1 copy, be sure to xerox another one.  You need at least 2 for the succeeding steps.

(3) You will need a barangay clearance and community tax certificate (or cedula).  Call your barangay office beforehand to know all necessary requirements (2x2 pictures, postal ID application forms, marriage contract, valid ID, copy of valid ID,etc.) to spare you another trip.  Make sure you have enough money to pay the processing fee and your tax.  I underestimated my tax and had to take a long, long walk to the nearest ATM machine.

(4) Submit the requirements to your barangay office.  They will typically advise you to come back the next day to pick up the accomplished forms.

(5) Submit accomplished forms to postal office and pay the necessary fees. 

(6) Pick up your postal ID.  There is a short wait while they laminate the ID after you sign it. 

(7) Voila!  A valid government ID :)

* You can ask anyone to pick up postal ID application forms, but you have to be present at the barangay office and postal office for all succeeding steps.