Power Of Words_Unlocked

Let's be honest, who remembers cassette tapes and dial-up internet? This Gen X parent has seen it all – the rise and fall of technological trends, the awkward (and sometimes glorious) evolution of communication. I prided myself on being somewhat tech-savvy, navigating the ever-changing digital landscape with relative ease.  After all, I survived the transition from bulky desktop computers to sleek laptops, from brick phones to smartphones. So, when it came to online communication, I figured I was reasonably hip.  That was until a recent text exchange with my teenager threw a major curveball. My suggestion for dinner elicited a reply that left me scratching my head–a simple " YESSSS! ". Now, in my book, those extra "S"s reeked of passive-aggressive annoyance. Weren't " Yes! " or even an enthusiastic emoji enough? My internal monologue simmered with confusion until my daughter, bless her, picked up on my bewilderment.  That's when the truth hit m

Scrolling through my Facebook feed, I stumbled upon yet another heated debate. The topic? A new government policy with a catchy but controversial headline.  The comments were a whirlwind of strong opinions, condemnations, and even calls for action. Curious, I clicked on the article...and that's when it hit me. Almost everyone passionately arguing seemed to have based their entire stance on just the headline. This isn't an isolated incident.  We Filipinos have a strange relationship with online content.  We love a juicy headline, a shocking image, or a promise of unbelievable drama. Yet,  often, we don't bother to click, to read, to actually understand the whole story – we live and die by the clickbait. Clicking & Condemning: The Filipino Way Let's be clear - Filipinos aren't the only ones who fall for clickbait. It's a global plague, preying on basic human instincts and the way we interact with information in the digital age. However, there are specific ways

Growing up in the Philippines in the 1980s, a misbehaving child might get a scolding or even a spanking. We called it discipline, and while I wouldn't choose that parenting method now, it did instill a sense of self-control in me. Today, I see a different extreme. Kids fuss or whine, and instantly, they're handed a tablet or a smartphone to quiet them down.  We seem to have traded one kind of pacifier for another. I understand the temptation of screens – they're distracting and entertaining. But I worry that relying too heavily on them as behavior regulators may do more harm than good.  Our kids may miss out on developing crucial self-regulation skills, navigating the complex digital world, and building meaningful connections with their parents. It's true that excessive screentime has drawbacks, but let's look at the potential drawbacks of being too restrictive as well. Screentime and Self-Regulation Children learn self-regulation by trial and error. When we immedia