All About Your Child

It was not too much of a shock to me to read a ‘2 year old Toddler Smokes’, when I saw the headlines earlier this week on an article. Remember my previous video showing another toddler smoking on the streets?

What made me post such a similar video again is because of how the parents reacted and how early they started giving him that stick. Look at the way the Toddler smokes…. *heart sank* I’m keeping this short. Let the video do the talking….

The day after my birthday, I was blog hopping to Little Prince site. Little Prince was confused with when to use the word ‘You‘ and when to use ‘Me‘.

This was something which I had encountered before and the method I used worked for ‘my‘ child care centre toddlers, as well as my boys; and so I shared in the comment box:

“Sit him on your lap.
Hold his right hand in yours with the index finger pointing out.
Point to himself and say “Me”.
Point to another person or teddy bear and say “you”….
do it as and when you can, over and over again every day, till he gets it right.

the keypoint here is not for “you”, its rather for “me”. So that whenever he needs something for himself, he will say “me” and then when to say “you” becomes natural.
*wink*”

I was super happy when I saw this post, almost 2 weeks later, when Little Prince’s Mommy said:

“Oh Yes!
I’m no longer confuse between ‘me’ and ‘you’,
After many sections of special training by mummy,
Via activity suggested by Aunty Angeline!
Special thanks to Aunty Angeline ”

It feels Awesome to be able to help. *Grin*

Do you face this problem too? Hope my method would work for your toddler as well.

Most parents instill good values into their kids brain. Note, I say most, ‘cos I have met and heard too many who doesn’t, like asking their own daughter to sleep with their step-father ‘cos the mother could not perform to his expectation. *Arrrggghhhh*

Ok, back to good values. 2 years ago, Keatkeat ask, “Mommy what are they doing?” Pointing to a group of men with cigarettes between their fingers, blowing out smoke. I have a deep impression of this day because Keatkeat continued to ask, “Their mouth got fire!” *huge laugh* I was teaching him how fire creates smoke back then.

The men turned and looked at him with blank faces. Would you go “Shhhh…..”?

I didn’t, I just pulled him away as I giggled a little. Then I explained, “Keatkeat, the uncles are smoking. See the thing they are holding? *my 3 year old (Back THEN) nodded* It is called ‘cigarette’. They suck in the cigarette like you suck Coke from a straw, but the cigarette is dry, so they suck air or smoke. But they cannot keep the smoke in their body, so they need to blow it out.”

I paused to check his reaction. He looked at me with the “Yes?…continue please” look.

I went on, “Keatkeat, this is VERY BAD for the body.”

“Why??!!!” He almost yelled. It was his Why-this, why-that growing stage then….

“Can you see the smoke is grey in colour? *the little head nodded* It is like dirty air. When dirty things go into your body, is it good? *the little head shook* So smoking is not good for our body, understand?”

“Yes, then why they want to smoke leh?”

“I don’t know, maybe you want to go and ask them?” I knew my shy boy wouldn’t, but I just had to stop the “Whys” from coming, at his age (then), I didn’t want to go into too much details. I believe, so long as the correct message is sent across, its enough.

Now that he is a bigger boy, his vocabulary and understanding have expanded, we could not really shut his mouth and this was what happened…

“Mommy, that uncle is smoking. So bad.” In a reproved tone. It was pretty loud. I looked into my boy’s eyes and gave a little smile together with a ok-that-one-sentence-is-enough stare. But he continued, “Aiyo, so bad for body still want to smoke.”

Now that caught the attention of the man in his 30s (I think), he was unhappy and he stared at my 5 year old with an undoubtable silent message “ya, I know its bad, but who are you to correct me when you are just a little nobody”. That look on his face was scary.

I pulled my boy away in case that man was already having a bad day before my boy added to his misery, who knows what he would do.

“Keatkeat, I am happy that you know it is bad, but some people do not like to hear that, especially when the person doesn’t know you. If Mommy did something wrong, you can tell me, I am ok, ‘cos we know each other. But please, never do it to strangers ok? Knowing that it is bad, in your heart, is good enough, don’t need to say it out.  They may get really angry and scold you…you want that?”

Immediately, he pulled me down to his level, moved his lips to my ears and whispered, “No…. so next time…. I will say softly to you, like now, can?”

*faint*

“Yes, yes….”

Binbin: “Mommy, for you.”

Me: “Who are they?”

Binbin: (left to right) “This is YOU! This is ME! You cannot see my face because I running to you to HUG YOU. Then this is Papa! He is also running to you to HUG YOU.”

Me: “Where is Gorgor (Big Brother)?”

Binbin: “No space already. So he is not here lah.”

Me: “But he will be very sad if we are in the picture and he is not.”

Binbin: “Oh! I know! We are a family right? And Family sticks together right? You imagine he is infront of me, he sticks to me lor, so you cannot see him. He is also running to you to HUG YOU. Like that can?”

Me: “Can *laugh* Sure!” *Laugh*

Binbin’s photo was chosen to be in the Playhouse Disney Birthday Book again! Keatkeat is so jealous! We submitted Keatkeat’s photo too last year but no luck. *pout*

The economy crisis has hit Playhouse Disney too! *laugh* The present given this year is (so) inferior compared to the gift last year. Hmmm…. only stickers were received on Wednesday:-

Oh well, these were good enough to cheer my boy, so I’m not complaining. *wink*

*Just in case you were wondering what Binbin said at the end of the video: “I got wear my bag…my baggy-bag.”

From the moment my 3 year old pops his head out of his class, he is all ready to report his 3-hour-experience. Yak Yak Yak… non-stop. You don’t even need to ask him anything.

When he sees his Papa at home, he is more than willing to REPEAT everything again. That’s how talkative my boy is. 5mins of silence is like having his lips taped up for a year ~ Unbearable! *laugh*

It has been more or less the same report since the beginning of this year:

• “Teacher scold me today”
• “Teacher say I must sit down when she is talking”
• “Teacher say there is a time to play and there is a time to sit down and listen”
• “Teacher say I must sit crossed-leg (ged), cannot squat”
• “Teacher scold me only”
• “Teacher did not scold my friends”
  

I believe all that he had said. ‘Cos there were times when we peeped into the small look-through glass on the door, we saw him DANCING ON HIS FEET while the other children were sitting on the mat, listening to the teacher sing ‘10 Little Indian Boys’ *faint*

TODAY, THE REPORT IS DIFFERENT (for the first time):

• “Today my friend pull my ear like that” (demonstrating)
• “Then I tell teacher”
• “Teacher scold my friend and he cry leh”
• “Teacher so fierce”
• “Teacher say I good boy”
• “Then, My teacher is so funny today”
• “She keep laughing and laughing and laughing”
• “I ask her why”
• “She don’t want to tell me”
• “Then she laugh at me and say I very funny”
• “She didn’t say my friends funny leh.”
• “She ONLY say I very funny”
• “So funny hor?”

*Huge Laugh*

That’s why I often say, ‘boredom’ was OUT of my dictionary ever since chatty Binbin came into my life!

We are still testing the causes of Binbin’s Eczema. We thought it could be due to his favourite fruit – Orange. I’m so glad that it isn’t. So the search for the cause of his skin problem is still on.

For Binbin the slogan is “An Orange a day Keeps my Tantrums Away!” *Huge Laugh*

I’ve always wanted to show you his craze over Fruits, especially Oranges. Most importantly, I wanted to record down his ability to PEEL, UN-SEED and EAT one orange all on his own when he is just 3 years old. By the way, he could do all of these half a year ago. Lazy mommy took so long to record the moments.

(*pardon the background noises. My bi-weekly helper was doing her cleaning routine.)

The last sentence in the top video was “Hi! I’m Meena.” Then ‘Meena’ starts to ‘talk’ in the video below. Ok, I’m not encouraging you to play with your food, ok? *laugh*

What completely amazes me is his ability to UN-SEED like an adult, when he is only 3! Or are all 3 years old able to do this?! The 3 years old whom I’d taught in child care couldn’t. Can your 3 year old do this like a pro too?