For the love of Literature, the Library.

One thing I never knew I would love so much is the library. I have been reading more and more, as fast as approximately one novel per week. Coming in and out of the local library, I’ve just realized the advantage of reading from the local library. It’s free, everything is almost there, plus, there are people there to help you.

Perhaps I never though of using the people help up until today. I was searching for Jodi Picoult’s “Sister’s Keepers” but it has not been in stock for weeks. So while I was staring at the bookshelf, a kind woman (who has a manager tag — I didn’t see this until later on) offered me help. I told her what I needed and even she could not find the book. Then I told her if there are other similar authors that she would recommend I should read.

So far, my two top authors are Alice Hoffman and Jodi Picoult. Perhaps I’ve been so fixated that I have not been able to branch out and find more authors (I have in between here and there, but still pretty much stuck to the two of them). Many of my other recommended authors has only released a novel, only few have released numerous novel (like James Patterson for example, who have released possibly close to 100 books).

I never knew that I would find the need to ask for help from the librarian, but this time I do. It never occured to me that I could just ask a librarian for recommendations, I simply search online through the recommendations of other readers. Oh how helpful that was!

I am now on Anita Shreve and Anna Quindlen (currently reading Shreve). So far so good, Shreve is definitely a keeper.  Maybe I should start writing my own reading list? Summer is coming up and I will surely need one haha

p.s. Nadia, perhaps you could recommend me with some readings?

Babies and Children

I guess after spending approximately half the semester in my Human Development (psychology) class, I know quite a lot about the development and how to deal with babies and toddlers. Add to this, my professor is one funny woman who would imitate children in front of the class. Strange, but it only makes the class that tiny bit more interesting.

There has already been a lot of lessons that I have learned from this class. From the meaning of babies’ cries and yells to what their behavior means and parents have dealt with them mistakenly. The first thing that my professor mentioned in the beginning of the semester is that children do not become the way they are because of themselves, but because of the parents. Also, children can not develop “wrongfully” because of themselves, but of course, because of the parents.

So now everytime I see a kid with their parent(s), I examine their behavior and relationship. From that little girl who would yell and kick around in the department store because she did not get a pair of new shoes, to the babies who would cry to no end, only trying to say that it’s too hot.

A few points I’ve learned about parenting:
Note: We are studying babies and toddlers (approx. 2 years old).

• Talk to children normally. “Baby” talk will only  slow down children’s speech development.
• Learn to understand baby’s language. Crying is their only way of communication.
• Do not yell at babies, they need to trust in you, and if you scare them, who else are they supposed to trust? It’s not like they know how to make friends just yet!
• Don’t make meal time a battleground. Work with the kids on their eating and make it fun. Also, if you wouldn’t eat the food, so won’t they (excluding Gerber and breast milk). That includes sitting cold meals that a dog wouldn’t even touch.
• Kids at the age around 2 loves to be independent. Help them when need to, but do not do any work for them (unless it may be threatening to their health/safety).
• Don’t think that by not picking up your baby (who’s age is less than 10 months), you will save them from being spoiled. Affection and touch is one of the most important aspect of development and without it, they can only develop so much. So next time the baby cries, pick them up, talk to them, communicate.

Oh there are a million other things that I’ve learned, from children’s psychological needs and so on. I’ve never been to keen on talking to kids, especially toddlers, but lately, working at the drive-thru station, I’ve been talking, waving and even communicating to some of the toddlers and babies that goes through. For one thing, they are super cute, and boy they are smart.

I am slowly becoming more fascinated with babies and their capacity of learning. Perhaps I have been wrong about them in some areas. For example, trying to be “cute” to children by talking “baby talk” isn’t going to impress them much. Haha, I never knew this. I’ve seen parents who talk to their babies like they’re talking to another adult, and before I took this class, I always thought they were crazy. I mean, how could a baby possibly understand adult language? But they can. They understand everything that we say, they simply aren’t able to say anything in return. But they understand.

Yay to another useful class