When my husband picked up our sons from school one afternoon, he noticed the guards speaking to the students in English. It surprised him. The school was also his alma mater, and he remembered Filipino being commonly spoken on campus. A guard explained that some students now had difficulty speaking...
One common concern among breastfeeding mothers is whether their baby is getting enough milk. When a baby nurses directly, there is no measuring cup to show how many milliliters they have taken. This can make every cry, short feed, or request to nurse again feel like a reason to worry. Dr. Maria...
Your child gets into the car or walks through the door after school. You ask, “How was school?” The answer is usually “Fine,” “Okay,” or “I don’t know.” This does not necessarily mean something is wrong. The question may simply feel too broad after a day spent listening, learning,...
A baby’s first spoonful is an exciting milestone, but it also brings questions. Is the baby ready? What should be offered, and how much? What if the baby spits everything out? Complementary feeding begins when food is introduced in addition to breast milk or formula, generally at around six...
By Faye Beatrix Dela Torre co-founder, Stellar Minds PH The Philippines has taken important steps in education reform. Our next challenge is ensuring those reforms become realities inside every classroom. When Republic Act No. 11650, the Inclusive Education for Learners with Disabilities Act,...
For years, Solenn Heussaff has been recognized as an actress, entrepreneur, model, and television personality. But beyond the screen, she has quietly built another creative practice: one rooted in paint, canvas, and introspection. Two years after her last exhibition, Solenn returns with “The...
As the country observes Nutrition Month this July, many parents are taking a closer look at how everyday eating habits can affect their children 's health. Most parents want the same thing: for their children to eat well and grow up healthy. Yet even with the best intentions, some feeding...
The Philippine Pediatric Society (PPS) recently recommended that children aged 16 and below should not use social media. While many parents of younger children may welcome the recommendation, those raising teenagers know that staying off social media is often easier said than done. So why did the...
Violent content has become almost impossible to avoid. Children may encounter it while watching movies, scrolling through social media, playing video games, or even following the news. While many parents worry that violent content will make children violent, developmental pediatrician Dr. Jack...
There are some conversations parents spend years imagining but never expect to happen so soon. For transformational life and energy mentor Libni Fortuna, that moment came when her nine-year-old son Kobe walked into her room, took a deep breath, and whispered, "Mom, I 'm gay." "He was nervous,"...
A little boy reaches for a doll instead of a toy truck. A young girl asks to join a basketball team instead of ballet lessons. A child insists that pink is their favorite color. For some parents, these simple preferences can raise questions. Does a love for dolls, dresses, or the color pink say...
Picture this scene in a room. A child spends an hour arranging toy cars across the living room floor. Another one fills pages with dinosaur drawings. One keeps building towers out of cardboard boxes, knocking them down and beginning again. These may simply look like ways to pass the time. But...
