All About Your Child

This week, Keatkeat’s school is  celebrating Racial Harmony Day. It was also a week which Allan and I got a wake up call on how much we trusted our elder son…..

Monday 19th July….

Keatkeat: “Mommy this week my school is celebrating Racial Harmony Day. My teacher told me that I can wear traditional costumes for the whole week. From Monday to Friday.”

Me: “Racial Harmony Day is ONE DAY event. How is it possible that they allow you to wear traditional costume for the whole week?”

Keatkeat: “Yes yes yes! My Teacher said that this whole week is Racial Harmony Day. So everyday can don’t wear uniform and wear my dragon clothes.”

Me: “If the whole week is Racial Harmony day, then it should be called Racial Harmony Week! Keatkeat, if you remember it wrongly, then I’m afraid the security guard might not allow you to go into the school without wearing the school uniform you know that?”

Keatkeat: Still extremely confident that he did not hear wrongly. “But my teacher said can wear for the whole week because of Racial Harmony Day.”

Me: “Alright fine. You shall wear then.”

So on Tuesday he wore this (picture on left).

Guess what?

He was the ONLY ONE who was NOT in school uniform!!!

Then some parents mumbled: “Racial Harmony Day special dressing is Tomorrow.”

Oh man! What do you expect us to do?

Go back and change when we only have 5 mins left? Whereby going home already takes up 4 mins… So we just let him in and luckily the security guard did not stop him.

Can you imagine how OUTSTANDING he was, when everyone else was dressed in this way (picture on right), in blue??!!

When he came home we asked: “Did Mrs L. said anything to you about your special dressing on the wrong day?”

Keatkeat: “Nope. She did not say anything. And I asked her if I can wear this everyday for this week and she said yes.”

Our eyes widened. To us, we admit that wearing costumes for an entire week, just to celebrate ONE Racial Harmony Day sounded too ‘over’, and hence doubted our 6 year old. Furthermore, when we saw the scene on Tuesday, we doubted even more. *slap* How little faith we have in our child! Lesson learned. *embarassed*

Alright, so Keatkeat heard the correct instruction and did the correct thing. Just that his school mates did not do as per instructed, so it does not make him wrong; it just makes him more Outstanding. *wink*

Well done Keat! So proud of you. So after Tuesday, he continued to wear different Chinese traditional costumes to celebrate Racial Harmony Day, and his school mates did not. So he definitely stood out in the sea of blue and he loved the attention…. *giggle*

I succeeded!!!
This craze began with this post “Dare Take Up The Challenge”

I succeeded…..But that is not the end. Its the beginning of a life-long commitment that I have for my kids. Nothing that they do is going to make me burst my lungs and deafen their ears.

A stare, yes.
An angry front, yes.
A deafening silence in disagreement, yes.
A walk-away form of retaliation, yes.
A lecture in a stern voice, yes.
But no more shall I scream at them at the top of my lungs.
No more!

The 3 Days Challenge marked the turning point of the end of the fiery dragon.

I have tasted enough of what anger of a parent can do to a child when I was a kid. I shall NOT pass this down to my next generation. It has to stop with me.

Letting Anger get in the way of effective parenting is so easy. I must not let anger grow bigger than me. Anger can become uncontrollable when its not handled well. Its a scary monster when that happens….

I am not trying to be super human, I am just acknowledging that one’s mind is BIGGER than anger and not the other way round. *wink*

Have a super parenting day, Mommies! *smile*