"dias"

Just a while ago, my daughter learned her first Spanish word. After numerous instances of watching Dora and her Explorer adventures, she has finally learned how to say "morning" in Spanish. My daughter and son both love watching Dora, as well as listening to the many songs that is included with the show.

I think one of the best investments my husband and I has ever made was to buy a Dora video. Based on my observations, the music, the colors and the cute characters are slowly helping them build their perception of the world, as well as their vocabulary. Of course, we are very careful in exposing them to too much video. I have read up a lot of material that says that videos and related media are not truly beneficial to shaping a child's growth and learning. Though I am not such an expert, what I do is listen to my inner voice.

I am a firm believer of shaping someone based on the characteristics and traits that person show, and it is no different with my children. As early as now, both of them display streaks of individualism and show traits that are completely different from one another. They often clash, because they are still so young and so near in age, but in good moments, you can already see the close bonding and love these two babies have for one another.

I try to be careful and give them proper care and space to grow their individual strengths. My husband and I mix discipline and gentle care to remind them when they are doing something wrong or hurting one another. And not leaving everything to Dora, we explain bits and pieces of the story to them.

When the song says "share, share, share", I explain to them that this means that they should share their toys with one another and not be mad when one happens to borrow the other's favorite toy. Of course, the reality is far from perfect. More often I would her my daughter say no than give her toy to Nan, but they are getting there.

I am excited to see what next Spanish word K will say. After all it is not everyday that I hear her speak words in three languages - umaga, morning and dias.

Kukuk becomes Chicken

As a working mom, the toughest thing I face is not the criticisms and reactions of colleagues and bosses at work, but the face of my daughter that I see in the side view mirror every morning before we drive off to work.

For me, becoming a working mom was not even a conscious choice. It was something that simply developed out of habit. After all, before I got married, I was already working so it just seemed a natural progression of things for me to continue on after giving birth.

Lately though, I have to struggle and force myself to move to the door every morning when we say goodbye to the kids. Looking at their woebegone expressions, especially in our eldest' eyes who is starting to comprehend the way things work, is completely heartbreaking.

I have to keep on reminding myself that there is another reason why I must work, so that I can, together with my husband, support our family and have the funds to give our children the kind of future every loving parents want -- secure, well balanced and happy.

I have to remind myself that there are other opportunities for me to spend with them, but when work claims the weekends, I feel a clutch in my heart. Because in my heart and mind, weekends are for my babies, and it is as much as I can do it - a non-negotiable thing.

There are a lot of advantages to becoming a working mom. But when I go home and realize that my daughter's Kukuk has progressed to "Chicken", I often wish I could have stayed home and see it happen.