Dear Nanay,
I read your previous columns about pre-schools and the education of children. I also read Teacher Mary’s reaction to your column.
My child is still young (only one year 10 months) and goes to preschool but he has not started talking yet so I am getting concerned. How do I know if there is a problem? Everyone tells to just be patient and that children all develop at different speeds but I am getting worried. — Insecure mom
Dear insecure mom,
My advice to you would be to consult with a specialist. You can probably call your local hospital and ask if they have a doctor who specializes in child development or you can ask your pediatrician for a referral.
You are correct that each child is different and that they all develop at different speeds. However, if you think there might be a problem, it would be better for you to seek the advice of an expert as soon as possible as early intervention is often one of the keys to successful treatment of developmental problems. At worst, the doctor will say “Don’t worry about it” and send you home. If that happens, then at least you can rest easy and not have to worry about it again.
Sincerely,
Nanay
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Hiring An Older Employee
Dear Nanay,
I read your column that featured a housewife who was an accounting graduate, in her 40s and needs a job. As an employer, I would prefer younger applicants with experience, maybe 25 to 35 years of age. I believe the efficiency of a person diminishes as one grows older. Her letter was very touching and though I needed an accounting graduate at that time, I just noted on my cell phone some details from what I read and did not do anything to keep in touch with you.
Apart from an accounting graduate, I was also in need at that time of a college graduate, preferably with experience, to work as my secretary since I just started another business, a real estate development company. While I had a younger applicant with no experience in secretarial functions, I had another applicant, in her late 40s and similarly with no experience in the same line of job. I happen to know the second applicant, being the wife of a friend. She worked as a fulltime housewife attending to her two sons. While the husband is able to provide the needs of her family, she told me she wanted to work to avoid boredom especially now that her children are grown up. I felt that the second applicant would be of more use to me because of her maturity, the discipline she has developed and her sincere desire to achieve her wish to land a job. She tried applying with other companies before but was not able to get employed maybe because of her age and lack of experience.
New graduates are idealistic. They want to get employed in big companies offering attractive compensation packages. They want to try different employers in search of the best. This is expected, after all. They studied hard to get a good and high-paying job. They should realize, however, that with smaller companies, a year or two of experience will enable them to observe and understand the different areas of the company’s operations. Earlier, I hired a fresh graduate with a little experience in IT. After six months, the guy left to seek greener pastures. With this, I thought I’d better get a non-experienced but matured applicant as my secretary.
It has been four months now from the time I hired her and she proved me right. She is making my job a lot easier working as my secretary-cum-executive assistant. She deals with different offices with ease for transactions required in our operations. She’s hardworking and always eager to learn.
May you continue helping people with your very informative column. — Beth
Dear Beth,
Thank you for sharing your experience and kudos to you for “taking a chance” with a more mature person — like me! It just goes to show that everyone, regardless of age, can still have a career and make meaningful contributions to any company and society as a whole.
And besides, people in their 40s who say that they are too old do not know what they are talking about! Ang bata-bata pa ninyo (you are still so young) and you still have many, many years of life ahead. Tingnan ninyo ako (Look at me). I was 82 when I was fortunate enough to win the Entrepreneur of the Year Award from Ernst and Young. Eighty-three! I really thought I had “done it all” already but little did I know that there was still so much more to life that I had not experienced.
So for everyone who is thinking about going back to work, I say go for it!
Sincerely,
Nanay
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If you have a question, e-mail us at asknanay@nationalbookstore.com.ph or just drop your letter at drop boxes in all National Book Store branches nationwide.