All About Your Child

For the first time, we decided to allow the kids to have half the amount collected from the ‘Hong Baos’ during Chinese New Year.

Yes, they had bought themselves a present each using that amount. But today, I’m not going to blog about that.

Ever since the decision was made, I insisted that each of them keep record of the movement of their money using a ‘budget book’. A simple book for them to look back at how much was spend and on what.

If ever, there comes a time when they don’t have enough for what they want at a shop, they can look back and realise that they had spent on things that were not so ‘needed‘ or not so ‘desired‘ or ‘could have been avoided‘; like what I want to blog for today’s post.

Keatkeat broke this in the shop earlier today, when we were getting stuff for Binbin’s birthday goodies bag.

As usual, his ‘itchy-flimsy‘ hands were meddling with it and it fell. The lady at the counter was trying to fix the wheel back, but failed. Allan and I told Keatkeat, “Keat, you have to pay for this now, because you broke it. We will pay for it first, but you’ll have to return the money to us from your piggy bank when we are home.” My 5 year old had no choice but to agree.

And so it was recorded.

*Sigh* Guess what? Keatkeat did not pay for HIS mistake only, he paid for OURS too.

‘Cos the wheel was NOT BROKEN!!! It merely slipped off! Both of us didn’t take over the Sharpener to have a closer look at it ourselves, we looked at the cashier who tried very hard to put back the wheel for about 30 seconds and we ASSUMED that it was really broken. *slap slap*

Anyhow, we never had such a big and fanciful sharpener before. Keatkeat loved it anyway, kept sharpening all his pencils even though they were still prickly sharp. His only complain was “If only it was Blue Colour.” *faint*

*Additional notes added on 25 march 7.09pm :

Me: “Keat, would you want to go back to the shop and change for a blue one?”
KK: “Don’t have blue! Only Pink and Green! I don’t like Green and even more don’t like Pink!”

(he had crystal-clear memory of what was on the shelf)

Back in March last year, when most of you haven’t found me in this super huge blogosphere yet, I posted something that ached my heart alot.

Allan has a friend whose daughter was ‘forced’ to be placed in a girl’s home by her own father. Full Story over here.

Recently, Allan had a client whose daughter is in girl’s home too. Similar fate. She was requested by her own parents to put her ‘behind locked doors‘. How sad. I did a post on Children in the past vs the Present. Are the kids of today harder to discipline? Or are the parents not getting involved enough with their child’s progress? The main focus was on Allan’s friend’s daughter’s behaviour.

But today’s spotlight is on a different girl, with a different issue. She is 16. Have a toddler. Unmarried. Haven’t got a clue who could be the father of the toddler. Now, she is pregnant again. Same thing. Too many sex partners. No one wants to take up the responsibility.

Her parents’ didn’t spare the rod on her.
But her skin has thickened over the years, the caning doesn’t hurt anymore.
Her bones have been tested so often, it has broken too many rods.
Her parents surrendered.
Instead of asking help from the Almighty in the heavens, they sought help from the mortals on earth – Girls Home.

*Deep sigh*

So go read those 2 posts if you have time, we are definitely in the era of ‘Challenging-Parenting’. Lots of ‘upgrading‘ on our side to meet the ‘standards‘ of today’s kids. Hmmm….

Full Story over here.

Children in the past vs the Present