Free eBook on Career Transitions to Celebrate My Birthday

It has been a while since I last updated this blog. I had been busy working on my goals this year and accomplishing my pending goals last year.

One of the goals I was not able to accomplish last year was to finish one of my books. So, I spent the first few months of this year to finish my manuscript and prepare for my book launch. I'm happy to share with you that my latest book From Career Woman to SAHM, WAHM then Businessmom: Lessons from My Transitions is now available on Amazon! :) I released it this month as my gift to myself. I'm marking my birthday this year with this milestone. I'm also having a FREE BOOK promotion as part of its virtual launch on April 18-19, 2018 as my way of paying it forward and being grateful for the life that I live. One of my mentors, Bo Sanchez, said that after we have become successful, we should now strive for significance. That is helping others to become successful like us. 

I'm passionate about this book project because this was inspired by the many lessons I have learned in my own life and career transitions. I want to help other mothers through this book. I want to help other moms find the courage to step out of their comfort zones into their courage zones. Some moms feel trapped in their full-time jobs and feel that they have no choice but to stay there because they need to help contribute to the family income. With this book, I want them to them that they have options. More importantly, I want them to share with my fellow moms how God has been instrumental in my career decisions and successes.

What sets this book apart from the other books on career transition is that it includes a spiritual perspective. I encourage people to go through career discernment when considering any career changes. Most books just discuss the practical and financial aspects. But because I am a Christian and a Catholic, I shared that I went through career discernment. I also shared the Bible verses that inspired me in my discernment.

I may be an author and career coach, but I cannot separate my being Christian from those roles. My faith is so much a part of each aspect of my life. The truth is that I strive to live out my faith and Christian values in each aspect and role in my life. Thus, I cannot help but mention God and how He has been a big factor in my life events and transitions. 

At one point, I paused and asked myself if I should share the spiritual side of my life and career transitions or should I stick to writing about professional and practical advice on my book. 

I've decided to go all out and share everything. I felt that if I withhold that part of my story, it would be incomplete. I felt that I would not be sharing the entire truth and the whole picture with my readers if I do not mention God and give credit to Him. 

I think that will also set me apart as a career coach and counselor. I'm a Christian career coach and counselor. Thus, I also encourage my clients to consider the spiritual aspects of their concerns and circumstances. 

Let me end this post by sharing traits that I believe mothers should have to be successful in making a career transition.

Top 3 Traits Moms Should Have

First, we need to have faith in God, ourselves and our abilities. I love this verse from 1 Corinthians 2:9: "What no one ever saw or heard, what no one ever thought could happen, is the very thing God prepared for those who love him." Another verse that inspired and encouraged me was Jeremiah 29:11. “For I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord. “Plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a future full of hope.”

Second, we need to have the courage to act on our dreams and step out of our comfort zone into our courage zone. We need the courage to try new things or do things differently, to think out of the box.

Last but not least, we need the perseverance to keep on keeping on even when we are not yet reaping the fruits of our labor or we do not receive the recognition that we want to get. We will have our own time to shine if we don’t give up.

Virtual Book Launch

I have so much more to share but this is just a blog post. :) You can read more about my story in my book. I invite you to claim your FREE COPY of my latest eBook on April 18 or 19. You can reserve your copy now when you click here.

Join our virtual launch also and get a chance to win exciting prizes.

How do you join?

1. Simply tweet or share on your Facebook account about the free download and the link to the Amazon page of the ebook. 

Example: I just got my #freedownload of the #ebook From Career Woman to SAHM, WAHM then Businessmom! Get your copy  here: http://bit.ly/Career_Transitions

2. Make sure to use the hashtags #transitionsebook #careertransition

3. Tag our Facebook page Hands-On Parents while Earning.

4. Make sure that your post is public, so we can see it.

You can read more details on our event page when you click here.

Learn How to be a Hands-On Parent while Earning at the HOPE Summit 2017

Do you ache to bond with your child/children but could not, because you are too busy at work or in your business?

Do you want to know how you can be a hands-on parent even when you feel that you don’t have enough time in your hands to make that happen?

Do you want to learn how to achieve balance in juggling your time between being a parent and an employee/freelancer/entrepreneur?

Do you want to be successful both in your family life and in your career/business?

Do you want your visions for your family life and finances to become your reality?

Do you need help in structuring your time so that you can spend your precious time bonding with your child/children and still move closer if not achieve your finance goals?

I have great news for you, fellow parents! We're having the second run of the Hands-On Parents while Earning (H.O.P.E.) Summit on April 22, 2017, at the Bulwagang Haribon, Insular Life Corporate Center in Alabang. It's a whole day workshop where parents like you and me will have a lot of opportunities to learn.

God gave me this burden in my heart to ache for families who are disconnected and children are lost and confused because their parents are not able to connect with them and guide them well in their growing up years. I'm thankful to God that He gave me the grace to do something to help solve this problem in our society one family at a time through my iHOPE Coaching Program and through the H.O.P.E. Summit.

Here are the 5 main benefits that parents can get out of this learning event/workshop.

1. Parents will have an opportunity to clarify their priorities at this time in their life and align their schedules with their priorities.

   People sometimes think that they know their priorities. But surprisingly, when I run these workshops, people take some time before they are able to write down and rank the top 5 things that are important to them. Moreover, during my workshops, they discover that they are not using their time wisely so that it reflects their priorities in life. Thus, with these realizations, my participants usually become eager to learn strategies and tips that would enable them to live out their priorities through better use of their time.

2. Parents will learn to come up with a list of new habits that they can easily and consistently implement after the workshop so they can be more involved in their children’s lives.

   I like handling workshops because I like my participants to learn by doing. It's a better way to help them learn. Through the exercises that I ask my participants to answer, they get insights into their own lives. The exercises also help them to use the strategies and tips that I share with them. That's the advantage of workshops over seminars only where the speaker just talks and the audience simply listen. That is also why I do my best to make my learning events interactive. We learn more by doing.

3. Parents will discover ways to work smarter so they can free up more time in their schedules to bond with their children.

   I've always advocated for this. I believe that if people know how to work smarter, they would be able to maximize their time. I had been an HR practitioner for decades now. I have seen many employees work long hours but not produce the desired results required of them. I have also seen many employees work efficiently in less the time. I like hiring and keeping employees who are more productive than those who spend too much time and the company's resources but are not efficient in their jobs. I'm glad that I found a way to teach these principles and skills to parents also through learning events like the H.O.P.E. Summit.

4. Moms and dads will be inspired to be hands-on even while earning for their families and will learn tips and strategies on how to be successful in their careers/businesses through the stories of the featured moms and dads (guest panelists) in the H.O.P.E. Summit.

   Like in the first H.O.P.E. Summit, we have invited parents who are already living out the H.O.P.E. lifestyle. There will be work-from-home moms and dads and business owners in our panel again this year. I'm excited to hear their stories, strategies and tips!

5. Parents will have a chance to meet and interact with like-minded parents who also desire to become hands-on parents while earning to their children.

   On top of learning from the speakers and guest panelists, parents will also learn from their interaction with fellow parents. In HR, we call this benchmarking. Since this is a parenting event, this will be called networking with fellow parents. One of the benefits of attending workshops and learning events like the H.O.P.E. Summit is that participants learn through their discussions with fellow participants as well. Sometimes, we learn by talking about our experiences and insights more. Plus, we get inspired and encouraged when we hear the stories of other parents.

I had been running time management, goal-setting and work-life balance workshops for decades. I've always enjoyed and looked forward to these workshops because I know that every time I run these kinds of workshops, I'm making a big difference not only in the lives of my participants but also in the lives of their family members.

So, let me invite you to join me and our guest speaker and panelists at the H.O.P.E. Summit 2017. I assure you that it would not be only worth your time and investment but it would be life-changing for you and your family!

Here's a testimonial from one of the moms who attended the first H.O.P.E. Summit.

Here are some more from previous participants:

“I am inspired to pursue my dream while spending time with my kids.” – Cleesa Bumatay-Soriano

“It gave me inspiration to become the parent that has freedom from corporate work while providing for our family through an entrepreneurial pursuit I am passionate about.” – Dennis Anguluan

“The lessons are inspiring.” – Ging Jusi

Read more testimonials here.

This learning event is highly recommended for parents who:

• want to achieve, experience more, or maintain work-life balance.
• feel overwhelmed, stressed, discontented, or lacking control in their lives most of the time or a lot of times.
• want to be intentional in living their lives and want to take the necessary, concrete steps towards living the life they want or the life of their dreams.
• want to experience order in their lives.
• want to make sure they spend quality time with the people who truly matter to them.

Register here now!

I will give two talks. My talk in the morning will be How to Manage Your Time So You Can Be a Hands-On Parent while Earning. The one in the afternoon is How to Earn Full-Time Income Through Freelancing. I have been a freelance speaker, writer, editor and consultant for almost a decade now. I will be sharing tips on how parents can earn a good income while enjoying the perks of being a freelancer.

My friend Mariel's talk will be How to Practice Positive Discipline. She's also a homeschooling mom and a mompreneur like me. I'm excited to learn from her, too. Her talks on this topic were usually in Quezon City. That's why my husband and I are not able to attend most of the time. So, I took this chance to invite her to speak at the H.O.P.E. Summit which will be held in the southern part of the metro.

You can read more details about the H.O.P.E. Summit 2017 here.

Another good news is that you can still avail of the early bird rate. You can save P500 on your ticket if you buy your ticket on or before March 31, 2017. If you are coming as a couple, you save as much as P1,000!  Click here to secure your seat. If you are coming as a couple, you may get your ticket here. You can also avail of our group rate. If you are a group of four (4) parents, you can pay P8,000 only and that would be savings for each one of you. 

You can pay via Paypal (using your credit card or as a guest even if you don't have a Paypal account) or bank deposits (BPI or BDO).

The registration fee already includes the hand-outs, lunch, light snacks and giveaways from some of our sponsors. Merry Macarons will provide our snacks in the afternoon.

More Reasons to go to #HOPESummit2017

The first 20 parents to register and pay will receive a gift certificate worth P3,000 from Kids Acts Philippines, a performing school for kids who love theater. Noel Comia Jr. who won in the previous Aliw Awards and a semi-finalist in The Voice Kids PH was trained in this theater group. This is timely since it's almost summer time and theater classes will start soon.

We are giving out Hands-On Parent while Earning customized bags to the first 20 parents who will register and pay. This is courtesy of our sponsors My Little Ikbi. This bag would be perfect for the giveaways that participants will get from our sponsors like Moringana and Shepherd's Voice Publications.

Insular Life is also giving away one (1) storybook per parent who will attend the event.

We will also raffle off books from Shepherd's Voice Publication and gift certificates from Kindermusik by Teacher Suzette and Friends.

We encourage you to register for the H.O.P.E. Summit 2017 before we run out of slots. Register here now.

This event is co-presented by Full Life Cube and Insular Life. It is supported by Payoneer, Shepherd's Voice Publication, My Little Ikbi, Kindermusik by Teacher Suzette and Friends, Moringana, Merry Macarons, Mom & Milly Educational Toys, KANSIS Made, Experience of a Super Mommy, Lally's Reflections, Mommy Bares All, Mommy Practicality, My Metro Lifestyle, My World by Mommy Anna, Roller Coaster Ride, Seminar Philippines, The Filipino Homeschooler, The Vine that Writes and WhenInManila.com.

See you at the HOPE Summit 2017!

The Difficulties of Being Gifted - Confessions of a Gifted Parent with Gifted Kids

People think that being gifted makes one's life easy. The truth is that gifted people also have their share of difficulties.

Let me share some examples with you.

I had not been sleeping well for the past nights. I wanted so much to sleep early. But I couldn't. Why? I found it hard to make my brain stop working. My brain has been so active. I could not fall asleep even though my body was exhausted. I had so many ideas. I wished I had a wire or something that allows my brain to transfer those thoughts to my computer so I would remember all those ideas the following day and I could sleep soundly at night.

It's great to have a lot of wonderful ideas for upcoming work projects. But it gets overwhelming and I wish that they would come at a time when I'm not supposed to be sleeping already.

In fact, I'm having a headache as I write this post because I could not go back to sleep even if I want to. 

Sleep has been an elusive friend to me. I found it difficult to nap when I was still a child. When I was a child, I would just pretend that I'm sleeping and wait until I hear my grandmother snore. ;) That's the only time I open my eyes and I start moving again in my bed.

When I became an adult, there were many nights when I experienced insomnia.  

Thus, I'm not surprised that my kids are not the type who easily fall asleep whether in the afternoon for naps or at night. Like me, they have a lot of ideas going on in their heads. Or they'd rather read than sleep.

In spite of this knowledge and the struggles, I still do my best to help my kids get as much sleep as they can. I don't force my eldest who is now 8 years old to take a nap, except when I know that he is under the weather. But I still require my younger kids to take a nap. If they really could not fall asleep in the afternoon, I just ask them to read quietly in their beds. Now, reading is something that they can obey easily. But "quietly" is another story!

Another difficulty of the gifted is knowing things that are not pleasant (to say the least) because the gifted are highly intuitive and insightful. Gifted people may have the ability to read or identify other people's motives and intentions even if these people try their best to hide these. I have personally experienced this countless times. I am amazed at how correct my intuition is a lot of times. But this is not always a positive experience because some of the things I notice or realize can cause me to be disappointed, hurt, angry or sad. It doesn't help that gifted people are also extra sensitive.

There are many other difficulties that gifted people deal with on a daily basis. But I will just mention one more which I and my gifted kids need to deal with daily: containing and managing our big emotions. 

Gifted people are quite intense. We usually have big emotions. I used to think that I can do a good job at handling my emotions. But when I became a parent of gifted kids, I discovered that dealing with my kids and the chaos that they bring into our home can overwhelm me many times during the day. I lose my temper at least once a day. The very organized me gets easily annoyed and overstimulated by my very messy, imaginative and kinesthetic kids. That is why "Slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love" has been my mantra for years now. That means I have a lot to improve on in this area. And that's not just for me but for my kids also. The more that I learn to manage my big emotions even when I'm triggered by their noise and mess, the more effective I will be in helping my kids learn to manage their own emotions. I think this is one of my most difficult challenges at this point in my life as a parent.

Last night, I read a blog post that reminded me to parent with grace rather than anger. I think I really need a lot of that... grace. I realized that it's not easy to control these intense emotions even when you are already aware of your tendencies. I'm doing my best to practice restraint and to be more mindful. I'm also doing my best to teach my kids to be more considerate of the people around them, I included. 

So, are you surprised to read about these difficulties that gifted people experience? Find out more as you read the entries of the other bloggers in our blog hop here. 

Is Your Child Gifted? Find out at the Giftedness 101 Talk on February 25

Some say that all children are gifted. Is that true?

What does it mean to be gifted?

If not all children are gifted, how do you know if a child is gifted? What are the signs?

Can children with disabilities be gifted as well?

Is giftedness something acquired through study techniques or learned through mental programming?

Or is giftedness something that a child is born with?

What if a child is gifted? What does a parent need to do?

What's the difference between typical children and gifted children?

Do gifted kids have special needs?

Do you have all these questions in your head as a parent? Are you wondering if your child is gifted?

When you become a parent, your world expands. When I learned that my eldest child is gifted, I devoured every literature I could find on the topic. I attended whatever seminars, workshops or conventions that fit my already busy schedule. I was eager to learn and I was motivated to learn for the sake of my child and for my sake. When I discovered that my second child is also gifted, the more I became determined to learn more about this field. This is because I am a parent of gifted children and I need to learn how to support my children’s special needs and to help them reach their full potential.

Because of this also, I have chosen to help raise awareness on giftedness and to help my fellow parents understand their gifted kids.

On February 25, 2017, I will give a talk titled Giftedness 101. This will be at Playworks, SM Aura Campus from 2 -4 PM.

The topics that I will cover are the following:

• Are all children gifted? What does it mean to be gifted?
• What are the signs of giftedness or twice exceptionality, especially in young children?
• What are the advantages of finding out if your child is gifted or not?
• What are the advantages of hands-on parenting to the gifted or twice exceptional child?
• What should you do when you see signs of giftedness in your child?
• What are the advantages of homeschooling gifted or twice exceptional kids?
• How do you homeschool a gifted child?

Aside from learning more about giftedness and twice exceptionality, parents will also have the opportunity to meet other parents of gifted and twice exceptional children and thus find a support group who will understand the same challenges and joys that they experience.

The registration fee is Php 750. The Early Bird Rate of Php 650 is available until February 14, 2017 only. The parents of students from Playworks get a discounted rate of P500. The registration fee already covers the handouts and light snacks. The snacks will be provided by Mommy Bakes PH.

I'm very excited for this! We're also giving away to the first 20 parents who will register and pay for the GIFTEDNESS 101 talk Gift Certificates worth Php 3,000 each courtesy of KIDS ACTS PHILIPPINES (KAPI). This performing school has been the training ground of the Aliw best Child Performer and The Voice Kids Philippines semi-finalist, Noel Comia Jr.

We will also raffle some prizes from Filway Marketing Inc. who is one of our sponsors. Filway provides good quality learning materials for children. I especially like their product called A Child's First Library of Learning.

Participants get a chance to win this during the raffle at the Giftedness 101 talk.

We will also raffle off several educational toys and materials from Mom and Milly Educational Toys.

This is just one of the toys we would raffle off.

Click here to register for this talk. We have very limited slots so I suggest that parents secure their tickets fast. Buy your ticket here.

I am blessed to get the support of the following sponsors and media partners: Playworks Early Childhood Center, Kids Acts Philippines, Inc. and Filway Marketing Inc., Mom and Milly Educational Toys, WheninManila.com, Experience of a Super Mommy and The Filipino Homeschooler.

Parenting Goals for the Year #BigGoals2017

People with goals succeed because they know where they are going.

- Earl Nightingale

It's the first month of a brand new year. People are usually busy these days planning for the new year. Have you done your own planning? Have you defined your goals for the year? If not, it's not yet too late. I believe that it's better to take it slow.

It's best to make sure that we are pursuing the right goals before we get busy pursuing them.

Let me share some of my BIG GOALS as a parent for 2017.

Goal #1 Be a better parent by improving in the area of handling my emotions when my kids do not obey me and the rules that we have set.

Actually, I have made it my goal years ago to live out this Bible verse:

"Slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love."

I have not been very good at being slow to anger. So, I make it my goal year after year to get better and better at it. There were many times in the past year that I felt frustrated getting the kids to listen and obey. Having no household help to assist me in managing the house and caring for the children made things extra challenging.

My kids are not the typical obedient kids who immediately obey those who are older than them or those who are in authority. Obedience is not their greatest strength. Proactivity, creativity, curiosity, quick thinking, intelligence, humor, persistence, strong will, high energy... these are words that describe them most of the time. Obedient, not always.

They like to challenge the rules. Following or doing other people's agenda is not something very interesting for them unless you are able to explain to them how it aligns with their interests or agendas. They usually have their own plans and are bent on executing them. They are not the type who will ask for permission to do what they want to do. They will simply set out to do what they want to do. Sadly, they sometimes ignore the rules or reminders given to them.

In truth, these are good traits. These are good characteristics of people who can be leaders.

But it's difficult when those who have these traits are 8 years old and under. I am concerned for their safety. I also want them to learn to respect and obey those in authority.

I tend to clash a lot with my kids... especially with my eldest son who has high intensity and who has a stubborn will just like me. My Powerful Choleric personality type finds it difficult to parent kids who are like them.

I have shared this difficulty with our developmental pediatrician already many years ago when I noticed these traits in my eldest son. He said that these are typical of gifted kids. He advised that parents be consistently firm to help kids learn to adhere to the rules and to obey those in authority.

Over the years also, I have learned to choose my battles so that we don't always go through a battle of the wills. When it will not put our lives in danger and our values are not compromised, I do my best to give them as much freedom and independence.

Goal #2 Make more happy memories with the kids by traveling with them or having vacations with them at least once a quarter.

This was one of my goals last year and we actually went beyond my target. if you've read my previous post on my blessings in the past year, bonding activities with my kids were one of those in my list. Since we had a lot of fun last year going places, I've decided we'll do the same this year. This is one goal I am very excited with for this year.

We've already booked last year our first hotel stay out-of-town for the first quarter of 2017. I'm still thinking where to go for the second quarter and the rest of the year.

Goal #3 Finish and publish at least one book for parents.

I believe that the lessons that we learn from our life experiences are only for our benefit. I believe that the insights that we gain from our life experiences are meant to help and bless the people around us, too. That is why I love sharing my stories here on my blog, in the articles I write for other publications, in my books, in my talks, training programs and workshops.

This year, I want to finally finish one of my pending manuscripts. I have already designed the book cover. I have printed it and posted it on the wall of my home office so that I am reminded every day that I have to finish this book. Let me share it with you.

Last year, I published and launched one book also, my very first children's book titled Mommy Loves You Just the Same. It was a daunting goal. But by the grace of God, it was achieved. It was another dream come true!

This year, although my situation hasn't changed. We still do not have a stay-in household help. But I claim that I can do achieve all these goals with the strength of Christ. I know that God will make a way. That He will help me make things happen. Why? First, because I have seen Him do this many times in the past for me. Second, because my intentions are good and these will not only benefit me but many people.

I may have BIG GOALS that seem difficult to achieve. But I have a BIGGER GOD who makes ALL things possible!

That's why my OneWord for this year, 2017, is BELIEVE.

BELIEVE in God more.
BELIEVE in myself more.
BELIEVE in others more.
BELIEVE in more possibilities.
BELIEVE that more and bigger miracles are on their way to me.
I choose to BELIEVE that the best is yet to come! 

This was inspired by the Bible verse, "I believe that I shall see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living." - Psalm 27:

How about you? What are some of your big goals this year? Do you also have a One Word for the year? Or a guiding verse? Feel free to share these in the comments. Let's cheer each other on!

If one of your goals this year is to be a better parent by spending more quality time with your kids and still finding time to achieve your career or business goals, check out my iHOPE Online Coaching Program. You may read the details here.

How to Raise a Prodigy: Lessons I Learned From Parenting One

I bumped into one of my mentors one night in a coffee shop. He asked about my me and my family and I happily shared some updates, including my eldest son's latest adventures on the piano. He and his sons were amazed at my story. He said that my son is a prodigy. It was the first time I considered that. He's right. We have a musical prodigy in our house.

He makes learning music, whether singing songs or playing songs on the piano, look so easy. To him, these activities are as natural as breathing.

I used to play a cd of nursery rhymes/songs to him when he was still a baby. Then, we would dance to the tune of those songs. I would also teach him the actions for those songs. When he became a toddler, he started showing remarkable developments in language and music. He started saying some words before he turned 1 year old and he started singing songs when he was over a year old. When he was already 2 years old, he could sing not just nursery songs but even other songs that he doesn't hear every ay as long as heard them a few times. We loved asking him to sing songs for us and he would sing a song we request him to sing at the drop of a hat! He was an adorable baby!

He liked playing with musical instruments. His first favorite was the guitar because that's what he saw his Dad playing. We also got him a small guitar. He would imitate his dad every time his Dad practices. During Masses, he would sit beside the other guitarists in the choir. He wants to be part of the choir too. He also wants to have his own chord book even though he was only 2 years old then! It looked so funny. But we kept on letting him do what he wanted to do and what made him happy. Eventually, he shifted to our small keyboard because he was having a hard time doing the chord on his guitar with short fingers. It was easier for him to play the piano because he only needed to press the keys.

In the above video, Yanthy was only 3 years. He was singing a song (Only a God Like You) by Tommy Walker, one of his favorite Christian artists. He was trying out the new guitar that his Dad gave him as a gift for his 3rd birthday.

Then, when he was around 4 and half years old, we move to a new house near a Catholic church. We started going to Mass daily. I noticed that he would always look at the pianist serving during Masses.

One day, I got the surprise of my life when I heard someone play some of the Mass songs on our keyboard. It was my little boy! I was amazed because no one taught him. My husband and I do not know how to play the piano. I bought our keyboard just before I got married because I wanted to learn how to play the instrument. But I didn't get to have formal piano lessons and I found the books my husband gave me challenging. In short, I didn't learn. Then, here comes my little boy, playing on our piano one day. He learned by simply watching and listening.

Last night, he served in the Mass again in our parish. He has been serving as a pianist in this church since he turned 7 years old last year (October 2015). He played a new song titled Here We Are. He just learned this song yesterday. After a few hours, he played it as the entrance song in last night's Mass. If he is in the mood and we provide him with the needed resources (like chords, music sheets and ample time to play on the piano), he would learn at least one new song each day.

After the Mass last night, he mentioned to me and a few of our friends that there are now 62 music sheets in his tablet. I was amazed! That means that 62 is the minimum number of songs he has learned to play on the piano! And he only started formal piano lessons around 1 year ago! But that's not all, I said minimum because that number does not include the songs he learned without a music sheet, which is so much more because he first learned to play oido (by ear). He also learned some songs by using the chords only and he improvised on the accompaniment. That number also does not include the nursery songs, classical music, Christmas songs, worship songs, folk songs and many other songs he learned! He said that if we list or count all the songs that he has played since he started, it must be more than a hundred. I think he's right. Wow!

Now, let me share with you the definitions of prodigy that I found.

What is a Prodigy?

From Dictionary.com: a person, especially a child or young person, having extraordinary talent or ability: a musical prodigy.

From the British Dictionary: a person, especially a child, of unusual or marvelous talents.

From Mirriam-Webster.com: a young person who is unusually talented in some way.

From Cambridge Dictionaries Online:

(Prodigy in American English) a child who shows a great ability at a young age: a child prodigy on the piano.

(Prodigy in British English) someone with a very great ability that usually shows itself when the person is a young child.

From Oxford Dictionaries: a person, especially a young one, endowed with exceptional qualities or abilities.

How Do You Raise a Prodigy?

1. Be observant. 

It's so easy to dismiss a child's accomplishments when a child is still growing. This is because a child's accomplishments look ordinary in the beginning. What children exhibit at an early age are skills that most adults already can do; and so, the adults around the child can easily ignore these milestones as ordinary or typical. But when one looks closely and uses the guidelines for achieving milestones, parents can sometimes notice what is extraordinary in their children's milestones or development. This is what helped me discover early on that my eldest son is gifted. I would regularly review the milestones for babies and toddlers from a book that my husband gave me. I would check what things my baby was already capable of doing. I would do this month after month. I would do advance reading also. When I did this, I realized that my eldest was hitting his milestones quite fast, not just in months but in years sometimes. At two years old, he has already mastered concepts taught to pre-schooler and kindergarteners. He was also reading at that age and had a vast vocabulary.

This is a video of Yanthy playing the song Immaculate Mother, which is sang during the novena to Our Mother of Perpetual Help. He learned this oido.

2. Believe in your child and in his capabilities. One of the traits I noticed in gifted children or child prodigies is that they have self-confidence. They are risk-takers and they like challenges. They are not afraid to try new things especially in their area of interest. As parents, we can help build their confidence by believing in them,  in their potential and their capabilities. When my son was just starting to play in the Mass, I was so nervous. I kept praying that he would not mess up the Mass by playing the piano. I would ask him repeatedly before the Masses if he is sure he can play the songs right. I would listen to him practice at home. When I hear him play the songs perfectly at home, I am less nervous. If not and he decides he will still play it in the church, I would be praying fervently at the pews. So far, he has been playing well. I'm glad I supported his decision to try and believed in his potential and new-found skill. These days, I still get nervous when he plays new songs. But my confidence in his has also grown in the past year that I saw him improve a lot on his chosen instrument. I noticed that my confidence in him helps build his confidence also. He searches for my look of approval whenever he plays. He feels happy whenever I praise him and his talent.

At my eldest son's first solo piano concert and 7th birthday celebration.

This next video is just last month. It was his first time to play this song for the Novena to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. He started learning it around an hour before the Mass. Then, he played it as the recessional.

3. Provide for your child a nurturing and supportive environment. It helped a lot that we provided for our son a number of musical instruments he can play with when he was growing. Since we noticed that he likes making music, those are the kinds of toys we gave him. We also gave him a keyboard or digital piano with 88 keys when he asked for it and we got confirmation from his first piano last summer that he quickly outgrew our small keyboard. I also watched him most of the time when he practices and I even take videos of him practicing. Whenever he has learned a new song, I would document it by taking a video of him. He feels happy that I show him my support by doing these things. I praise him every time I see him practice, try to learn a new song or when I hear him play a song well or perfectly. I let him hear me praise him in front of other people. I share his videos to our relatives and friends. I tell him the compliments that other people say about him. My husband and I provide him with books and opportunities that help him achieve his goals.

One of my ways to destress daily is to listen to my eldest son play music on the piano.

4. Find mentors for your child. 

Since I am not as gifted in music as he is and my husband is not a piano player also, we looked for possible mentors or teachers for our eldest son. Good thing, the church pianist happily mentored him. Also, I found a Yamaha teacher who lives in our village too so we asked her to go to our house to give him formal piano lessons. then, I discovered a performing school that helps children get ABRSM certification for their lessons. We decided to enroll our son in their piano class last year and this year during the summer months. (You may read about our summer experience here in my previous post.) Right now, he's still preparing for Grade 1 certification on the piano.

This is the pianist in our church who inspired in my son to dream of becoming a pianist in our church one day. He not only inspired that dream but he also helped make that dream become a reality. He also taught me and my husband to believe in our son and his abilities more. We owe him a lot!

5. Get out of the way. This is one of the hard lessons I am learning as I raise a prodigy. My natural tendency as a parent is to protect him. I don't want him to be too stressed. I don't want him to be embarrassed. I don't want him to be frustrated. I tend to throw a lot of caution to him. It's not that I believe in him. I do. But I just couldn't shake the fact that he's just a child. He's my little boy. But time and again, he proves that though he has the body of a little boy, he possesses great talent in music. What stresses me or terrifies adults like me, can challenge him positively. I think this comes from his innate desire to learn and do good in his field of interest and in his knowledge of his own capabilities. I remember when he first told me that he wants to have a piano concert for his 7th birthday. I could not believe my ears the first time he said it. I thought he was not serious. But he turned out to be; so, I supportive him and he did get what he wanted. (You may read about it here in another blog post.) Another example is when he tries to learn pieces that are above his level. He doesn't care if a song is for more advanced piano players. As long as he likes the tune, he would start learning it. He is unfazed even when we or his piano teachers would tell him that those pieces are played by those who have been playing the piano for years. I'm glad that over time, I have learned to get out of his way more and more. This has allowed him to soar and do the things he is most passionate to spend time on. Of course, I still give him a lot of reminders, but I give him more freedom now after realizing that he is indeed no ordinary child.

My eldest son and I at his latest piano recital.

I'm really grateful that I made the decision to leave my full-time job years ago. Otherwise, I'm not sure if we would have noticed right away that our son is gifted. I'm thankful that I was able to find and provide the necessary interventions that helped us support his unique needs. I'm also happy that I'm still able to contribute to the family income even as I stay home most of the time because this raising a prodigy can also be costly.

* This post was first published at HandsOnParentwhileEarning.com.