All About Your Child

Keatkeat has always been a extra-ordinary kid. A very understanding, matured, well-mannered and kind-hearted child in every way. He makes me so proud to be his Mommy!

However, I know very well that this year will be a challenging year for me to handle Keatkeat. I was prepared for this and so I thought I was.

His 4-year-old Characteristics are blowing my mind away! From a very tame little lamb (he was born in the year of the goat) to a ferocious and unpredictable goat.

He wails at the top of his voice when something go against his will. The daily habit of snatching back his toy from his little brother has become a crying protest. He just sits there and CRY.

When he wakes up on the wrong side of the bed, he cries!

When we walk abit faster than him, he cries!

When Binbin gets into the car faster than him, he cries!

When Binbin finishes his food faster than him, what does he do? THAT’S RIGHT, CRY!

As if crying is not enough, he starts JUMPING in public when he wants something out of the blue! We were shopping happily, all of a sudden, he started jumping up and down and almost bursting into tears, “I want to go in and see that toy car!”

Me: “Keatkeat, you can just tell me that nicely. You do not need to jump and cry. You know if you tell me nicely, I would definitely bring you into the shop. This jumping is unnecessary. Stop immediately before we go into the shop.”

Keatkeat: “Sorry Mommy. I will not do that again.”

In the past, he really keeps his promise. But now, NO! In less than 10 mins, he was back to his tantrums again.

Many say I am a very patient person, but hey, there is limit to one’s patience ok?! What’s my excuse? I am a human after-all!

But one thing for sure, I will not scream at my child in public. I guess I am too proud to embarrass myself or my kid. So I squat down and repeated myself. But dear Papa was out of his patience level and shouted at the 4-year-old kid, “Do it one more time and we are going home!”

Just as I am typing this, Keatkeat is emotionally unstable again! (Deep breath….) Here I go again. That’s it for today’s post, wish me luck and lots more patience. Man! I really need that!

This 9cm long insect had my kids’ full attention for more than 45 mins today. The praying mantis was first spotted by Keatkeat when he was about to water his plant this morning. It was standing right beside my money plant.

“Mommy look! What is that? This leaf got legs and can move.” exclaimed my elder one.

The kids were so amused by its head turning over to look at them. They inspected it from the feelers to the tip of the legs. Making every little “Eeee”, “Aiyo”, “Huh”, “Ehh”, whenever the green insect moved – reaction from city-kids. The only insects they see often are non other than cockroaches and ants, so any other crawlers apart from these 2 will be an eye-opener for them.

So I had a free children-sitter for 45mins. I was so happily doing my own stuff and leaving my kids alone to interact with the praying mantis, knowing that neither of them would harm each other.

The worst thing I could imagine was the insect would leap onto Binbin, since he is a vege-craze, so maybe his breath smells more leafy than his elder brother; and Binbin would probably just stay still like a statue and start to shout, “MOMMY!!!”

According to here, Praying mantises eat insects and other invertebrates such as other mantises, beetles, butterflies, spiders, crickets, grasshoppers, and even spiders. The praying mantises also eat vertebrates such as small tree frogs, lizards, mice and hummingbirds. Praying mantis can resemble flowers and can catch small, unknowing hummingbirds. Praying mantis also eat other nesting birds.

So this uninvited guest will always be welcomed here, so that my plants would be free from insects and at the same time be my kids’ entertainer. *wink*