Sibling rivalry is as natural as eating when you’re hungry.

I grew up with four older brothers and all of us had his own nemesis while growing up. Me and My “mortal enemy”, my fourth brother, used to be at each other’s throat all the time. It even came to a point when we can’t be in the same room, even for a few minutes, or an all-out war would erupt.

There were even times when all five of us are against each other. It was a crazy sight - you really can’t tell who’s hitting who. And being the smallest, I was lucky to be the quickest to avoid punches, or punch one and be fast enough to get away with it in time for my victim to punch another one. We drove my mom crazy.

We all love each other again now that we’re all grown up. The crazy riots have turned into endless laughter and joking over dinner or family gatherings.

Anyway, some parents are just starting to deal with sibling rivalry among their own kids. It can be really tough, and if you went the wrong way in dealing with it, you might end up accused of having favorites and make the situation worse. The affected children might bring their issues to adulthood and might cause problems in their social interaction.

Thankfully, there are ways to manage this inevitable part of our and our children’s lives. I found this article on Capessa and found these ways to manage episodes of sibling rivalry and avoid them causing bigger problems in the future, as shared by Caroline S. Clauss-Ehlers.

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What parent does not go through the challenge of displining his/her child?

I, for one, have discipline on my priority concerns in raising my boys. I want them to be well-rounded individuals, with the proper values and character. When they grow older, I want us to keep our friendship alive, while keeping their respect to me as their mother.

And that’s not easy, when you have to discipline them in their early years to make sure they grow up to be “good boys”. There are many instance that a parent’s intention of discipline is being misunderstood by their kids that the latter develop ill-feelings towards the former. The kids then turn defiant and rebellious, disobedient and close-minded. The parents misundestand their children as well, resorting to spanking and shouting, and they think that the youngsters are just being foolish and immature. These manners of thinking then breeds deeper and bigger problems in the family.

Thankfully, there are ways to discipline your children without raising your hand or your voice.

Yes, it is possible. And it’s not that hard to understand at all. It turns out that it’s just a matter of implementing diplomacy in your household.

Dr. John Irvine, a very popular and credible Australian child psychologist, came up with these ten rules of effective punishment.

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In the early days of this site, I posted something about discussing “the birds and the bees” with your kids.

Though the video included was rather on the humorous side, I expressed how the husband and I plan to handle “the talk” when time comes that our kids ask the questions.

Of course, when it comes to raising kids, you can never be prepared enough. That’s why I’m so glad I found this guide to talking to kids about sex from Parenting.com.

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For most Western countries, September marks the start of another schoolyear. (School starts in June here in the Philppines.)

And to most parents, this is one of the times that they dread most. Dragging a kid fresh from summer break to school can be very challenging. I know, because I made sure I gave my mom a hard time during the first few weeks of school.

Fortunately for me, I won’t have to face that challenge until a few more years. And lucky me, I found these helpfil tips from Laura McClure.

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Here’s something I chanced upon while doing some research. Okay I was browsing through the net while reasearching.

I found this on LoveThoseKids, a very useful manual for parents who have toddlers.

The Rules of a Toddler
If it is on, I must turn it off.
If it is off, I must turn it on.
If it is folded, I must unfold it.
If it is a liquid, it must be shaken, then spilled.
If it a solid, it must be crumbled, chewed or smeared.

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Bringing kids to the doctor for their vaccine shots can be a tiresome challenge to many parents. As a kid, I remmeber myself giving my parents hell whenever it’s time for my vaccine shots. I didn’t want that needle going through my skin.

However, recent studies provided a clever solution to make the kids stop dreading their trips to the doctor. Here’s another useful tip I got from Reader’s Digest Asia, June 2007 issue.

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Every parent goes through the challenge of teaching their child to eat healthily. Kids can be the most frustrating picky eaters, and many parents sometimes resort to deception to make the kids eat whatever “healthy” food is served on the table.

Here’s something I got from an old issue of Reader’s Digest (March 2008).

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Note: This post is a revised version of a blog post in my other blog.

I can’t wait to give birth. I can’t wait to breastfeed again.

I enjoyed breastfeeding Issen, my now 15-month-old boy, so much that I was so devastated when we had to stop. I got pregnant again when Issen was about 8 months old, and my OB advised against breastfeeding while pregnant. Also, my irregular schedule of milk expression at work caused the continuous decrease in my milk supply. I was using a manual pump then and the stress at work didn’t do much good to milk supply, add to that the fact that I sometimes skip my pumping session because it has become a really tiring chore to me.

Still, I was lucky that I didn’t go through the usual first-timer breastfeeding dilemmas. Issen learned very easily to latch on to me, and I never experienced cracked nipples or extremely painful plugged milk ducts.

Here are a couple of lessons I learned that could have made my breastfeeding easier and last longer.

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As a mother, I always want to be able to give the best of everything to my kids. Of course, I’m conscious about the cost, but there are things that I’d rather splurge on than risk my babies’ health and safety.

I don’t hesitate to spend, for example, on his medicine/vitamins, milk, diaper, drinking water, and food. I scrimp, however, on a lot of things that I know he wouldn’t appreciate the financial value yet or those that he would outgrow in a short while.

Toys, however, are a little different. I won’t hesitate buying him something pricey if I know that the toy will have a positive effect on at least one aspect of his development. I find ways, though, to get pricey educational toys at a low price. Like second-hand but in excellent condition toys off eBay.

Anyway, a friend sent me this video about why you shouldn’t have to buy expensive toys for your babies to enjoy. Check out its version I found on YouTube, it’s hilarious.

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Talent is something all parents want their children to have. In reality, I believe, there is no kid without a talent. It’s just a matter of determining your child’s strength and gift, and helping him or her develop it. Some of us may prefer a specific gift for our kids, but we shouldn’t force it upon them if they don’t have it. Doing so just might hinder the development their true craft. Your child’s personality may even be affected if you get too pushy.

One of the talented kids that caught my attention just recently is Connie Talbot, a 6-year-old girl with an amazing voice and the most adorable smile. She was a finalist on the first series of Britain’s Got Talent. On all of her performances, “nasty” Simon Cowell has nothing but praises for her, she’s that good. And cute.

I swear I had to hold myself back from crying when I heard her angelic voice.

Here’s the video of her first performance at the screening of BGT. Take note of Simon Cowell’s mood before Connie sang, and how it changed the moment he hears her voice.

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