Like a Sponge

I’m sure I’ve already emphasized before the importance of conducting a background check on the existing and potential nannies of your children. Not only do nannies have a strong influence on your kids, they’re also virtually the latter’s second parents. Hence, you’ll definitely want the nanny that you’ll be hiring to mirror the values and ideals that you have.

Unless you’ve oriented your kids’ second parent on some ground rules on how to go about her job, chances are is that she’ll be introducing her own morals and ideas to her wards. You might think that this won’t affect your children’s growth or mindset since they’re still too young to effectively perceive things. This is an erroneous conclusion. It has already been established by numerous studies that the mind of a person is very receptive during his formative years. It’s not surprising then why kids can easily learn 2-3 languages with little difficulty. In contrast, adults will definitely have a hard time training their tongue to speak a different language.

If you’re still not convinced, then check out the new study conducted by the National Institute of Health. The center revealed in their dissertation that kids who received good child care before entering kindergarten garnered higher vocabulary scores upon reaching fifth grade than those who didn’t.

Don’t think that your child’s relationship with his or her nanny is not the one being contemplated upon by the study. Under the report’s definition of terms, child care was defined as care by anyone other than the child’s mother who was regularly scheduled for at least 10 hours per week.

Choosing the right nanny will definitely be pivotal in developing your child’s mental capacity and behavior. Of course, the burden of rearing children falls not only on the nanny’s shoulder (or lap) as the kids’ parents will still be the ultimate molder of the former’s character.

Shelter and More

I’m quite astonished at the pace by which Angelina Jolie adopts children. We all know that she already has three, two of which are adopted. The eldest is 5-year-old Maddox who was adopted by the actress in Cambodia. The second child is also adopted. 2-year-old Zahara came from Ethiopia. The third one is Shiloh, Jolie’s own daughter from current partner Brad Pitt.

The star of Tomb Raider has recently adopted a 3-year-old boy from Vietnam. The details of the adoption are not clear, but sources said that it was sanctioned by the Vietnamese government. In fact, a simple ceremony would be held to formalize the adoption.

I’m all praises for Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt for their efforts in providing shelter and more to homeless kids from around the globe. These children would’ve faced a bleak future had they been left in the orphanage or institution where they were found by the celebrity couple.

I’m not an avid follower of entertainment news. I’m sure Jolie and Pitt already conveyed their reasons as to why they’re taking in abandoned children from different parts of the globe. From what I know, the idea came mainly from Jolie. I think I was able to read an article written long before Jolie and Pitt became an item that featured the actress’ intention of having children through adoption. As for Pitt, all I know is that he wants to have as many children as he could have. I guess that was the reason why he and Jennifer Aniston broke up. The popular mainstay of the sitcom Friends refused to bear Pitt’s child. This difference led to the couple’s eventual separation.

Maybe something happened in Jolie’s past which made her vow to help abandoned children around the globe. Maybe I could get a few pieces of the puzzle by conducting a background check on her. All I know about her family background is that she’s the daughter of actor Jon Voight. I don’t know who her mother is, or if she has siblings. For those of you who are more acquainted with showbiz news, please sprinkle a few details on the matter. I would gladly edit this entry accordingly.

From Soccer to Football

I know many Americans have not yet warmed up to football (ok, soccer) despite the fact that Major League Soccer has been around for several years now. However, I think it’s safe to say that they’re not oblivious as to who David Beckham or Zinedine Zidane is.

David Beckaham’s popularity in the United States has been on a galactic rise ever since the LA Galaxies offered him a multi-million dollar playing contract. Posh Spice’s hubby quickly nodded to the deal. Beckham has been languishing on the Real Madrid Bench these past few months. It’s not surprising then that he quickly shook hands with the LA Galaxy owners.

As for Zidane, he attained notoriety when he head-butted an Italian player during the finals of the FIFA World Cup. Every head-butting incident in all sporting events has since been unfairly (I’m a Zidane fan) attributed to him.

I’m saddened by the fact that some only know him as the ill-tempered head-butt-er. There’s so much to Zidane than that unfortunate incident. If you’ll conduct a background check on him, you’ll see that he’s a great person on and off the field. Just recently, he played in a charity match in Thailand. One of the things that I admire about him most is his inclination to participate in humanitarian efforts or projects of the United Nations and other non-profit organizations.

I hope that the arrival of Beckham would spark a football renaissance in the United States. Football fever in America has waned after the year (1994) that it hosted the World Cup. I would also like to see Beckham prove that the MLS is not a graveyard for aging or falling European football stars. It’s a budding league compared to its South American and European counterparts. However, it has the resources and the fan base to propel the game to where basketball and baseball are in the country.