I'm a full-time mummy

Once your babies are on the go and crawling around the home it is essential that you ensure your home is as safe as possible to prevent any accidents and of course your toddler getting into the cupboards and emptying the contents! I am sure you have encountered this before!

There are an array of different pieces of safety equipment on the market, some of which should be considered an essential, others of course are dependent on the layout of your own home and may not be necessary.

Stair gates for example should be fitted on the top and bottom of every set of stairs in the home and should be considered an essential in this respect. However, the safety gates don’t just need to be used for stairs they can be useful in order to prevent children entering other rooms which may pose a risk such as the kitchen or utility room where you typically find hazards such as washing machines and cleaning products.

Once your toddler moves from a cot to a junior or single bed a bed rail would be recommended especially if your child moves around a lot whilst sleeping.

Smaller pieces of safety equipment can come in ‘starter packs’ and these typically contain everything you will need for a standard home, if you have a bigger house then you may need to double up on the packs to ensure you have enough pieces. These safety packs typically include cupboard door locks to be attached to the inside of the cupboard door in order to prevent your child opening the door, foam door stoppers to prevent trapped fingers, fridge locks, corner cushions if you have any furniture with sharp edges and socket covers to stop your child sticking fingers or anything else into them.

If you have a fireplace in your home it will also be important to invest in a fire guard to keep your child a safe distance away from the heat, preventing any burns.

Do you have any other home safety tips?

Today is 23rd April 2013... 7 years has gone since my dad passed away.

7 years ago, I get to hear with my own ears from dad, that Jesus is good. I get to hear this from a devout Buddhist, a good man who takes care of his family, a good father who makes sure that his wife and children (a son and a daughter) have everything they need in their lives.

I've been trying to tell dad about Jesus weeks before he passed away. One time, when he was ordered to stay in the hospital for a night, I told dad (after mum and my elder brother walked away) to pray to God if there is 'anything' disturbing him at night.

Being a Chinese, we folks tend to believe in ghosts and stuff, but since I became a Christian, I am not afraid of such evil spirits and I still remember telling dad clearly "Dad, if at night when you're sleeping and there is 'things' disturbing you, pray to your God. If your God can't help you, please try to call on Jesus name. Just try this as a last resort, OK?"

The next morning, when dad is back home, I heard my brother asking him whether there is any 'thing' disturbing him at night, to which my dad just brushed him off by saying no. After my brother left (he stayed at another place with his family), I went and asked my dad the same question.

Me: Pa, did anything disturb you at night yesterday?

Dad: Yes, you know my legs not straight because of the gout, so at night I was sleeping, felt something trying to pull my legs straight.

Me: Maybe the nurse doing that?

Dad: No. Couldn't be cos' the thing keep pulling even though I said "please stop pulling, my legs hurt".

Me: Then did you pray to your God?

Dad: I did.

Me: Did it help?

Dad: No. The thing still pulling my legs.

Me: Then did you call on Jesus name?

Dad: Yes. I said in my head 'Jesus, please help me. My legs hurt'.

(Praise God I'm hearing this, but trying to keep my excitement down)

Me: Then what happened?

Dad: Then that thing stopped pulling. I continued my sleep in peace.

Me: Wah! See, isn't it good?

Dad: Actually Jesus is good.
(Amen to that!)

You know, because of what my dad said "Actually Jesus is good" that I believed.

I believed my dad has put his faith in Him.
I believed when my dad passed away, he is up in heaven with Him.
I believed my dad is in a better place now, and no longer suffering.

I'm glad I'm able to kiss your forehead and tell you 'I love you' every time I wiped your head, face and body when you were bedridden.
I'm glad I'm able to tell you some of the bible stories (children version for easier understanding).
I'm glad I'm able to accompany you at night (even though it means I'm sleeping on the floor next to dad's bed)
I'm glad I'm around when you left us.
I'm glad God heard my prayers that everything be done according to His will, that you leave in peace and no longer need to endure any sufferings.

Dad, even though it has been 7 years now, I still reminisce the time we spent together. I wished I could do more things with and for you while you are still alive. I will always cherished and treasure our moments together. Take care of mum, and I hope to see you guys one day in heaven. Thank you dad for everything. Amen...

** John 1:12 (NIV) Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name,
he gave the right to become children of God

Oh boy... I never know this topic would spark such reactions from my FB page! Last Friday, I shared a conversation I had with my 4 years old boy about penis and vagina and right after I posted that conversation on my FB page, the comments (negative at first) started pouring in...

*** Btw, please note that I normally blog few days to 2 weeks in advance so the date and time on the screenshots you see in this post are captured earlier on 19th April 2013.

So, like I said, the first few comments pouring in were not so discouraging... in fact, some are saying that my 4 years old boy is too young to be knowing this and being taught about this. To be honest, I was shocked to read comments like these... 

You see, being a Chinese born and living in one of the Asian countries (Malaysia to be exact), we are not exactly taught to be so open-minded about the birds and the bees, about how we get our menses etc etc. When I first had my period at 13 years old, my late mum did not explain to me why I was suddenly bleeding down there (I was so scared I was dying but more scared to ask what's happening) and she just took out a sanitary pad and slapped it onto my panty and went on with her daily home routines. I found out bits and pieces about menses few months before from a primary school friend who had her period then but I do not know what to expect and how it would be. Until I got it myself.

So back to penis and vagina.

At first I was feeling down, reading those negative comments shooting me for teaching my boy all this stuff at such an early age (seriously how old should a child be to be taught these things?) and so I replied with this...

I almost wanted to delete the posting on my FB page but decided to write out my opinions on why I don't see anything wrong with what I'm doing... and then the supports poured in. Yay! Read on for more positive feedbacks...

I like the humorous side of this feedback:

And I appreciate and feel so touched by the support comments like these as well...

If you want to read more on what other mums think about being truthful and just teaching the facts about the correct naming terms for our body parts to our children, do feel free to hop over to my FB post and scroll through all the comments in the thread (** Note that the negative ones are way at the bottom as comment with replies and likes get pushed up on top).

I personally learned a few extra things that I have never even thought of (the importance of me teaching my children about this!) such as:

Seriously, I don't know about how the law is in Malaysia when it comes to child sexual abuse cases, but I never realised how important it is for our child to learn to name their body parts correctly until I started this FB post. Now, do know that it is very helpful and IMPORTANT for your children to know the names of their body parts as their statements will weigh more when they know the correct names of their body parts if they are victims of sexual abuse.

Imagine your child's case being dismissed because your child does not know how to pronounce his penis or her vagina using the right words. Will you as a judge believe a child who tells you 'This man touches my down part?' Which down part? What does it mean?

So, parents, remember it is VERY important to teach your child the names of their body parts correctly and not substitute them with baby words or etc etc.

Thank you again for all who left positive and encouraging comments in that humble (and really harmless) FB post of mine. Never had I imagined it would spark such reactions from my fans, on the bright side, I am happy to learn that many parents out there are on the same page as me and I pray and hope that more and more parents will come to a realisation that teaching our children (however young) the correct names for their body parts is NOTHING wrong and SHAMEFUL at all.