A Day In The Life Of Mum, Children, Love and Relationship, Mum Inspires, mum musings

Mum Musings: Of Life Lessons + A Box of Crayons

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mum musings, a day in the life of mum, mum inspires, love and relationship, children

Photo by Leisy Vidal on Unsplash

Let me tell you a little story.

Yesterday I met a young boy, a bit younger than the little man. I was told by his grandpa that he refused to go to school. It turned out that his parents recently separated and the boy was confused having witnessed his parents argued and his mother fighting with his father. He also refuses to go to his new school as he would very much prefer to go to the old one in his father’s city. In his young and innocent words, he told me that his mum was fighting with his dad and he does not want her to do so. He also did not want to leave his dad to go live with his mum. I was speechless. What do you tell a little boy to cheer him up a bit? He was too young to understand marital woes, too fragile to deal with separation, yet, here he is suffering the brunt of it. I tried to cheer him up the best I know how by promising to give him a box of crayons the next time we meet. I know for sure any child would be delighted to get a new set of crayons and it would be therapeutic to use them and draw their pains away.

Later that day, I heard him shouting with glee about being given new box of crayons. I can tell that he really looked forward to my simple gift and that he was too excited to receive it. I also reminded him to use the crayons often and to go back to school.

Now, a box of crayons would not really amount to a gift. Some would even say there is nothing extra ordinary about it. It does not cost me much, either, to give him those. He may have received a new set of crayons but he made me so happy to have given them to him seeing how happy I made him even for a little while. Sooner than later, he will find out how complicated and lonely life can be when your parents separate but I hope he will continue to look for happiness in the ordinary and the mundane to help him get through life. I wish him and his parents well.

Note: While doing some spring cleaning here, I chanced upon this post which was sitting on my drafts folder since 2018. I had to wrack my brains a little recalling who this little child was. The years have passed and, just like my litte one, this child is probably in his early teens now. We have not met him again so I am guessing the plans to go away with his mom and leave his dad behind has pushed through. It must have been really sad for him to go away. It may not look like it, but I pray it all ends well for this child and that his parents found a way to make the transition in their lives even a little less painful and heartbreaking for their child.

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Love and Relationship, Tips and Tricks

3 Signs Of An Unfaithful Partner That Many Women Miss

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Every woman likes to believe that she would never date a cheater or that she would be able to catch on if she discovered her partner was cheating. While one can spot obvious signs of infidelity, such as mystery phone calls and excuses made for coming home late, even savvy women might not recognize everything. Would you catch the following three subtle signs that could suggest that your significant other is being unfaithful to you? Or do you need to hire a local private investigator to help you figure it out?

He Refuses to Make Future Plans

tips and tricks, love and relationship, relationship tips

When you suggest going to an event over the weekend or hanging out Friday night, does he commit to spending time with you? Or does he dodge the commitment by saying he’ll let you know what he’s doing closer to the date? While a guy might have plans with his friends, you should never get pushed away as a backup option.

If you regularly come up with ways to see each other and he regularly comes up with reasons to miss them, then it’s time to find someone who is willing to make you a priority.

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Love and Relationship, mum musings

10 Reasons Why Having A Sister Is The Best!

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family, mum's thoughts. Love and Relationship
with my sister, Isabel {1983}

Ever since I was a little girl and until now that I am a mum, I always consider having sisters as one of my biggest blessings in life. Not only do I automatically have someone to run to or rely on when I need help with something, I also consider it a privilege to have someone you can totally trust and tell your deepest, darkest secrets {not that I have too many! Haha}. Having someone who understands your craziness and your quirks is also a big plus!

Here are 10 Reasons Why I Thought Having A Sister Is Pure Awesomeness! 

  1. They are your Best-est Friend ~ Not just by default, but also by choice, having a sister is like automatically having a best friend. And because you live in the same house, you can have endless hours of fun and endless hours of chit-chats!
  2. They are your human journal ~ Since they cannot quit {even if they are tempted to sometimes}, sisters are your human journals whenever you need to vent or think out loud, especially when you are experiencing something absolutely amazing or something downright heartbreaking. It is a plus if you sleep in the same room, as it means you can do your human journalling even in the wee hours of the morning, as long as they are awake, that is!
  3. They keep you abreast with what is happening in the world ~ Having a sister is the best, especially if you are too busy with your life to keep up with what is going on in the world. Our sisters can be a reliable source of what’s the latest in social media, may that be the juiciest showbiz news, the latest fashion, trends, or the newest book released by your favorite author. You are also privy to their latest online discoveries, like a cool book lover’s cafe or this cool online career hub, for example.
  4. Trust them to be your child’s alternate mother ~ Titas love their nieces and nephews to a fault, that sometimes you’d think they love your child more than you do. They are their fiercest and staunchest supporters that having a sister also meant having a default groupie for your budding athlete or your budding rockstar. Not to mention, they’d also jump at any chance to baby sit their beloved nephew giving mum quality time alone or with dad.
  5. Free Psychiatrist ~ Since psychiatric consultation do not come cheap, it is such a big advantage to have a sister and have a free psychiatrist around. They can readily dish out advices, unsolicited or otherwise, when they are up to it, and depending on your needs, they also do psychology, fortune telling, and face reading on the side.

    A photo posted by Vix Parungao (@mumwrites) on

     
  6. A Coffee or Movie Buddy on the ready ~ No matter how busy life can be for sisters, it will only take a phone call or a text away to invite them to go out with you for a cup of coffee or to catch your favorite film on the cinema, and for women, especially for the single ones, this is really quite an advantage.
  7. They remind you so much of your parents ~ And for someone who’ve lost her parents many years ago, having someone alive to remind her of how her parents were when they were around is such a great source of joy and comfort. I catch a glimpse of my Papa and Mama from my sisters time and again, and it is a beautiful way to keep their memories alive in us.
  8. A Shopping Buddy ~ If you love shopping {now who doesn’t, right?}, it is great to know that when you have a sister, you get a shopping buddy by default. It does not matter whether you dig going to the physical store and browsing through the items on display manually, or shopping online, trust your sister to accompany you whenever you are in the mood for serious retail therapy. Whether you are in the mood to shop for new clothes, new household items, books or washi tapes, perhaps, know that dear sissy will be there to help you with your purchases.
  9. A fashion consultant ~ One of the perks of having a sister is having your personal fashion consultant and if you have a fashion savvy sister, then always being stylish and abreast with the current fad will never be a problem for you. You can rely on them to give you their very honest opinion about which article of clothing in your wardrobe actually works for you.
  10. A confidante ~ A sister knows you inside out and they know where you’ve been and what you’ve gone through in life, and since time immemorial, you know that they have always been there. They are the best confidante and you can trust them to keep your secrets for you and not spill it out on someone else when you are not around. It is also a comfort to know that you can tell them about anything under the sun without the perils of being judged or prejudiced.

Shouts out to all the sisters out there and cheers to all the mums who have them. Life indeed is so much better with them around.

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