I was walking around in a supermarket when i saw a cashier hand this little boy his money back, the boy couldn’t have been more than 5 or 6 years old. The Cashier said, ‘I’m sorry, but you don’t have enough money to buy this doll.” The little boy turned to the old woman next to him, ”Granny, are you sure I don’t have enough money?” She replied, ”You know that you don’t have enough money to buy this doll, my dear.” Then she asked him to stay there for just 5 minutes while she went to look around. She left quickly. The little boy was still holding the doll in his hand.

Finally, I walked toward him and I asked him who he wished to give this doll to. ‘It’s the doll that my sister loved most and wanted so much for Christmas. She was sure that Santa Claus would bring it to her.’ I replied to him that maybe Santa Claus would bring it to her after all, and not to worry. But he replied to me sadly. ‘No, Santa Claus can’t bring it to her where she is now. I have to give the doll to my mommy so that she can give it to my sister when she goes there.’ His eyes were so sad while saying this, ‘My Sister has gone to be with God. Daddy says that Mommy is going to see God very soon too, so I thought that she could take the doll with her to give it to my sister.” My heart nearly stopped. [Read more...]

The title of Lisa Cholodenko’s wonderful new film, The Kids Are All Right, quotes an ancient youth-culture anthem by the Who: a song released before the parents of many of today’s teenagers were born. In the context of the movie — a comedy of domestic manners and misunderstandings — The Kids Are All Right is a statement shadowed by an implicit question: Aren’t they?

Sure they are. Kids these days spend all their time playing video games or texting and sexting and cyber-bullying instead of reading and going to movies. And when they do go to the movies, it’s to see the dumb action blockbusters. Instead of going steady, they “hook up.” What kind of music are they listening to? What kind of jobs are they going to be able to find? Where did we go wrong? [Read more...]

ONE of the most joyful experiences in life is when we welcome a baby into this world. Most mothers delight in the experience of nurturing, cuddling, and breastfeeding their little ones. At birth, your baby is dependent on you for almost every single aspect of his life and survival – he cannot walk as his central nervous system has not fully matured nor can he talk as his brain is still developing.

However, your baby is able to fully enjoy the nutritional benefits breast milk provides as his digestive system is mature enough to digest it at the time of his birth.

Gut development

When a foetus is formed in his mother’s womb, three layers of cells gradually develop to become the three main components of his body. The first layer forms the nervous system and sensory organs while the second layer forms his muscular, circulatory, and skeletal systems. The third layer of cells forms the digestive system. Your baby’s intestines start to develop as early as week five of pregnancy.

During the third month of foetal development, the foetus’ stomach cells start to secrete fluid. Waste that forms from the foetus goes through the placenta and into mother’s blood. This means that the digestive system has already started functioning even during the foetal stage.

At birth, your baby’s digestive system is still developing and maturing. At this point, he is not ready to accept other types of food except breast milk.

At about six months, your baby’s digestive system is mature enough to digest more complex and solid food substances, like starch, protein, and fat in a non-milk diet. At this stage, he’s ready to be introduced to solid foods (complementary food). It is recommended that you continue giving your child breast milk as he gradually gets used to eating solid food.

In his early childhood, your child’s digestive system continues to mature. The first two years are the most critical. The gut microflora established during this period can greatly influence your child’s long-term immunity. If your child’s digestive health is poor and he is malnourished at this point, his growth and development will be jeopardised.

Within your baby’s gut

At birth, your baby’s gut is sterile. As soon as you start breastfeeding, bacteria are introduced into your baby’s gut. Mother’s breast milk gas several beneficial bacteria, e.g. bifidobacteria and lactobacillus, which are crucial for your baby’s gut health. The number of bacteria, both the good and bad bacteria, increases rapidly in the baby’s first few days of life.

As your baby grows, his gut microflora established during his first two years stabilises, and it usually maintains a balance until he reaches adulthood.

A healthy gut microflora ecosystem is essential to your baby’s overall health. Babies that don’t have the right balance of gut bacteria are likely to be more prone to colic (gas and pain in the abdomen), and are believed to be at greater risk of developing allergy (e.g. eczema) and asthma when they grow up.

Breastfed vs. bottle-fed

Breastfeeding can help your child achieve optimal growth, development, and health. Studies have suggested that children who are breastfed have significantly fewer gastrointestinal, ear, urinary, and respiratory infections. Breast milk is rich in antibodies and it can better protect your child against infections. Breast milk will also encourage the colonisation of good bacteria in the newborn’s gastrointestinal tract.

Formula fed babies’ gut microflora have been found to be different from breastfed babies. Formula-fed infants tend to have far less bifidobacteria, a bacteria that contributes towards the development of healthy gut microflora. Some studies suggest that there is increased risk of atopic eczema in infants who are given formula milk compared to those who are exclusively breastfed.

Moreover, bifidogenic factors that are found in breast milk help to boost the growth of beneficial bacteria in the gut, which lessens the risk of diarrhoea and other intestinal illnesses. In other words, breast milk keeps the digestive system in good condition.

It is therefore essential to breastfeed babies, especially during the first few days of life. The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends that mothers breastfeed their children exclusively for at least the first six months and continue breastfeeding their child up till the age of two years. In fact, both UNICEF and WHO encourage mother’s to breastfeed up to two years, if possible. This is because children’s immune systems are not as strong yet, so they need more protection, which breast milk can provide.

Care for your child’s digestive health

You might think the digestive system is merely to help us digest food, but the truth is, it plays a much bigger role. Without a healthy digestive system, your child can’t get all the nutrients he needs to grow properly and stay healthy. A problematic gut can affect your child in several ways, including his body weight, nutritional status, immune system, and even his emotions.

Your child’s digestive system is his “food processing machine”. Food must first be adequately broken down and properly absorbed before it can be utilised by his body. If any part of the process goes wrong, your child’s nutritional status is at risk, and when this happens, it may affect his physical as well as cognitive development.

Your child’s digestion affects his metabolic rate, which in turn affects his overall weight. Good digestion helps optimise metabolism. When your child is not properly nourished, it interferes with nutrient breakdown, absorption, and metabolism, which leads to accumulation of toxins in the body.

Your child’s digestive tract lining is also his body’s first line of defence as it acts as a barrier that stops invaders from entering the body. Studies have indicated that a large proportion of the body’s immune cells lies within the gastrointestinal wall.

This makes sense as your digestive tract makes up the largest surface area in your body and is exposed to an enormous amount of food during a lifetime.

So, if you want your child to grow and stay healthy for many years to come, start taking good care of his little tummy now. By Prof Dr Christopher Boy Chiong Meng, The Star

We’d all love to have a good marriage blessed with happy, respectful, successful children are the crowning touch of a good life. Everyone wants to live this life, but it seems many don’t know how to have a happy marriage. What’s missing? And where does God fit in the picture? Did He have anything to do with the institution of marriage and, if so, did He give us any instructions? Well, do you have asked yourself the question, where do I seek Marriage Help? And if you’re struggling in your marriage life, unhappy, or on the verge of divorce, you need to have the best information available at your fingertips.

Nevertheless, you need to know what factors could be working against your marriage right now, even if you see nothing wrong. Many people believe that their marriage is working fine until their spouse gives them the wake-up call. It takes courage to really love without expecting anything in return.  There is deep meaning in those yearnings if we take time to really listen to them, and not just rush to cover them up, numb ourselves out, or avoid the hard work and feelings. Sometimes no matter how much it hurts to love, there is no letting go of those feelings, because there is nothing to let go of, and at least nothing tangible. Hence, most importantly, try to undergo Marriage Counseling before anything comes too late.

In a nutshell, how you can love someone, and they just can’t show up in return. These were the words of a friend grieving the loss of a lover who turned for comfort. There is no rushing personal growth. Time tempers the pain, but we all know how awful that sounds when you are just coming to grips with the news that your beloved is no longer yours to love. You’ll feel better, just give it some time, are some default words of comfort, except, they don’t really comfort the right person. Love just is, you cannot will it away or toward you. It meanders on its own accord and takes it sweet time, or rushes in with heady abandon despite your best intentions and self-protection.