Parenting Practices That Are Truly Pinoy

We've heard of Pinoy practices for sure from our beloved lolas and lolos.

by Stephanie Gonzaga . Jun 12, 2018

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11 Parenting Practices That Are Truly Pinoy

PHOTO BY ISTOCK

To read this story in Tagalog, click here.

There are a lot of things that sets us Filipinos apart from other countries. Nowhere is this more apparent
than in parenting, where we have very distinct ways of imparting values to our children and keeping
them physically healthy. We list some of the uniquely Filipino parenting practices here:

On respect for elders and relatives:

Pagmamano

From a young age, as early as the toddler years, we teach our children to express humility and respect
for older people with the gesture of pagmanano, or bringing the elderly’s hand to one's forehead.

Saying “po” and “opo”

Our display of respect also encompasses our vocabulary. Not only do we teach our children to say “po”
and “opo” when addressing elders, but also when speaking to people of authority such as teachers,
church elders and policemen.

On values for life:

Utang na loob
In the Philippines, we take gratitude seriously. Acts of generosity and kindness do not go forgotten as we
are taught from a young age about the importance of utang ng loob, or lifetime indebtedness.

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Hospitality

Filipinos are notorious for their immense hospitality and are witness to this trait from their early years.
We will willingly give up what remaining food we have or even our beds to make our visitors as
comfortable as possible.

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Removing our shoes/slippers

Similar to our Japanese and Korean neighbors, we also espouse the habit of removing our footwear
before entering someone’s house as a sign of respect.

On dining and family gatherings:

Family mealtime

It is the golden rule in the home: the family should enjoy mealtimes together. Some of us may be used
to hearing, “Huwag paghintayin ang pagkain” (Don’t make the food wait). When the food is served,
everybody should be ready to partake of it as one unit.

Asking kids to showcase their talent

Filipinos are born entertainers, so much so that we raise our kids from a young age to know when to pull
up the singer-dancer-actor card when we have a ready audience during family gatherings. Party
organizers need not fret about the program, as kids know all too well what it's like being asked by their
parents to do a routine for their relatives’ amusement. The motivation? A kiss from a doting tito or tita,
or, if they're feeling generous, maybe even a gift.

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On infant and child care:

Puwera usog

“Usog” is associated with feelings of physical discomfort, supposedly brought about by the innocent
greeting or admiration of a stranger. By some unexplained phenomenon, the greeting is said to cause
the baby, child, or adult gassiness, colic, dizziness or vomiting. To counter this, Pinoys reply with a casual
“Puwera usog” and by applying saliva on the child’s forehead or tummy.

To cure a child of "usog," an elderly woman in the family or a faith healer (manghihilot or albularyo)
would apply her own saliva, coconut oil or chamomile oil (aceite de manzanilla) on the child’s abdomen.
Some also place either a red marker (usually a piece of thread or the mark of a lipstick) on the child’s
forehead to "absorb" the hex, or a beaded bracelet or a small pouch with an amulet pinned on the
child's clothes as a protective accessory.

Tuwalya (towel)/diyaryo (newspaper) sa likod (back)

With our humid climate, Pinoy parents know how sweaty their active children can get when playing. It
can be worrisome because we think the sweat will dry up on the kids’ backs and be absorbed by the
lungs, resulting in pneumonia.

To combat this, we drape a hand towel or a piece of newspaper on children’s backs. Some Filipinos still
do it in their adulthood — you might have seen a jeepney driver or two with the all-too-familiar white
towel.

On money
Pamamasko at aguinaldo

If there’s a holiday tradition that is our kids' favorite, it’s Christmastime, when they could ask their
ninongs and ninangs (godparents) for aguinaldo (Christmas money). It's an important tradition, not so
much for the amount of money they receive, but for the rekindling of connections with their
godparents.

On fun

Playing in the rain

Bathing and playing in the rain is an experience that many Pinoy kids will remember with fondness.
Having not a care in the world and just enjoying the gentle pelt of rain on their bodies will remain one of
the most magical moments in their childhood.

Which ones among these did you grow up with, and which ones will you repeat as parents?