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I think child safety is important and I want to share this with you. I read first about it from Monica Zech. Here it is, an extensive resource list on child safety. Please take some time to go through it, one at a time. You’ll soon realize how little you know about child safety!
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What would you do if you had a child with disability?

Would you isolate your child from his friends? Would you feel ashamed of your child? Would you tell your child that he’s lacking in something?

Or would you rather treat him as a normal person? Give him the same treatment as what you would do to a normal person?

It’s important for parents to educate disabled children not to be looked down by others by teaching them disability doesn’t equal lack. They can become anything they want.

Want proof? Here’s how a man without limbs but one hand became a lawyer. But he had to go through more than a normal person had to before he becomes what he is today because of prejudice.

We all have disability. Some visible. Some not. Then why the heck that we have ignorance on physically challenged persons?

But I digress.

In my humble opinion, here is what you can do if your child had disability:

1) Teach them to accept their co-called disability (as I said, who doesn’t have one?)

2) Teach them how to handle teases from friends while maintaining their self-esteem.

3) Reassure them you love and you’re proud of them for who they are, from time to time.

4) Give them ample space to grow, don’t overprotect them.

5) Look for help (medical or otherwise) to reduce their disability, if possible.

6) Help them develop their talents.

Ironically, these are the very same things that parents should do even to normal kids. Don’t you agree?
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No I’m not talking about a new technology of getting rid of diapers. In contrast, it’s a very old-fashioned way.

Just this morning, after my son woke up, as usual, I will have to change his diaper before sending him to the babysitter. I just chucked aside the used nappy and put on a new one for him.

He pointed to the diaper on the floor and mumbled something a one-year-old would do. Since I ignored him, without any delay, he quickly stood up and picked up the diaper from the floor.

I thought he wanted to play with it. I tried to stop him. Even before I could do that, he already walked away to the back of the house in the kitchen. And came back empty handed.

I was curious what he did to the diaper. He must be throwing it somewhere. After I did some CSI-type investigation, I found out that the diaper ended up in the dustbin.

I was not convinced. Maybe the one in the dustbin was not the one we had just changed. I looked around the area hoping to find another one.

It was a futile search and how wrong could I be! Sure enough, the diaper in the dustbin was INDEED the one that my son picked up from the floor. And he helped me dispose of – nicely and quickly.

It was a surprise to me indeed. God knows how fast a child learns. He learns that a used diaper needs to be thrown away (in his naïve mind: put it into a dustbin) by seeing what we do. Amazing, huh?

Well as I said at the beginning, that’s my new found, good old way of getting rid of diapers.
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Abel Cheng, founder of Parent Wonder, was interviewed and featured in a national newspaper, The Star. He shared why he started the parenting website, what he wanted to achieve from the website, and his parenting philosophy.
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When is the right time to potty train your toddler? Some say two. And some say later for boys.

This is not the case for my son who is only one year old. We discovered this by surprise.

One night, he stood still and made funny faces and I immediately knew that he was going to “poo-poo”, like he always does based on his expressions.

I asked him, “Poo-poo?”

My little toddler pointed to the back of the home which he never did before. I couldn’t figure it out and so I thought it meant nothing. After a few attempts of pointing which drew no action on my part, he decided to take action himself.

He wobbled along to the back and he was heading to the direction of a potty. And goodness me, the next thing I knew was he was sitting on the potty already. Of course, with his nappy still on.

Only then did I realize the pointing he made earlier was an instruction for me to bring potty to him because he wanted to “poo-poo.”

My wife and I, surprise aside, were rolling on the floor laughing looking at the act.

Now our son knows how to link poo-poo to a potty. Thanks to his elder sister who sometimes still uses potty for her “business.” After observing what his sister does, he decides to follow suit. This is a stage where toddlers do what they do by imitating adults. Monkey see monkey do.

So what’s the hint? It’s a good sign for us to start potty training on him. I know it’s still too early but we will do it based on his pace. No hurry.
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