Thursday, November 29, 2012

Bluff

At my mum's, she has a money frog that looks similar to this. Except that hers sits in a 'pond' and has a glass 'ball' (which must have added meanings that I am unaware of).



The moment Chip saw it, he was so intrigued. Within seconds, his hands were all over it, stroking its face and extracting the coin off its mouth to examine. He even wanted to bounce the glass ball!! 

His curiosity made Ah-ma anxious. Naughty, naughty. She would repeat. He was told off for playing with them and reminded several times to refrain from touching. Examine with your eyes, not fingers.  

A while later, when the adults were in another room, M came reporting that Chip had said the 'fxxx' word 5 times. Gosh! My first reaction was annoyance and disbelief with his poor behaviour.   

A few minutes of reprimanding swiftly followed. 

Then he explained he wasn't scolding anyone, just saying the word to the frog. But why? 

Because Ah-ma said the frog would move if he behaved badly. He wanted to see if she was bluffing. After saying 'poo-poo' and 'da-bian' (which is 'poo' in Mandarin), calling it ugly and stupid and a bunch of insulting words and even making faces at it, it still didn't move.

The 'fxxx' words was his last attempt.

Hahaha...


Wednesday, November 28, 2012

Olivia: 14 months



Nov 2012

Talent? What talent?

A few weeks ago, I was at the Primary school filling in the forms as part of the administrative exercise to enroll Chip.

In one of the forms, I was asked to write something to describe my boy.

Uh.... for a long moment, I hesitated. What should I write that wouldn't come off as too corny or boastful? I am not certain, but I suppose the purpose of this question is for the teachers to know something about the kids so I don't think telling them that my boy is sweet, loves his sister, likes chocolate and play with his brother etc.. will be of any interest to them.

In the end, I think I only wrote one or two words, which I can't even remember now. Maybe 'cheeky' or 'expressive'... or maybe not. Bah.

The next question was even harder.

I had to list all of my boy's achievements and talents. Oops.

Um.. sorry my boy, what could I list? We didn't sign you up for any competitions or contests. For everything that you ever participated in, we always said it was too leh-chey (troublesome) to go for competitions if we have to submit any application forms or ferry you in a car (or cab).

So you spent a lot of time at home playing Lego, drawing or reading or just hanging out with your brother.

That reminded me of the same feeling I had, 2 years before, sitting in the same room, looking at the same form, when I was there doing the same exercise for M. Urgh.

So in the end, I left it blank. I glanced around the room and saw some mums busily making lists on their papers. Oops.

Ok, I don't mean it really. Only in jest.

We know he is talented and that is enough. We don't believe in prepping the kids for exams or competitions in swimming or art or music just to get some medals or even to progress the levels. Hence,  it may look like there is nothing to show for. But as long as they pick up the skills we wanted them to, it is good enough for us.

And I must admit it is a lot easier to just write whatever I like and feel about my boys on my blog than it is to fill in a form.

(On hindsight, I just realize I could have mentioned he is a blue belt in taekwondo. Oh, it is a big deal.. Hah. )



Tuesday, November 27, 2012

Maybe. Here We Go Again...

As I was looking at little kids crossing the road on their way to the various kindergartens nearby, I reminded myself once again that my little Bunny shall not be enrolled for school for at least another 2 years.

She is definitely too young for daily school next year. But I can enrol her for Jan 2014 intake if I wish though she will only be 2 yr 4 months then. Just the thought of her going to daily school at that age makes me cringe.

So nope, she will not be going that year too. I am going to keep her home till 2015 or maybe even later. She will learn plenty and blossom at home anyway. I am most certain she will learn more from me than going to daily school.

But of course, being the sole caregiver of the kids, I also recognize an advantage of her being in school for a couple of hours each day. It will give me a break. The much-needed break.

In 2015, I will also need more time and energy for the boys since one will be in Pri 3 and the other in Pri 5. Well, unless there are drastic changes to the PSLE by then, I imagine these will still remain pretty crucial years that require me to be hands-on.

Then out of the blue, a little thought came to mind. I suppose I was inspired when the little Bunny surprised me yet again with how much and how fast she learns. Perhaps, just perhaps, I will homeschool her. Till the last 6 months of Kindy 2, just so she will have time to get used to being in a classroom and school environment before going to big school.

The deciding factor is if I can organize my schedule well enough to still have time to recharge my battery and be involved with the boys' schoolwork.

The more I ponder the subject, the more do-able the idea seems ..... or maybe I should say, the more enthusiastic I get. Perhaps because I know this shall be the last chance to homeschool any of my kids, if I were to ever do it. Hmm...

I asked the brothers for their opinion. They got so excited for her. You mean she only needs to go to Mama-school? Wow... They volunteered to teach her this and that... though I must say, they will certainly have roles to play. :>

Well, nothing is cast in stone yet. And anyway, I don't have to decide for another 18 months which of course will pass in a jiffy.

It's the dad, I think, who will question the idea. He is old-school. I expect he won't be convinced of my reasons to homeschool her. Why bother? Go enjoy your me-time while the girl mingles with little friends. Never mind if she learns nothing more.

When the time comes, I am most certain he will dangle carrots in my face, just so I will enroll his princess in the best kindy down the road.






Monday, November 19, 2012

Separation

To him, getting into the top class should come with a happy result. It should mean he can still remain classmates with his best friend.

The boy was very hopeful for nearly two weeks until the last day of school during the Primary 3 Orientation, when he realized with great dismay that they will be separated. 

Unfortunately, there will be more than one High Ability classes next year and despite both acing all subjects, they will no longer be classmates, at least for next year. 

It was a blow, I could tell. He tried to hide his disappointment. But through his wet eyes and trembling lips when he looked at me, I could tell his heart must ache. 

Of course I felt sorry for him. And I did what a mother should do, to hug and console him. And to cheer him up and promise him that he will make new friends who will be as much fun.

Such separation is just a part of life and this mini-lesson is one that my sentimental boy has to learn. 





Thursday, November 1, 2012

His Moment

The boy was so eager to surprise me these two days.

The moment he walked into the house yesterday, he pulled out his marked English and Math exam papers with a big grin. And today, he skipped home with his Chinese papers for very good reason. :)

'How do you feel now?'  I had to ask to reiterate my point. It was a teachable moment.

'Very happy. Hard work surely pays off, Mama.' The sense of satisfaction was evident on his face. 

He was referring to his Chinese revision, which is really the only subject that he had put in effort to revise (with lots of nudging from me).

I know he could do this well in all areas and he did.

For now, the mini celebration has begun. He had his favourite dinner and dessert, followed by a movie of his choice. The boy is very appreciative and content. And I am a proud mama.




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