Mom shares the old Filipino practices that she remembered and experience when she’s young. Check and read this article and know if you experience these too, and would you apply these old Filipino parenting practices to your children?
Old Filipino parenting and practices
I became a mom for the first time 15 years ago, at the age of 30. At that time, I heard and actually followed (and still following) some of the old practices and beliefs that the older generation practiced for years. Here are some of the practices that I grew up with and am aware of:
Po, Opo, and Mano po.
Children are taught to say “po” and “opo” whether they are related or not. It is a must to insert these words in every sentence that you use when talking to elders.
Unfortunately, my children haven’t practiced this that much as their first language was English. However, I always remind them about it and they actually do when they remember.
Also, children before always “mano po” whenever they arrived home or saw someone older than them like their relatives (Lola, Lolo, Tita, and Tito). It’s a common norm the young people before do and few people nowadays forgot it now.
Father is the head of the family, and the mother takes care of the household. Well, those were the days when mothers would stay at home and religiously take care of the children in every traditional family.
In this generation, mothers take the opportunity to work from home and still take care of the children in between. While of course, fathers remain to be the providers of the family’s essentials/needs.
Tsinelas Discipline
Sparing the rod is not so common during my time as a kid. My mom would use “tsinelas” and “patpat na kawayan” when needed.
Sometimes she would even use the fly killer with a long handle. I don’t remember using this kind of discipline to my kids. I only remember grabbing a slipper piece and using it as props to keep them quiet and sit still but did not actually use it. Time-out in the corner and face the wall worked well for us.
Angelus at 6:00 pm.
Image from iStock
Pinoy families are known to have a strong bond in their faith/religion. I remember spending time at past 6 pm in our neighbor’s house when I was a kid and actually joined them in their regular praying of Angelus at 6 pm. I wonder if there are families still doing this nowadays.
Taking care of our elders.
Pinoy parents also inculcate the idea of the young taking care of their elders not because of self-preservation, but simply because it’s the right thing to do. Home for the Aged and the likes are not commonly used among Pinoy families. As much as possible, we keep them with us up to their last breath.
Image from iStock
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Punishments.
Filipino old parenting practices
My mom tells me that when they get punished by my grandparents, they would ask them to kneel on grains of beans for an hour or kneel while taking the weight of books put on their heads/hands.
In my case to my children, I ground them for days – no gadgets, no TV, and no outdoor activities till they realized what they did was wrong.
Education.
Pinoy parents practically strive hardest and do everything to make sure their children will have the best education they can get. Pinoy parents are, by nature, obsessed with making sure that their children graduate.
Unlike Americans, they are given the choice to leave the house and live independently when they reached 18. Filipinos at times live in their parents’ house even after having a family of their own.
Image from iStock
Now that I have mentioned some of the common practices among Filipino families, would you revive these and actually apply them for your children? Would you also even dare them to follow including those superstitions and beliefs? Which among these on the LIST do you still follow and believe? Do you think today’s generation will just laugh about these?
About the Author
Michelle Carvalho is a working mom from home, she’s also a blogger and an influence. A certified VIP Parent in theAsianparent Philippines
