12 virtues I learn from my 5-year old

My daughter is a gem. At a very young age, she encourages me in everything. She's beyond inspiration. The words, actions and mere presence of the little one reminds me about a lot of values, virtues and even principles.

Here are 12 of them:

1. Keep a high regard for everyone

She never fails to say hello to the supermarket cashier, to the guard, the waitress, janitor... to anybody. And when she does, it makes their day.

"Hi ate!, Hi kuya! Hi amigo!"

2. Don't just take advice, create opportunities 

She wants to be a chef. She don't just take instructions or advice from us. She makes sure to learn it directly from the person she looks up to - her mom. So whenever the mom does something in the kitchen, she pulls a small chair and stand on it to see what mommy does. Most of the time, she really helps in the preparation.

4. Focus on what you love, not on what to gain.

Other than being a chef, she also wants to become a waitress. She loves the idea of bringing someone's order to the table because it makes them happy. She's a people person. Innocent of how much a waitress gets paid, she chooses what's dear to her heart, and the one where she can make others happy.

5. Call people by name and brighten up their day

She always ask for people's name. When we're in a restaurant, she will read the name badge of the waiter and will call them by name. It's a sure way to brighten up their day.

6.  True contentment

Whenever she needs something, she don't ask for more than one. When she wants a cupcake, a toy or a candy, even if we're giving her 2 pieces or more, she'd say, "No thank you, I only need one."

One day, ate Adlene brought her to a store to buy some sweets. Ate Adlene was giving her 2 or 3 lollipops. She said, "Tita Adlene don't buy all 3 'coz one is enough."

7. Thinking out of the box

She's extremely creative. Once, I brought a popcorn home, she setup the living room with rows of chairs from the dining, turned off the lights and voila, a make-shift theater, "because there's a popcorn."

8. Being precise on contracts and agreements

We have a deal - and she initiated it. Every morning, before she wakes up, there must be a greeting card from daddy next to her pillow. She's very specific - it must be handwritten, must contain more than 2 colors, should have a heart and 3 kisses - drawings are negotiable.

2. Step up the marketing

Her shameless plugging of her Youtube channel to anybody often catches me off-guard. The confidence in saying, "I have a Youtube channel and I have 5 subscribers!" is out of this world.

8. Making great things from small stuffs

Everything that happens to a child is big deal. The way she tells the story of a fallen bird in the balcony and how we could help the poor birdie (medics, care, looking for the bird's family) is beyond my comprehension.

9. Sticking to budget, sticking to the list

We have a rule, if something is expensive and not really needed, don't buy it. She happily sticks to the rule, even if she really wants something badly and we say it's expensive, she's okay with it.

In a grocery, before she put something on the shopping cart, she'll ask, "Is that on the list daddy?"

10. Forget the looks, but not what empowers

She wants to have a cell phone 'at the right age.' And whenever she reminds us that she wants one, the highlight is, "and don't forget the CHARGER daddy!"

11. Willingness to wait

Every time we're in a store and she find something nice, she'll just tell us. "Daddy can we buy this next time?"

12. Don't be crazy to stress yourself at work

When she learns that I had a bad day at work, she would ask me not to go to office the next day to avoid stress and my "fighting" officemates.

She's my superhero! What a lovely blessing to have a daughter!

Parents, this is something that we need to sustain. Always pray for more wisdom to be guided in this ever challenging world of parenting.