All About Your Child

Its been 6 years since I started blogging.
Over these 6 years, many things have changed.
It started from having the mindset of earning money to being in the community of bloggers to the current status of staying focus on the purpose of this blog.

It was a journey of discovering what is the real purpose of keeping this blog alive.
The happiest time (I thought) back then was to be part of the big group of bloggers from all over the world.
Hopping over to their blogs and reading their life, their thoughts.
Soon, we became close buddies, close friends.
And this group grew so fast, so much so that I could spend hours just reading everyone’s blogs and neglected mine.
It was so difficult to keep up.
My Google Reader, which no longer exists now, is always showing more than 50 unread posts every single day.
It was tiring….

Now, things have changed again.
With other social media sites picking up, like Instagram, though very different from Blogging, it affected the size of the blogging community.
It has shrunk, based on my observation.
Many have stopped blogging completely.

I have changed too.
Now, I’m staying focused on recording the different experiences of my boys and children I’d met.
As simple as that.

I had tried to save this blog so many times!
It died.
It revived.
And it happened again.
and again……….
I could only rely on the experts of my web hosting provider, as I am totally clueless in this aspect.
Feel so helpless when such times come.
I could only pray and wish that the experts continue to perform magic, so that my blog continues to live.

Recently, new problems arose.
The photos in much earlier posts have started to disappear.
A few at a time.
Thus, some of my posts looked pretty weird.
For example, “Look at the picture below.” and there is NO photo below.
OR
“Look at the smiles on their faces.” and there is no picture of any humans.

To spice things up over here, there are more and more broken links found within my blog itself too.
My ‘Broken Link Checker’ told me so.

*sigh*

Such things disturb me because I do not know how to solve them.
Its not only getting on my nerves, its wearing me out.

The big question that some people asked: “How long more do you want to continue to blog?”
This blog, has so many of my memories, its like a diary, its my life.
This blog stays, so long as my web hosting service provider continues, so long as I am still able to type…….this blog is NOT going anywhere!

HAPPY 6TH BLOGOVERSARY, All About Your Child!

To me, PLAY is more important than study…….. for ANY child.
When a child is at play, the brain is more active.
When the child is at play, the ‘happy cells’ create more antibodies.
With more antibodies, it boosts the immune system.
Happy children are USUALLY healthier kids.

For MOST children, studying is the last on their list of favourite things to do.
How would you feel when you are forced to do something that you do not like?
Stressed?
Pressured?
Anxious?
and definitely Unhappy, right?
All negative feelings, negative thoughts.
Bad for health.

Yet, MOST of us grew up in an environment whereby going to school is compulsory.
As kids, we didn’t have much of a choice, did we?
Our parents said so and we just had to follow.
Not too much of a difference now, yes?
Kids of today still need to study for the test papers, the exam papers…….

BUT!
I still believe in tilting the balance SLIGHTLY, (well, some told me that I tilted too much! *laugh*) by allowing my children to have MORE time for PLAY, MORE time to do what they LOVE and lesser time on studies.

Well, different parents different expectations.
To me, so long as my children pass their papers and could be promoted to the next level, I am contented.
A friend of mine sends his 8 month old baby to school. I am SERIOUS! Learning through flash cards.
While I still send my 8 year old to the playground.

Its just different parenting style.
No right, no wrong.
Just a matter of how happy is the child.
Nonetheless, if your child belongs to the minority, who LOVES to study, then studying will be his or her ‘playing time’, ‘cos your child is doing something that he or she likes.
By all means, stack those shelves up and give your child as many books as your child wants.
*smile*

Ever since we moved to our new home, our boys started to get interested in the games which Allan and I played DURING OUR CHILDHOOD.
From Monopoly to RISK to Animal Chess etc…
Its both entertaining for us (adults) and the kids.
We ‘re-lived’ our childhood and the kids had a glimpse of our childhood.
Most importantly, its GREAT FAMILY BONDING TIME!

Don’t just pile toys up and say “Go Play!”
Play WITH Them!
It is CRUCIAL to play WITH your kids!
Let them see that Daddy and Mummy DO have the FUN side too!
Let them know that Daddy and Mummy can ALSO be just like their friends, who can PLAY with them, LAUGH with them, have FUN with them…..

Ok, so what’s our boys’ LATEST CRAZE?????
BOGGLE!!!!

Hey!
We are ‘fair and square’ parents ok?
We changed the rules slightly so that it did not appear as if we were taking advantage of our younger ones.
Allan and I had to find words that were AT LEAST 4 letters.
Whereas Kitkit and Binbin can start with words that had 3 letters.

SURPRISINGLY!!!!
The kiddos could find ‘long words’ (4 or 5 letters) which the adults DID NOT!
*Super Thumbs Up*
[Alright, where’s the hole! Need to hide my face!]
*Ashamed*

I remembered the times when I played with my sister when we were still young and innocent.
Ok, young yes. Errr…the innocent part….errrrr……*laugh*
Back then, we will cancel away words which both of us have on our list.
I remember losing to her often.
However, I do not remember I was that lousy, until I saw the papers we wrote on so many years back, which were still inside the box of Boggle!
I, actually end up with ZERO score or less than 5 points pretty often, even when my list of words was so long!!!
It was a black and white prove man!
Hey! I’m supposed to know more words than her!
I’m the ELDER one!
*humph*
Oh well, she is the smarter one then! *twisted lips*

*huge laugh*

Was playing Boggle part of your childhood too?
It sure was, for me!
….and now, its part of my children’s childhood too…..
*smile*