Filipino Pamahiin About Babies

My son's birthday is just around the corner and to tell you honestly, I am pretty psyched and not to mention, worried. I mean, I know I have prepared everything on my list --- from the back-up tent in case it rains on Saturday (which, according to Kuya Kim is unlikely) to the extra goodie bags (in case more kids arrive). If you really know me, you're aware that at this very moment, I am a complete wreck.

Yes, I am.

I am completely, utterly in mayhem! My mind's racing, a thousand negative things running through my brain. As if that's not enough to torture me, I am hearing several people side commenting that I SHOULDN'T have done my baby's birthday earlier; it will bring bad luck (daw) to my child.

Oh c'mon! When I was planning my baby's birthday and was thinking of doing it on the 14th, some people said it's also bad luck to move my baby's birthday on a later day! What the f----???!!! Seriously, you're telling me this NOW?

That's why I came up with this post. OMG, I can't believe there are HUNDREDS of pamahiin! Honestly, if you follow everything on my list, your child will probably end up either a:

• stinky kid
• kid with perfect white teeth
• make-shift boy version of Rapunzel
• kid with talons (not nails)
• unloved child

Why? Here's why:

1. Don't cut your baby's nails from Monday to Friday, in the evening, before taking a bath.
2. Don't cut you baby's hair before his first birthday. If in case he's ready to have his first haircut, make sure that the person who cuts his hair is brainy and lucky in life. Also, keep your child's hair inside a book to make him intelligent as well.
3. If a child touches his two feet or sucks his toes, he's asking for a sibling.

    4. The child cannot move house or travel long distances if he's not yet baptized
    5. Cut the child's eyelashes to make it grow long.
    6. If a child learns to sit first, there will be delay in the growth of his teeth.

    7. If a child's milktooth falls out, throw it up onto the roof of the house so that the rats will find it. When  the new tooth grows in, it wil be as strong and as powerful as a rat's tooth.
    8. Stepping over a child while he is asleep will slow down his growth.

     9. A child that cries during his baptism is a sign of prosperity. The harder the child cries, the richer he will be.
    10. When a child is ready to walk, put him on the stairs. Have him step on a plate or anywhere else so long as his feet do not touch the ground first. This is to ensure that he will always find his way home from wherever he may roam.

And a lot more! Trust me, try to Google "pamahiin" and you'll be overwhelmed with the results. Good thing my mother-in-law and mom don't really believe in them or I might not know what to do as I have defied most of them. I think what's really important is to have higher faith in the Lord but of course, it varies from people to people.