This edition of the Pinoy Parenting Blog Carnival posts the following questions:
1. What are the things your parents did that you would definitely still follow?
2. What are the things your parents did that you would do differently?

What are the things your parents did that you would definitely still follow?
1. I’d teach my daughter the value of money. It may not sound like it but I want to show Sandy that money doesn’t grow on trees. When she’s old enough to understand, I’ll teach her to save for her future. If she wants to buy a toy, she’ll have to work for it. The task could be as simple as cleaning up her room or helping me with the dishes.

2. I’ll let her join any activity that she likes – dance club, music, art, sports. My mother exposed me to a lot of stuff when I was young and when I started leaning towards arts and crafts, she made sure that I join an art class to hone my skills.

3. I’ll enforce a strict schedule once she starts going to big school. When it’s time to go home, she won’t be allowed to do any stop overs. My friends did this a lot and I used to envy them. But now, I understand where my mom was coming from. There are so many bad things that can happen when you’re away from home. If she wants to, we’d ask her friends to hang out at our house.

4. Education is the most important thing in the world. It should always be the top priority. She can do what she wants after she graduates but she needs to show me a diploma first.

What are the things your parents did that you would do differently?
1. I won’t let Sandy date until she’s 17. I had a boyfriend when I was 13 and although it wasn’t that serious, I’ve learned to lie to my parents just so I can go out on a date.

2. She can be whoever she wants to be but I want to be there to guide her in choosing her career. If she wants to be an artist, then I’ll let her. However, I’ll make sure to suggest/recommend courses where she can maximize her skills / potential. My parents let me decide which course I should take. But to be honest, I was very young and had no idea what I want to do in my life. I needed guidance back then. What I did was choose the most popular course (BS computer engineering back then) and since my friends took the same course, I thought I’d be happy. I graduated with good grades but I figured I could have excelled if I pursued fine arts or multimedia arts.