All About Your Child

Though there are hundreds of cases where parents abused their own children, I still believe that most parents would do anything for their child, so long as the child grows up to be a healthy, happy kid.

Keatkeat has changed alot since last month, December 2010. He is more independent, more considerate and definitely more ‘manageable‘. *laugh* If you have been following my blog, you would know that the challenges I have with Keatkeat had been an uphill struggle.

Lack of concentration, no interest in almost everything, self-centered, petty, know-what-needs-to-be-done-but-choose-not-to-do sort of personality, sore loser, poor health, insensitive…. etc.

Ever since last year end, he had started to show great changes in terms of personality. He had been doing and saying things that are not quite him. In fact, I am extremely glad to say that I am LOVING THE CHANGE I see in him now.

Today, he said, “Mommy, while I do my homework, you sing this!” He passed me a few papers with famous Chinese New Year songs lyrics printed on them and he continued to say, “You don’t need to teach me, I will do my homework on my own. You just sit here and sing.”

*laugh*

I have become an instant living radio!

*laugh*

Oh well, so long as he is willing to do his worksheets and putting a grin on his face as he does his school work, I am EXTREMELY willing to cooperate.

And so I sang.

He sang too, while his hand got busy with the pencil on his worksheet. There were a few occasions whereby he even rocked slightly to the rhythm. Wow!

He was all smiles as he did his homework well and finished in a flash!

Wow! He reminded me so much of my schooling days!

I would turn on the radio, sing and do my homework. Even during examination preparation period, I would do that too! *laugh* Aaawwww…. my boy is so much like me in this aspect!

I remembered my Father often scolded, “How can you concentrate on your school work when you are listening to the radio and singing at the same time?! Do you know what are you reading and writing?”

Oh well, I proved that I KNOW what I was reading and writing even though I was singing and listening to the radio with my good results! *wink*

So to me, even if I had to be a living radio, in order to get Keatkeat to do his homework with happiness beaming all over his face, I am perfectly alright to do it. *Grin*

What Parents Would Do For Their Child

I understand that all parents love their children and would do almost anything to let their children have that extra comfort. My question is, for how long?

There is a line drawn between over-protective and abusive.

I believe in training the child to be responsible for their own things and being independent the moment the child shows signs that he or she is able to handle the responsibilities.

My boys has been fully trained to bathe themselves, brush teeth for themselves, dress themselves when they were as young as three. Now, they wash their own plates and bowls. I continue to believe that it is crucial for the child to learn to be independent when they are ready.

For the whole of last year, I see this family EVERY DAY. An approximately 70 year old granny, a mother who looks like in her late 30s and a daughter whose ‘sides’ were bigger than mine and was slightly shorter than me, i.e. 158cm.

Over hearing their conversation many times and looking at her size, I suspected that she was a Primary 6 student.

Every morning her granny would carry her school bag and walk many steps ahead of the mother and daughter, who would usually be lagging behind holding hands, chit-chatting and laughing away.

Her granny’s hunch was pretty bad already even without any weight on her back.

How could the daughter and the grand-daughter add such unnecessary pressure on her spine?!

Whenever I see them, I would always be struggling within myself and holding myself back from asking, “You are such a big girl already, why are you not carrying your own bag and taking responsibilityof your own things?”

What puzzled me even more was the fact that she loves her granny! I have seen her kissed her granny on different occasions at the school gate before the old lady hand the heavy school bag over to her grand-daughter.

If you love your granny so much, why are you allowing her old body to go through this torture?

Even if your granny insists on carrying your school bag, you should be sensible enough to reject the offer and carry your own bag!

Well, its been two days since school reopened and I have yet to see the trio. If my suspicion was correct, she WAS a Primary 6 pupil and had moved on to Secondary School already, then that explains why I do not see her anymore.

The only time I carried my child’s school bag was when I need him to run faster to beat the traffic lights. Only then will I carry his school bag, dash across the traffic junction while holding his hands and return the heavy school bag to him immediately, when we reach the other end of the road. Other than that, NO way will I carry his bag for him!