Fly Kites, Climb Mountains

Why do companies organize team building activities for their employees? It is because the importance of having a cohesive team in an organization cannot be overemphasized. A team is composed of individuals coming from different family background and upbringing. Team building activities, most preferably those that are enjoyable and fun, are important to bring a feeling of oneness and acceptance. Bonding not only ensures a close-knit group of people who are motivated to perform better but also contributes to the interpersonal relationship of the staff.

If company executives have realized the positive results of their team building efforts, we as parents should try and apply the same thing with our family. Oftentimes we tend to be complacent with the way we handle our family life. We don’t realize that somehow, with the tight schedule that we keep as working parents, the amount of time we spend with our kids is getting scarce and the quality getting worse. One of the telltale signs that the family is drifting apart is when parents don’t get anymore feedbacks from children regarding school, work, friends, or relationships. Are parents hearing things from the neighbor’s nanny? Do they see their kids whispering? Do parents notice that their kids suddenly stop talking when they come near? Has communication been a one-way traffic, with parents doing all the talking? If the answer is yes, then it’s time to act and stop that “degeneration” of the family fiber. Bridge that gap. Practice empathy. Sadly though, most parents expect empathy, but they hardly do it. Come on, be on tract. Save that beloved “organization” from crumbling down. It doesn’t take much to bond. You can organize family trips, go mountain climbing, do the zipline, fly kites together, camp out and go star gazing together. Try to do this and you will surely bring back the smile on their faces. Remember that no amount of success in career can compensate for failure in the home. Make happy memories. Tell your kids you LOVE them! It’s the sweetest words in the whole world! It may be awkward at first but you will get used to it. Don’t delay! A famous writer once said that,”The bitterest of tears are those shed for words left unsaid and deeds left undone.” Delia V. Aliser.

Be Out in the Rain With Them

Do you still remember how we, as kids, frolicked in the rain, running around in open fields with friends? I still do. I recall with fondness how excited I was every time I step out in the rain, enjoying every drop of that "heavenly shower" and hoping that the downpour would last a little longer. This is what we call pure and simple joy, an experience that we truly treasure in our lifetime. But alas most parents would generally say no when their kids plead for a short rainy encounter, unaware that by doing so they are crushing their kids' spirits and wounding their self esteem. How ruthless can sometimes parents be, for letting their little angels miss out such joys that are there ironically for free? Be fun! Join your kids out there in the rain! See their reaction. It would not only make them happy, but you as well, for re-living the pleasure that you haven't done for the longest time. Come on! Bask in the rain with you kids. Run around with them. Hold their cold but happy hands. Have fun with them. Let them experience the LOVE and HAPPINESS that they deserve. They need it now more than ever. This is the best shield we can give them against the harsh world. Delia V. Aliser

Make Your Kids Happier

Have you always centered your aspirations on your own personal dreams/objectives as a wife or husband like buying that beautiful wooden living room set or that classy-looking ready to install kitchen cabinet? Are you aware that to some extent, you have been scrimping to the highest level on every item of the household budget including the small whims of your little ones just to realize these things? These are some of the pitfalls most parents fall into, unconsciously or otherwise in their quest for personal fulfillment. They may not be aware of it but the gauge of happiness/fulfillment in adults is not comparable with that of the kids. Kids do not care how modern or expensive the house furnishings may be nor are they appreciative of the value/prestige of the gold necklace their Mom is wearing. All they care about is that portable rectangular kiddie pool on display for summer, or on a smaller scale, that big brown teddy bear at the neighboring mall, or that pretty and long-haired barbie doll they see on the shelf. But can their little dreams compete with mom and dad's gigantic goals? Or will their little "heavens" remain in heaven forever? Will we parents wake one morning to realize that our kids have outgrown their wishes? We as parents should be sensitive of the little things that make our kids' eyes twinkle with delight. Your adult wants can wait, you seldom outgrow them. But your kid's joys are so short-lived. Don't wait for tomorrow for tomorrow may never come. Common, ask your little ones what they wish Santa would give them for Christmas. Buy it now! Do not procrastinate. Christmas may be too far away. Many things can happen between now and then. I remember the story of a mother who kept on postponing for Christmas that cute little Superman costume his son had been asking her to buy. The little boy contacted dengue the week after. The mother remembered about the wish of his son and bought it. The boy smiled upon seeing his dream costume. But he died without having the chance to wear it. DON'T DELAY! MAKE YOUR KIDS HAPPY NOW!

Make your kids love you more.

Have you ever wondered why most kids seem to veer away from encounters with mom and dad? The next thing we knew is that they have already established some sort of bonding with people they think are on their side, peers who have also gone astray. If we come to think of it, we may not be far enough to realize that kids are people with feelings too! We as parents should try to place ourself in their situation, by looking back at our own childhood. Have we in some way or another felt the same way too with our own parents before? Have we in the past somehow wished that our parents were a little bit tolerant of our moods/wants? Have we wished that our parents were a little bit playful and fun and carefree sometimes? A friend of mine once told me she would never do the same "mistakes" her parents did to her in her childhood like scolding her in front of friends, discouraging her from holding picnics in the lawn lest the garden would be messed up, etc. Yes, we have to realize that children won't stay young forever. Soon they won't be playing in their folding pools and running around and doing hide and seek in the garden. They will be off to college and on their own. Soon you will hear no more laughter. You won't see any mess in the yard. No more pools to empty and fold up. No more play houses to dismantle. No more kites to untangle, no more crayons to erase from your wall. If only parents realize how fast time flies, then surely they would be the ones to initiate these "little joys". They would be organizing these kiddie parties and games, inviting friends from the neighborhood, etc. That way their kids will not only feel loved and special but their friends will feel the same way too. Do this and you kids will surely love you more! Delia Aliser 4/6/2011