Magbago nang magtagumpay

by Bella Angeles Abangan


The winner—is part of the answer,

The loser— is always a part of the problem,

The winner—is always a programme,

The loser—always an excuse,

The winner says, "Let me do it for you,"

The loser says, "That’s not my job,"

The winner sees an answer in every problem,

The loser—sees a problem in every answer.

The loser—sees two or three sand traps near every green,

The winner—says, "It may be difficult but it’s possible,"

The loser—says, "It may be possible but it’s too difficult,"

Ang tula na pinamagatnag Winners and Losers ay may magandang payo sa mga laging nabibigo: Be Positive Thinker.

Iyong mga taong hindi makabangon sa pagkakadapa ay hindi matapang. Hindi sila marunong makipaglaban sa kabiguan. Habang tumatapang ay laban nang laban ng laban.

Narito ang istorya ng magkapatid na langit at lupa ang katulad. Ibinigay na ng ama bago ito namatay ang kanilang mga mana. Pinaghatian nila ang mga lupain, kiskisan ng palay at palaisdaan. Pareho sila may mga pamilya na.

Nagumon sa sugal si Fernando. May derby pa siya sa kanyang mga matitinik na sasabungin at may casino pa siya tuwing Sabado at Linggo.

Ang misis niya ay nagmana din sa casino at madyong. Ang apat nilang mga anak ay pawang drop-out. Wala silang patnubay ng magulang.

Sa dakong huli ay nangungupahan na lamang sila sa isang lumang apartment at pareho silang mag-asawa na walang trabaho.

Kabaligtaran ang naging kapalaran ni Armando. Inilagay niya sa mga bahay at lupa ang kanyang mga mana. Nagtayo silang mag-asawa ng grocery at gas station.

Sinubaybayan nang husto ang apat nilang mga anak. Hindi pinagtrabaho ni Armando si Alice. Siya ang namamahal ng pag-aaral ng mga bata. Mula sa elementarya ay hatid sundo ni Alice hanggang sa haiskul at kolehiyo.

Maganda ang naging banga nito. Nakatapos lahat sa kolehiyo ang apat na mga anak. Ang dalawang lalaking nakakatanda ay kumuha ng Business Management at ang dalawang babaing nakababata ay pagttro ang natapos.

Noon nakahinga ang mag-asawa sa kanilang obligasyon sa mga anak.

Pinangarap nang puspusan ng mag-asawa ang kanilang mga gawaing pansimbahan. Ang dalawang lalaki ay namahala ng kanilang mga negosyo.

Isang gabi ay dumalaw si Fernando sa kapatid. Umiiyak ito. Humihingi ito ng trabaho pagkat hirap na hirap na ang buong pamilya sa tinitiis nilang buhay. Marami silang utang.

Kumuha ng isang kuwaderno si Armando. Bawat mungkahi niya ay kanyang isinusulat.

Bakante noon ang isang town home ni Armando. Maaari na silang lumipat agad. Pinaaalis na sila ng may-ari. May limang buwan na silang hindi nakakabayad. Iyong tatlong anak ni Fernando ay pinatutulong ni Armando sa grocery at gas station.

Iyong babae ay pinatuutlong ni Armando sa Kinder School na tinayo ng dalawang maestra ni Armando.

At si Fernando ay pinamahala ng kapatid sa kanyang sampung taksi.

Niyakap nang mahigpit ni Fernando ang kapatid na nagbigay sigla at buhay sa kanya. Ito ang payo ni Sarmando sabay abot ng kuwaderno:

"Kumapit ka sa Panginoon, Fernando. Magbago ka upang ikaw ay magtagumpay. Ikaw ang huwaran ng iyong pamilya.


Do you know what your children are eating?

It’s Nutrition Month again and this time, the celebration focuses on the theme "Batang may kinabukasan, sa wastong nutrisyon simulan." Now, that’s quite a mouthful! It’s a follow-up to last year’s theme that zeroed in on the importance of breastfeeding and complementary feeding. Taking center stage this time are preschool children, less than six years old.

Nutrition experts can’t stress enough the crucial role nutrition plays during a child’s formative, preschool years. It is at this time when the child needs adequate food to grow, become healthy and bright – and, yes, have a brighter future.

Parents, do you know what your preschool children should be eating? Perhaps these FAQs, from the National Nutrition Council, the country’s policy-making and coordinating body on nutrition, could help:

What is a bright child?

A bright child is a well-nourished child. He is healthy, strong and alert, has a good disposition, and grows at a normal rate. His appetite, digestion, and elimination are regular.

How can parents ensure good nutrition for their preschool child?

A key to ensuring that your child achieves optimum nutritional well-being is giving him a variety of foods in the right amount every day. No single food can provide all the nutrients needed for an active child to achieve good health and normal growth. Some foods have more of certain nutrients than others. By eating a variety of foods, a growing child has better chances of getting all the nutrients he needs.

What are the important foods in the diet of a growing child?

Energy-giving, body-building, and body-regulating foods or, to put it pat, go, grow, and glow foods.

• Go or energy-giving foods. The main nutrients in this food group are carbohydrates and fats. They’re the chief sources of energy needed by active preschoolers. Samples: rice, corn, root crops, bread and bakery products, noodles, cooking oil, butter, margarine, and other fats and sugars. When buying these products, look for the Sangkap Pinoy seal or the Diamond seal, a sign that the product has been fortified with vitamin A, iron or iodine at levels approved by the Department of Health.

• Grow or body-building foods. These foods are high in protein and minerals needed for growth and repair of body tissues. Samples: meat, fish, poultry, eggs, organ meats, milk and milk products, and dried beans (like monggo and nuts).

• Glow or regulating foods. These are the green, leafy and yellow vegetables (like malunggay, kamote tops and squash, other vegetables, vitamin C-rich fruits like guava, mango and orange, and other fruits). Vitamins and minerals are essential for a child’s growth, healthy eyes, strong bones and teeth, and high resistance to infection. Fiber is important for regular bowel movement.

How do you know if your child is eating correctly?

Monitoring through the growth chart is a useful and important way to know if the child is growing as expected, and is healthy and fit. Ideally, height and weight measurements of children between the ages of one month and three years should be taken every month, the first three years being a period of rapid growth. Thereafter, these should be done at least once every three months.

Do preschool children need nutritional supplements?

Strictly speaking, nutritional supplementation is only necessary when deficiencies in vitamin A, iron, and iodine are prevalent. Specifically, high-dose vitamin A supplementation is given to children twice a year for protection against vitamin A deficiency disorders. Furthermore, children with food allergies or intolerances, or those following very strict diets may also need supplements. Remember though that supplements can be toxic to children if taken in excess and should be stored and used with caution.

What are the common feeding problems of preschool children?

• Food jags. At preschool age, children accept only very few foods and reject all others. It is likely that the child’s appetite is lost because of too much parental urging or the child has become tired of eating the same foods every day. Nothing for parents to worry about if the child’s accepted foods represent a nutritionally adequate diet and do not contain excess additives or salt. If not, parents should:

1) Offer a variety of foods, but start the meals with the foods the child likes best.

2) Serve small portion sizes with options for seconds. Praise the child for eating even a little.

3) Present foods attractively; observe some sense of order, that is, no mixed dishes.

4) Remember that a child is very keen on the taste, flavor, texture, and temperature of food.

Introduce one new food at a time.

• Dawdling. A dawdling child is one who lingers or dilly-dallies with his food at mealtime. The reason could be that the child is given portions that are too large, he may not be feeling well or may be trying to get attention. If this happens, parents should avoid fussing over the child and just let him enjoy his food.

• Gagging. A child sometimes feels like vomiting, especially when fed coarse foods. This can be remedied by feeding the child in a well-ventilated and clean place, letting him eat with other children, encouraging self-feeding, and using colorful and easy-to-handle utensils.

• Eating too much. Overeating is often a habit learned by a child who is encouraged by his parents to overeat because of the mistaken notion that a fat child is a healthy child. This attitude needs to be corrected as it may result in obesity and lead to physical and emotional problems in childhood and even in adulthood. Among others, a child should be restrained from eating too much energy-rich foods like cakes, pastries, candies, chocolates, and ice cream, as well as fatty foods.

• Aversion toward some foods. Moms often complain about their children’s dislike for vegetables (those strange-looking greens on their plate). In most instances, it’s because the vegetables are unpalatable. Mothers should prepare and serve vegetables in such a way that they are attractive to children. For instance, why not use colorful veggies like carrots, baguio beans, and squash, and cut them up in different shapes?

• Breakfast skipping. Children often skip breakfast because they don’t have the time, they’re not hungry in the morning or they don’t like breakfast food. Children who skip breakfast usually score lower in tests and have slower memory recall. So, here are some bright ideas on how to make your child eat breakfast:

1) Eat breakfast with your child.

2) Some preparation the night before may contribute to a more relaxed morning routine.

3) Offer two or three food choices, if possible.

4) Give your child time to wake up and settle down. Rushing puts pressure on breakfast eating.

5) Let your child help prepare breakfast.

What about feeding between meals? Should children be given snacks?

Yes, children should be given snacks. The habit of taking snacks should not be discouraged. Given the right kind of food at a reasonable time, snacks can contribute significantly to meeting the child’s nutritional needs.

Here are some mouthwatering suggestions:

1) Consider snacks as part of the child’s daily food intake, not something eaten in addition to regular meals. If the child eats many snacks a day, reduce the amount of food to be eaten at mealtimes.

2) Milk, fresh fruits, fruit juices instead of soft drinks together with small sandwiches, cookies or native delicacies like kutsinta, maja, halaya, and suman are appropriate choices for nutritious snacks.

3) Do not offer snacks too close to mealtime so as not to reduce the child’s appetite. An allowance of two hours before mealtime will not spoil the child’s appetite.

Till next.....