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.