Mom.Dad.Chat

With Christmas approaching, it is another year coming to an end. It is also the season to shop for gifts and plan for holidays. But as the years wear on, I’m dreading this shopping for gifts activity. This is because as the kids get older, you don’t really know what to buy anymore. Toys would not do, especially when the kids are in or approaching their teens. Toys just don’t interest this group of youngsters anymore that I have to wreck my brains to think of other things to buy.

My own son is 4 and being his mother, it is of course easy to pick out a gift for him. But for two of my sister-in-laws’ girls, it is hard. One is around 11 and the other is 14. You don’t really know what they like or don’t like as tastes change easily for a girl of that age. Perhaps there is also that generation gap as you are clueless as to what is the ‘in’ thing right now for them or what kind of clothes they want to wear.

I guess I can always not buy anything but somehow, being Christmas and with the feeling of festivity, I don’t think we should deny the kids any gift, right? Maybe in another few years time, we can just get together and stop passing around gifts that the kids won’t like anyway.

So, what do you usually buy for Christmas for the kids, especially those that are older?

One of the countries that I would like to visit is Mexico. I’m sure it is a country with lots to see and experience, especially in terms of its unique culture and people. Most people that I know whom have taken Mexico holidays have interesting tales to tell when they come back from their trips.

With its close proximity to the United States, many tourists from Europe and Asia will actually make it a point to visit Mexico as well when they visit the former. Although close to each other, it is totally two different environment and culture which every tourist would love to experience, including me!

With all the news surrounding Tiger Woods and his alleged extra-marital affairs, suddenly his squeaky clean image has come under the spotlight. Some people do seem to expect a higher standard of morality when it comes to certain personalities but we all know that everyone, whether famous or otherwise, will have the same tendencies to be unfaithful. It doesn’t really matter if you are known the world over and earn millions a year or you are just a normal guy with debts pile sky high. In fact, I read somewhere that every 1 in 4 or 5 married men (co-habitants included) have cheated at one time or another.

That’s a very high figure, which I guess is just consistent with the high divorce rates as well. After all, affairs is also one of the leading causes of divorce. So, rich or poor, famous or not, a lot of people cheat these days, women included. But I guess when you are a famous person, that’s when your act comes under intense scrutiny because the news item sells. And then, there is also the image. When you are no longer what people expect you to be, naturally it invites more intense debate and coverage by the media.

For me, most of these famous personalities just aren’t what they seem to be. What they project publicly isn’t always consistent with who they actually are. So, it’s really pointless to expect them to have a higher standard of morality compared to the rest of us. They are just humans like you and me.  

If you are thinking of going for a vacation this holiday season, make sure that you book it early. Many people book their vacation months ahead, especially for those peak seasons that will naturally attract lots of holidaymakers.

Popular tourist spots usually have their accommodations, such as the Outer Banks vacation rental, fully booked come the end of the year as people take that opportunity to relax and spend time with their loved ones. If you are lucky, you might still be able to find a room or unit at the last minute but by and large, it is always better to reserve your tickets and accommodation early to avoid disappointment.

If you know that your man has cheated on you, you would definitely be feeling hurt and betrayed. But apart from feeling miserable, there is also a health issue you need to consider, according to this article.

The message there is you should get yourself tested for any sexually transmitted desease once you found out that your man has cheated. I guess that’s fair warning to women out there but would you do it, if you are thinking of staying in the relationship? Would you ask your man to do a test as well?

Once a person has cheated, all trust would be gone. You may not be able to believe what he tells you and this includes who he has been seeing and how many affairs he may have had. Furthermore, you probably won’t know if he has had unprotected sex and he may not even be willing to tell you all the details.

So, the advisable thing to do is to go and get a test. But I just wonder how many women will run out and see a doctor the moment she finds out that her man has cheated. That will probably be the last thing a betrayed woman would think about as she grapples with the hurt and pain. She will probably be thinking of separation, saving the relationship or even getting revenge. The health risk thus becomes the least of her priorities.

I guess it’s just not easy to think that your man will cheat and pass on a sexually transmitted desease to you, especially if he is your husband whom you have known for years. It will be hard to accept. But once cheating has happened, you also can’t rule out that possibility of such a desease. Therefore, it’s certainly better to be safe than sorry.

Having a flabby tummy is certainly unsightly and sometimes, you can’t even wear clothings that are a little tighter because it will be pretty obvious to all. As a result, you have to make do with bigger and looser clothes and pants that hide your flabby tummy from view.

But what happens if you have a party to attend and want to look good in more revealing clothing? That’s when you have to find out how to lose belly fat fast so that you will have a trimmer waistline. Then, you can start to change your style of dressing and get rid of those loose baggy clothes for tigher outfits that emphasized more of your figure.

My son received a birthday invitation recently from one of his classmates and on the card, it is specifically written ‘No present, please!’ I guess it must be the parents’ request not to buy any gifts for the daughter.

I thought what each kid really looks forward to each birthday would be the presents. If you take presents out of a kid’s birthday celebration, something seems not quite right either. But on the other hand, I also think it is a good way to teach a child that receiving presents are not necessary for a happy occasion. You should not “compel” others to buy you a gift just because it is your birthday. The presence of the person invited should be what you should value rather than his gift.

Furthermore, I also think that some gifts are really a waste of money. Some presents just may not hold your kid’s interest that they are hardly played with or used after they are opened. On top of that, most kids nowadays have more than enough toys to play with that to get another bundle of toys on that one day isn’t really necessary.

Anyway, to get invited and show up empty-handed doesn’t seem very nice either. So, I told my son that we will get for his classmate a water color pencil set rather than a toy. At least, I hope something practical and useful for schoolwork would be acceptable to the parents.

Well, if you are holding a birthday party for your own child, would you also make it clear that no presents are required? What would you tell your child?