All About Your Child

Despite the school’s effort to educate the kids with talks from the Ministry of Health and by giving colourful stickers like these to the kids with the important tips printed on them, the damage that too much TV-watching is not good for their eyes, still doesn’t register into their mind.

So to make them SEE the truth, this was what I did! I video-ed the cartoon ‘My Friends Tigger & Pooh’ from Playhouse Disney Channel and SHOWED them what their eyes are actually looking at!

They were shocked! They couldn’t believe that their eyes couldn’t see the disturbing waves on the TV screen. After looking at the video shot for more than 5 seconds, they couldn’t stand it and looked away.

Me: Is this nice to look at?
Boys: No.

Me: Are your eyes painful?
Binbin: Yes.
Keatkeat: I’m feeling giddy…

Me: It’s ok to watch cartoons but not for too long, because THIS IS what your eyes are REALLY looking at. Are your eyes important?
Boys: Yes.

Me: So do you want to spoil them and be like Mommy and Ah Yee (my sis) who need to wear spectacles and without spectacles we cannot see?
Boys: No.

Me: So what must you do?
Binbin: Don’t watch cartoon. (that’s what you can expect from a 3year old)
Keatkeat: No! (Eager to correct his brother) Can watch cartoon but watch a little bit.
Binbin: Orh. Can watch little bit.
Keatkeat: So can we watch this now and after this, we switch off the TV?
Me: *Nodded with a Big Smile*

The recording was done almost 1 month ago, I didn’t want to post it till I see that they really understood the message I was sending to their little growing brain. I want to see actions, I want to see improvements to the length of time they spend infront of that rectangular box.

After 1 month of observation, they did change! Now, the longest time spent on cartoons is 1hour in a row, they used to watch non-stop, till I had to interfere, even then, there were bargaining sessions before the electrical box is completely off.

Not anymore now, I no longer need to say, “You have spent hours on the TV and it’s time to switch it off now”. Ever since that video-shot, they switched off the TV by themselves after one or two 30mins cartoon programmes. *Hooray*

2+ years ago, we exchanged our petrol points for a mini bicycle for my (then) 2+ year old Keatkeat. That was his first bicycle, but it was NOT BOUGHT by his parents, it felt more like a free gift from Esso-Mobil Petrol Station. But that bike was long gone…*sigh* can’t expect much on its durability, it was a FREE item, afterall!

But not today! Today, Papa bought 2 16inch bicycles for the 2 of them! They were over the moon, or rather over the sun, ‘cos we went to the bicycle shop right after Keatkeat was off from school at 12pm!

Here they are, testing the bikes infront of the bicycle shop. Though many alterations were done, they displayed commendable patience! Alterations like, lowering the seats, changing the bells from a index-finger-controlled to a thumb-controlled, adjusting the brakes so that they are ‘more reachable’ for their short fingers and finally balancing the guiding wheels at the back.

My phone’s video quality is lousy, but I still want to capture this moment….some people use ‘Face-blurring’ technology on purpose, but mine was AUTO-Blurred by my phone and there’s NO WAY I could de-activate the function *BIG LAUGH*.

Warning! It was really windy today, so I suggest you swtich off your speakers in case you get irritated by the sound of the breeze.

So after 1hour of cycling, what was their response? Thumbs Up!

The following video was taken in 2006 April when Keatkeat was on that ‘free bike’…(WARNING! Back in 2006, the video quality of my ex-phone was even worse!) …funny Binbin was still waddling like a duck!