Meet Olga! Energetic, full of optimism and constantly striving for balance. She takes time to reflect on and readjust her parenting style in a meaningful, practical way, and yet she does not overthink. We admire her unique ability to live in her children’s worlds so as to better understand them and meet their needs. She reminds us of the power, privilege and awesomeness of a parent’s intuition. And she does it all with grace and a beautiful, bold smile!
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On Parenting
What’s something that worries you about raising children these days?
- So many things! Plenty of fretting over things like school, jobs, friends, adolescence, global warming. But I mostly worry about whether they will be happy. Will they find their paths? Where will we be as a society?
- I’ve been reflecting a lot these days and as much as we’ve had to adapt to the new norm of shelter-in-place, I think (and hope) it has brought us closer together as a society in many other ways, and has helped us have gratitude for things we’ve taken for granted.
- I suppose it’s too early to tell, but I do hope this is not just a temporary realization and that we take positive learnings from this challenging situation.
Biggest parenting challenge right now:
- Splitting my time between my 8-year old, my 2-year old, my husband, my professional life and my personal life. They all require significant attention and I struggle with how not to feel guilty when I choose one over the other.
What do you wish you would do more / less of as a parent?
- More: Let them make mistakes; let them fail in their own way. It’s so important for them to learn to be resilient and persistent, and letting them make mistakes can teach that. I wish I did that more.
- Less: Worry about them. Our eldest was diagnosed with dyslexia right before third grade and my 2-year old has a speech delay. In the back of my mind, I’m always thinking about their milestones and whether they are progressing in the right direction. I wish I could relish in whatever phase they’re at and worry less about how they’re doing. Slowly, I am learning to recalibrate what is developmentally normal.
How do you get your children to do something they don’t know how to do?
- With my youngest (age 2), there is more hand-holding so it’s about remembering he needs more guidance as he is much younger than my eldest – that I need to ‘respond’ (vs. react) to his behavior. Their age difference really requires different mindsets.
- With my eldest (age 8), I try to see if he can find a way to independently problem-solve. He likes challenges but gets easily frustrated, so it’s a fine line that I am still learning to walk. One strategy that generally works is reminding him how many times athletes practice or scientists do experiments before they experience success; the power of ‘yet’ is pretty motivating for him.
What do you love most about parenting?
“When I see my kids playing. To be able to watch a child play is a gift. It’s humbling and inspiring. And the times I see them appreciating each other as siblings (like using the Plinkit Sibling Love Jar). I also love cuddling with them and seeing them learn something new.”
5 surprising things about parenting:
- On your children’s learning: You learn as much from your children as they learn from you.
- On school: I never felt over protective of my kids…until the day I heard my son say that he preferred to have lunch by himself at school. It hurt my heart to hear that my child was being excluded in school. I went into full Mama Bear mode to figure out what was going on.
- On toys: I was never a LEGO fan until the first time I sat with my oldest son to build a set. It was amazing to watch him have so much pride in what he constructed, and it felt therapeutic for me to build something with my hands and to spend time just sitting next to him.
- On food: I used to have a hard time believing someone who said their picky kids wouldn’t eat, and then I had my strong-willed second child who taught me kids are born with many preferences.
- On childcare: I realize I’ve had it incredibly easy as I’ve always had my parents within arms reach since my first child was born. I feel really grateful to have their constant support and incredibly lucky to have them as my village.
On Your Family
Describe a favorite family tradition.
- A new one as of late is an afternoon/evening run. Our eldest is a runner, so we chase after him.
- We love to go on bear hunts in our neighborhood, even if we never actually find one!
- I love weekends when we go for a hike or ride our bikes to downtown to pick up a book at the local bookstore or for ice cream. (A reminder of the little things we took for granted in the past that we cherish even more today.)
What is your child’s favorite toy these days? What was one of your favorite toys as a child?
- My kids: LEGOs, LEGOs, LEGOs. It’s amazing how our eldest can spend hours building with and without instructions. Our youngest learned about LEGOs from an early age just by virtue that they are everywhere in our house because of our eldest. I love seeing how a 2-year old finds new ways to play with them – he takes all the mini figure characters and exchanges their heads! (Plus, it’s a super fine motor exercise for him.)
- Mine: My favorite toy was a Cabbage Patch Kid baby. I still remember opening her birth certificate and dressing her up.
What are your children’s 3 favorite books?
- 2-year old: He loves anything related to Thomas the Train.
- 8-year old: He loves illustrated series, like HILO and the Sisters series.
On Your Wisdom
What’s something from your childhood that is different for your children?
- Find those special friends that become like family; they are a blessing.
- Both my husband and I were born and raised in Venezuela and moved to the U.S. after we were married. The U.S. is our home now, which means our friends are an important part of our village for our children. We are fortunate to have my parents here with us, but still, we miss our extended family in Venezuela. For that reason, the concept of ‘family’ is different for our kids as it was for my husband and I growing up.
Words you’d like to share with your children’s teacher:
- We miss you! We truly do. I don’t know how teachers manage 20+ kids all together, and I’m amazed at their patience with the constant stream of questions from children. So many questions – all.the.time!
Words of wisdom you’d share with a new parent:
- Trust your gut. If something doesn’t feel right about your child, check on it. Don’t worry about other people’s opinions. You know your child best. That’s a big responsibility but I also find it liberating.
*Plinkit is proud to share these parent profiles as they authentically represent the diverse voices of our Plinkit readership. The views and opinions expressed in these parent profiles are those of the authors and may not necessarily reflect those of Plinkit Pte. Ltd.
