Tomorrow's Promise

"Tomorrow, tomorrow... Always tomorrow!" Bela said out of frustration. 

We were in the mall yesterday afternoon and Bela kept pointing at toys she wanted for herself. 

And since we don't want to just give in to her every whim, Patty, Bela's mother, kept telling her, "Not now, Bela. Maybe tomorrow."

"Why do you always say tomorrow? Why not now?" Bela was almost shouting.

"So you want them now?" Patty tried to talk sense to our three year old. "There's a way you can do just that. Why don't you start working? Do some chores so you can be paid. Money has to be earned, my dear."

Bela paused, looked at Patty and smiled.

"Ah it's okay. I'll just wait for tomorrow."

A Busy But Fun Summer!

Summer vacation is not an excuse to be lazy. That's what my father used to say.

I remember looking forward to summer so I could join soccer camps, basketball clinics and even take golf lessons. We also attended out of town camps that lasted several days and where we hiked up mountains, learned survival skills and were made to cook our own meals. My summer was always busy. But a lot of fun!

I try to do the same with my kids this summer. Sure, since school is out, I make sure we get the chance to go to the beach or Baguio or even out of the country for a few days. But for most of the summer months, the kids have a full schedule.

My son has soccer practice three times a week. And tournaments almost every weekend. He also attends a Filipino reading class and catechism lessons  twice a week. My daughter also has her summer classes and activities. Too bad she's still too young to join the sports camps. But she'll definitely enrolling next year.

Yes, we should keep our kids' busy this summer. Allow them to sleep late and just watch TV all day during the school break and they will end up soft and unready to face the next school year's challenges. Yes, they need a break from school. But they must be kept busy. Doing things that they enjoy.