Papa turned 34 yesterday and we took the day off work to spend time with Matty and Elaina (well actually more like to run errands!).
We had to take Matty to the skin doctor yesterday morning after the "outbreak" appearing on parts of his body just doesn't seem to go away completely. The doctor confirmed that he is having eczema (again!) and promptly prescribed him with some cream and a bottle of syrup with apparently stops itches. No intention to give him the syrup unless the itch becomes really bad or if we want to knock him out - the bottle has a bright red label across it saying that it causes drowsiness *evil grin*.
We even enrolled Elaina with a playgroup which starts 6 January 09. Seeing how she enjoys dancing, singing and mingling with other little people she should have a good time in the playgroup... just a matter of how fast she can get adapted to the environment and being left alone. The good thing is that due to age, for the first term she needs to be accompanied. When she turns 2 in March 09, she will proceed on to level 2 which do not require a guardian to be around. Hopefully the first 2 months can help break her in gently.
Surprisingly.... this time round I seem to be less concerned about sending a little being off to school at such a young age. I used to battle with myself (and of course the rest of the family) when we had to send Matty to a playgroup at 18 months old. It felt so cruel to "abandon" a baby to a bunch of strangers.
Strangely... I have had a few people telling me that she is too young for school. And those who didn't think it was a great idea before (for instance my own parents) feeling otherwise now.
Technically... I won't even term it as going to school. More like socialising, having a place to hang around for a couple of hours per week and getting entertained.
Elaina finally understood the meaning of birthdays... or rather the whole candle-blowing and cake-cutting business. For the first time she attempted to blow off the candle after the birthday song ended. It was really cute to see her huffing and puffing with all the might she could gather.
Friday 24 October 2008
Friday 10 October 2008
The New-Age Little People
How different are the children of this generation as compared to the last? The list can be pretty long but to name a few, they are no doubt much smarter, more advanced in their thinking, has a stronger personality, more opinionated and definitely a lot more outspoken. The western counterparts probably raised children like these in the last 2 to 3 decades but for us Asians I am quite certain that is not the case until the recent decade.
Back when I was still a kid (and I clarify that it was really not very long ago!) the parents dictated what we do, what we can or cannot say, what our diet should be, what we wear or even how we think. No room for discussion or the next thing you see is the cane landing on our butts for disobedience. Come the generation of Matty and Elaina - saying that they live in a revolutionary generation is not an exaggeration. Never do we get through a day without engaging in some form of negotiation with Matty.
Since Matty has had a better grasp of the language in the last 1 year, he is also starting to have a better control of every aspect of his own life. He tells us which pair of shoes he wants to wear today, that he prefers the shorts to his jeans, why he does not want to take his nap, how many scoops of milk powder he wants us to put in to the bottle and the list just goes on. To give credit to him, he is starting to grow out of the stage where his reply is a simple "no" and act like a tantrum throwing kid when he thinks otherwise from us. He engages in a proper negotiation and would offer alternatives to us to consider... "how about (this) or how about (that)?". God-forbid... I can never imagine myself doing that when I was 3... either because I was too stupid to think in that order or too worried that I will get into trouble with my mum.
In the last couple of weeks, Matty finally decided that enough is enough... porridge is not his favourite food and he will not hesitate to tell his grandmother not to include that in his menu. He even took the trouble of explaining to his grandfather that the only reason why he eats his porridge is because of the "you tiao" which we all know he has a soft-spot for. On one occasion, he had even suggested to me to get chicken rice instead of porridge... and in his exact words while offering a third option for consideration "or noodles also can".
Elaina too (in mostly her own language with a few words which the rest of mankind can understand) will not give up any opportunity to exert her own thinking as well - which in her case is of course still in the primitive stage of "yes" and "no-no"... but working towards where Matty is.
Maybe as a "new-age parent", we play a big part in molding the "new-age little people" - freedom of speech, freedom to think and freedom to choose. Hopefully we are heading in the right direction and equipping our children with the appropriate values and character to survive tomorrow's world.
Back when I was still a kid (and I clarify that it was really not very long ago!) the parents dictated what we do, what we can or cannot say, what our diet should be, what we wear or even how we think. No room for discussion or the next thing you see is the cane landing on our butts for disobedience. Come the generation of Matty and Elaina - saying that they live in a revolutionary generation is not an exaggeration. Never do we get through a day without engaging in some form of negotiation with Matty.
Since Matty has had a better grasp of the language in the last 1 year, he is also starting to have a better control of every aspect of his own life. He tells us which pair of shoes he wants to wear today, that he prefers the shorts to his jeans, why he does not want to take his nap, how many scoops of milk powder he wants us to put in to the bottle and the list just goes on. To give credit to him, he is starting to grow out of the stage where his reply is a simple "no" and act like a tantrum throwing kid when he thinks otherwise from us. He engages in a proper negotiation and would offer alternatives to us to consider... "how about (this) or how about (that)?". God-forbid... I can never imagine myself doing that when I was 3... either because I was too stupid to think in that order or too worried that I will get into trouble with my mum.
In the last couple of weeks, Matty finally decided that enough is enough... porridge is not his favourite food and he will not hesitate to tell his grandmother not to include that in his menu. He even took the trouble of explaining to his grandfather that the only reason why he eats his porridge is because of the "you tiao" which we all know he has a soft-spot for. On one occasion, he had even suggested to me to get chicken rice instead of porridge... and in his exact words while offering a third option for consideration "or noodles also can".
Elaina too (in mostly her own language with a few words which the rest of mankind can understand) will not give up any opportunity to exert her own thinking as well - which in her case is of course still in the primitive stage of "yes" and "no-no"... but working towards where Matty is.
Maybe as a "new-age parent", we play a big part in molding the "new-age little people" - freedom of speech, freedom to think and freedom to choose. Hopefully we are heading in the right direction and equipping our children with the appropriate values and character to survive tomorrow's world.
