Green thumbs up!

One of the most important things I learned from my grandparents is the love for planting or gardening. At a very young age, they have showed me the importance of keeping seeds from ripe fruits which we have eaten, drying them in the sun, and consequently planting them so that they would give fruits, shade and shelter. Of course, they didn’t miss telling me that trees also give us oxygen, and that’s the best reason why we should plant.

Farming w/ my grandpa, my mom & my cousins

My parents share the same passion so they taught us just the same. I could still picture the vegetable garden we had around our old house. It wasn’t a very stylish one with colorful patio umbrellas, though.

Under a mango tree w/ Dad & Arvid

Instead, for garden accents we had either “Alugbati” a.k.a. “Bilbilunak” or Bittergourd a.k.a “Ampalaya” leaves climbing up our roof through the laundry wires. Our lawn consisted of sweet potatoes crawling on the ground. Meanwhile, our tomato and eggplant planters, were formula milk cans and worn-out basins. This didn’t only spark my love for flowers, veggies and trees but also teach me the worth of reducing, re-using and recycling.

Having learnt the values of planting and hard work from very good sources, my grannies and my parents, I thought that it is but essential for me thank them. And what better way could I think of but to pass on the same teachings to the younger generations – Arvid and his cousins!

Here’s my little one using an old yet very useful hose to water his first tree at 1 year old and 6 months.

Growing together. Arvid and his Pomelo tree

WM tip for new moms like me:

Mos children aged zero to three will think concretely, retain some information, and process information primarily through their five senses—by seeing, touching, hearing, tasting, and smelling.* As such, it is best that you expose them to activities that you think would help them become the best they can be when they grow up. Come on! Give your baby a hose and allow him to love planting the way Arvid does.

*http://www.education.com/reference/article/Ref_Growth_Ages_Zero/