Archive for the ‘Kids: Education’ Category

Like any other 21st July, the schools in Singapore celebrate Racial Harmony Day today.

This day reminds us of the Race Riots that took place on 21 July 1964 and also emphasizes the importance of building a racial harmony society regardless of language, races or culture.

In schools, the children are encouraged to wear traditional costumes to schools.  The children learn more about other’s culture as they put on other races’ traditional costumes and also learn more about the traditional games played by others.

This year, Racial Harmony Day’s celebration presents a different experience for both Brendan and Darren.

Darren got to celebrate the occasion, for the first time, in a Primary School. He shared with us the traditional games that he played.

Brendan’s class was one of the few selected to take part in a musical instrument performance.  So, he has his first encounter with the agogo bells.

After 2 weeks of practice in school, he performed as a group today as part of the racial harmony celebration. His part was to create music with sticks and agogo bells. It is indeed amazing especially when the different small musical instruments can create such beautiful music!

This is a similar triple agogo bells that Brendan performed with

A happy Brendan with his little present (a little egg with beans) that he received after the performance

As the celebration ends with a high note in their school, I hope besides having FUN, the kids have indeed learnt the true meaning behind Racial Harmony Day.

OUR PASSION FOR ANIMATED MOVIES,

Papa Ed has always loved good movies.  So we spent a part of our time before marriage and now with our kids on movies.  A personal favourite for our kids are animated movies and these very much include many of the PIXAR movies which Brendan fondly recalls.

So, to name a list : PIXAR movies like Toy Story, Toy Story 2, A Bug’s Life, Monsters Inc, Cars, Finding Nemo, The Incredibles, Ratatouille, Wall-E and UP - bring back fond memories. 

It is EASY to enjoy the impressive animations appearing on the BIG SCREEN and also the fantastic sound effect in the cinema.  However, what exactly happened behind the scene to make such award winning movies possible?  That was what we wished to find out and wanted our kids to know as well. So, when the PIXAR animation exhibition is on - HERE IN SINGAPORE@ Singapore Science Centre,  we wouldn’t give it a miss!

……..

AT THE EXHIBITION (20 Years of Animation),

We got to learn about what happened behind the scene and the transformation in art and technology that enable these captivating movies. Surely not to be missed are the exclusive sketches, sculptures and paintings.

What makes the exhibition complete are the the high-tech and interactive experiences. This is the part that Darren enjoyed even though he might not have appreciated the sketches of the early movie characters.

[We did not manage to take photographs of these exhibits as "NO photography is allowed".]

Then, we caught the 3D movie “Toy Story 2″ in the comfort of the Singapore Science Centre - a good opportunity to refresh our memories before we watch the much awaited “Toy Story 3″ very soon.

Kids being kids - the next thing that got Darren most excited was the toys on sale. He managed to get a Toy Story 3 edition of Buzz Lightyear. The early “Woody” that we have got for him years ago is no longer lonely now with company from Buzz Lightyear *smile*.

……..

AFTER THE EXHIBITION,

It gave us a higher level of appreciation for the extreme efforts and details that went into the production of each of these animated movies.  The next time, we watch a PIXAR movie (yup, yup “Toy Story 3″ is the earliest), we will be sure not only to enjoy the movie but also appreciating the efforts behind it.

Hmm…a movie emcompassing the beauty of art and technology.

With the tribute to the studio and production crew, that is why “PIRACY” should be stamped out. 

If you are keen to view the exhibition, it will be on at Singapore Science Centre till 27 June 2010 (Closed on Mondays except school and public holidays). Ticket costs apply. Check out details here.

Also, here is a movie trailer of Toy Story 3. Enjoy!

Wow! I can’t believe that we were cheering on for the little chick, while it struggled with anxiety and determination despite that little strength to break through that egg shell and come into this world- all without any help.

That moment of awaiting was filled with feelings of excitement, joy and warmth for us.  I have hardly seen my two boys so patiently rooted to a spot before and that was one MOMENT that was worth waiting for. Hmm….it was indeed a happy sight *smile*.

Here is a photo of the boys, and others, with their full attention on the chick before it took a first peep at this world.  Aren’t they totally focused and attracted?

So, I shared a little story with the boys on how they were delivered - being tiny and unfamiliar with their new environment, and how they were fortunate to have the help of mommy to lend a helping “PUSH” in bringing them into this world and parents to take good care of them. 

Indeed, that moment of a new life is always so joyous, beyond what a few words can describe.

By the way, if you are keen to share some educational insights with your children on how eggs hatch and the origin of a chicken, you can check out the Singapore Science Centre. If you are lucky, you could chance upon the egg hatching process within the incubator and view how the new life transforms after one day. I am sure it will be a rare sight for our children in this modern Singapore.

Anyway, here are some photos to share…

So many children waiting for the SPECIAL MOMENT.  It is rare opportunity for the children to view the hatching process and it is certainly rare to see the children waiting so patiently and quietly.

This looked like a small little crack on the egg shell. However, it was no easy efforts for the little chick to struggle to this stage.

Push! push! A little claw was in sight….

Now, both claws!

Look at this little head!  The little one was shivering as it took a first peep at this world….

It was Day 21 when our little chick hatched in the incubator. Beautiful isn’t it?

That special moment when the chick stood upright. The struggle was all worth it Well done!

Finally, these are the chicks after ONE DAY - plumb and full of fine feathers. They are so lovely…oooeeee.

I mentioned in an earlier post that Darren missed his recent Alternative Assessment examinations after he fell ill for two weeks.  Though he did not have the chance to make up for his examination sessions, his teacher allowed him to have a try of the examination questions.

Though he was not well to revise the topics before he went back to school, Darren scored well (although the marks will not be considered).  

His Math and Chinese marks are excellent.  In particular, he scored 61/65 for his Chinese paper and full marks for most of his Math assessments. 

Hmm…so the regular revision that we have been giving him has proven to be effective *smile*.

 ……..

Brendan, who has been steadily keeping pace with his school revision, did well too for most of his subjects.  He achieved A* grade for Math and a A grade for Science.  He brought further good news by getting a distinction for his recent piano examination. Our elder boy has registered for national Math Olympiad and we certainly hope that it can expose him to more applications of Math. To us this is a good challenge for him since Math has been his strongest subject.

So, it has proven that Brendan’s constant hardwork and also regular practices to apply what he has learnt - has so far not only helped him to understand what he has learnt but also exposed him to more than what he has learnt in the classroom and also yield good results.

Well done boys! Keep Up with the good work! We are proud of BOTH of you.

 ……..

You might also like these related posts:

 Prize Giving Day

Helping The Child To Make Good Progress #2

Helping The Child To Make Good Progress

My kids came across “Number Bond” in Mathematics in their Primary One education in  Singapore.

So, this Number Bond must have looked familiar to you - a concept of addition and subtraction.

A few months ago, Darren was often confused over ”which square is meant for the TOTAL” and “which squares are meant to contain numbers to make up the sum”. 

Though he is relatively strong in his mental calculation, he eventually faced the problem of getting “lost” once we re-orientate the position of the number bond.

 Then, I learned from others a hands-on technique to enable him to understand the concept.

Hmm…a coat hanger and pegs are not only meant for clothes but can also enable kids to learn Mathematics:).

I used a coat hanger, 10 clothes pegs and 10 small card boards labelling the digits of 1 to 10. I decided to work only within the number of “10″ since the most important is - for him to learn the concept.

The result was fun and interactive as our little boy moved and removed the number of clothes pegs to achieve the number labelled on the card board.

With actual hands-on activity, he has since then no issue identifying the square or circle which is meant for the Total anymore - no matter how the number bonds are positioned.

So, I was glad.

Furthermore, do these Mathematical questions look familiar to you while you are tutoring your young kids?

Examples 

1. What numbers come after 6 but before 9?

2. What numbers come between 3 and 7?

3. The number, which is just before 10 is _________ greater than 6?

4. Amy had 10 sweets. She ate 2 sweets and gave away 4 sweets to her brother. Her mother gave her another 2 sweets. How many sweets has she left?

Yeap, yeap, these questions look very simple to us but  can be extremely confusing to a young kid for a start. 

Similarly, I have used the same hands-on technique to explain the concept to Darren.  All it takes is to shift the clothes pegs on the hanger- for illustration.

Next, I posted the challenge to him and ask him to re-position the clothes pegs according to my questions.

Once the concept becomes clear, there are no more worries:)

 ******

Different kids might learn better with different methods. Some learn well, simply by listening. Some need to see the illustrations. Others need to read or practise hands-on. Some by asking many questions.

Which method(s) enable your kids to learn better?

Recenty, I wrote about how my little boy enjoys writing.

Now, besides using his hands to write, he also spends his time TALKING NON-STOP.  In short, he has become TALKATIVE. 

Well, I am not sure whether it is good or bad because he talks non-stop in the car, at home, during meals and even during movies.  What makes me not too happy is he often talks DURING LESSONS IN CLASS too and leading to him to be distracted!

I can understand the Teachers’ frustrations especially when nobody likes interruptions/disturbances when they are talking. So, it is not surprising that his Chinese and English Teachers gave common comments on his progress report that our little Darren talks during lessons, is easily distracted and is not paying attention *sigh*.

[This seems to ring a bell especially when I have written an earlier post this year about how his Teacher commented that he seems to care about everyone else's business except his own.]

Knowing my little boy:

- Harsh tone and scolding might not necessarily work well on him because it will result in him keeping totally quiet instead when we lecture him. Then it will become a mono-conversation and I will not even be certain whether he understands what is wrong.

- He will usually refrain from a certain wrong act only when he can understand the consequences of his mistake.

Hence, instead of scolding him, I decided to have a little chat with him on this negative feedback by Teachers. I thought it might be more effective if I let him admit that it is a mistake for “not paying attention during lessons” and let him articulate the consequences of not listening in class. Also, I do not want to project the wrong idea that he should not be making friends.

So, here goes our little conversation.

[Surprisingly, with a no-pressure atmosphere, our little boy is more willing to respond to the conversation - very unlike his usual self of keeping totally quiet for hours when he is compelled to reply for situations that he knows we will not be happy about.]

Mommy: “I know you are not paying attention in class and have been talking when teachers are teaching. Am I right?”

Darren nodded his head. <I am glad he admitted.>

Mommy:”So, you are very happy to make new friends and have alot to share with them. Are you taking to our little girls or boys? Is it about games or books?”

Darren:”Got boys and girls. We talk everything.”

Mommy:”I know you are excited to have friends. I am not asking you to stop having friends. But you can talk to friends during recess, before you go to class, and when Teachers allow you to talk in class.” 

I remember you will cry when nobody pays attention to you when you talk. So, will Teachers be happy if you don’t listen when they talk?”

Darren immediately shook his head. <He is able to relate to the feelings of being ignored when he is talking and so was fast in noting that it is an unpleasant feeling.>

Mommy: “So, can you tell mommy why you go to school? Is it to spend time talking to friends or to study?”

Darren:‘To learn.”

Mommy:”Then when should you talk to your friends?”

Darren:”When Teachers are not talking. Recess and before class.”

Mommy:”Good! So you tell me why you are wrong to talk or don’t pay attention in class”

Darren:’Because I never listen to Teachers when they teach me and so cannot learn.”

Mommy:”Yes. It is rude not to pay attention in class. It is also why you are not sure of instructions given by Teachers and so come home not knowing what homework you have. So, can you stop talking when others are talking?”

Darren:”Ok Mommy.”

Though it is a complaint, I am satisfied with the result of the little conversation.  I receive a response which is more effective than through an interrogation or order.  At least, for now, I hope it works and I will monitor his progress when I meet his Teachers in two-weeks’ time.

However, as for the “being talkative” at home - I guess it is going to continue for a while. Besides for the NOISE, I cannot find a good reason to refrain my little one from engaging in healthy endless questions and new discoveries that he cannot wait to share with us *SMILE*.

I never know that regular writing of feedback and complaints can improve a young one’s written English. I also marvel at how a young boy’s eagerness to understand his game, can actually motivate him to spend more efforts, recognising his words and WRITE.

Well, at least, it works for my little one, Darren. For him, it is A WAY that hastens his reading and writing abilities, in a natural way *smile*.

Looking back….

A year ago, Darren was still not that good in forming complete sentences. Getting him to cultivate the habit of writing was at a snail’s pace.  Prior to his admission to Primary 1, just about 4 months ago, he was only keen to form 1 or 2 complete sentences.

Current Progress…..

He is able to write lengthy and complete passages.  It is quite a quick advancement despite the imperfect grammar.  Frankly, I am happy with his progress *smile*.

Lately……

Our little one has been pestering me to buy pens and booklet for him. I noticed that he has suddenly discovered the FUN of WRITING and has, hence, fallen in love with WRITING.  Somehow, the passion has grown stronger these few weeks and I hope it would last. 

I saw him writing lots of topics of his interest on used papers. The topics captured were FUN. So I thought “Not a bad idea at all to let him have a good headstart in writing by encouraging him to continue his style of WRITING IN A FUN WAY.”

Darren's latest booklet that contains his writings of his little secrets and interests *smile*

Then, I got him the booklet and he started his writing hobby. I mean real writing hobby because for a moment, he and his booklet were inseparable. For unknown reasons, he suddenly has so much to express.  Besides using the book as a diary (actually, I am surprised where he got the idea to start a diary), he also uses it to write and draw any topic that interests him.

WRITING IN A FUN WAY means the contents are actually full of his favourite game characters, enjoyable places that he has visited, unforgettable and pleasant experiences, captivating things that has brought him much excitement, and his favourite topic of all time - his elder brother, Brendan *LOL*.   Wow! I am amazed at how long and expressive he could be, when it comes to writing complaints about his brother - who apparently has irritated him *wink*.

See how a young boy can get so inspired to write a LONG passage when it comes to complaining about his brother

Here is an extract of his written complaints.

“Brendan is very naughty

Brendan jump bed to bed

He still say good

He go and knock the door

He still play

He still dance

He still laugh

and dance again

He keep laughing

He jump bed to bed again

He still go to the toilet and laugh more

He still laugh more and more never stop

He dance more and more never stop

He keep playing never stop.”

[Well, this is definitey not his only written complaints. Hmm....not a bad idea afterall for him to express his grievances about his brother, in written form, for us to witness INSTEAD of their usual verbal war *LOL*].

Our personal experiences…..

Our little one’s written skill has improved in a short time frame - NOT DUE TO tuition; NOT BY force; NOT DUE TO pressure.

In fact, in Darren’s case, I believe in allowing him to write freely at this moment, with no delibrate attempt by us to correct his sentences or grammar.  No doubt  it is important that he is also taught the correct grammatical usage (which we are teaching him through other exercises anyway).  However, it is more important at this moment to continue inspiring him in his interest to learn and write than dampen his spirits by being overly critical or restrictive.

THE KEY IS LET THE CHILD LEARN IN A FUN WAY.

IF A CHILD ENJOYS HIS OWN WAY OF LEARNING AND CAN INDEED LEARN MORE, LET IT BE. 

[Perhaps, in another separate post, I will share how our elder brother's influence and the boys' gaming interests have indirectly inspired our little one to pick up his reading and writing abilities in his own way:)]

Since Brendan started his Primary 5 education this year, there has not been a day that he has come home free from SCHOOL HOMEWORK.  In fact, the amount of homework for different subjects COLLECTIVELY is so much - that he spends each day working on them till late at night. For festive season, the load has not reduced either *stress*.  Now, we even have to spend part of weekend at home, just to run the “homework marathon” TOGETHER.

He tries his best in school, during available time, to start working on the homework. 

[To explain: It is not only about completing worksheets. It involves great efforts like reading newspaper article in chinese, understanding it, and writing personal view. At other times, he is required to do extensive search of internet and dictionaries.]

I am CONCERNED.  As our boy spends his “mornings” in school and “afternoons and nights” at home only studying and counting down the number of pages he has completed, his life does not seem so “balanced” or even “entertaining” anymore. 

It has become so common for our conversations to sound like “How much homework do you have today?” or “Oh No! We do not even have time to watch a TV program together?” or ‘Dear, we have to keep our outings short because our son has so much homework to do.” Frankly, I don’t like it.

It's never too old to have FUN....and I want my children's life to have FUN and JOY.

I wonder:….

Does huge amount of homework necessarily help a child to excel or improve?  Is it healthy to build it into the system” of a child to spend most of his/her time studying? For children, who already have problems coping or understanding in school, does the pile of school homework not put stress on the children and parents?  What happen if parents are also not able to coach the child who is already very much “lost” in school?

[Hmmm.....many questions to ponder. Ultimately, what is the objective of letting the children complete so much school homework daily? We were elated when announcements were made a few years ago that children would be given less school homework. I noticed that without it, Brendan did well anyway.]

Thinking aloud. What about ….?

• More frequent parent-teacher communication and close monitoring by parents on their children’s progress. Then time could be better spent for parents or personal tutors to work with the children on their weak topics or subjects … and not merely trying to spend time fulfilling the mission of completing homework.
• Allowing children to learn in other ways and not through academic gearing or worksheet completion. Different children acquire knowledge and understandings in different ways.
• Giving time for children to develop themselves in other skill sets.
• Giving sufficient time for children to rest and relax.  Allowing them time to be engaged in sports, exposure to the greenery and other recreational activities. Just like adults, these young children need to recharge themselves too!
• Preparing the children to have the correct mindset in life i.e. exceling in education is not the only goal in life. There are many other elements that make them complete, like character buildings and other aspirations too. The purpose of childhood is not to spend substantial amount of time trying to conquer their weakness in school subjects “by much school homework” but rather to learn, embrace life in a “fun”and “fulfilling” way.
• Encouraging the children to pay attention in class and ask when they do not understand.
• Revising the topics with the children regularly and understanding their immediate difficulties instead of loading them with questions to complete.
• Giving the children assignments that enable the use their creative thinking.

Looking at the study load. Looking at the level of education standard. Young children today, as compared to ourselves (when we were of a similar age), are much more pressurised.  Besides school expectations, they are also “groomed” to “perform” in other areas ranging from sports, music to dance. At a young age, they have to accomplish so much. So, is this due to society’s expectations or advancing technologies?

Well-exposed childhood experiences…..Learning is not a chore

Then, I start asking myself whether placing the boys in a top school has inevitably created this pressure for Brendan as he proceeds to a higher primary level. Frankly, I DON’T KNOW the answer.  However, I DO KNOW that I aspire to have a Balanced and Healthy Lifestyle for my children, starting with well-exposed childhood experiences and enabling them to also display their interests and strength. The last thing I wish for is for them to FEAR learning or label it as a CHORE.

So, I did my part. I expressed my concerns about  the daily homework burden and my son having no time for other things in life anymore to the School Teacher. 

[I always believe that it is healthy and useful to maintain communications with the Teachers. Then, at least we can work together to achieve a well-balanced and enriching life for our children - accomplished not only by school results but also by their moral values, social, survival and other skills (yeh..a repeat of what I have mentioned previously in earlier posts).]

I wish I can see this carefree lifestyle and smile of my growing son more often.

The teacher responded that “Primary 5 is the time to lay foundation and it will get more rigorous soon. Pressure on the childern will be even greater when they reach Primary 6. The teachers for the different subjects are giving the children so much homework everyday so that they are prepared. They will nevertheless try to address our concerns by giving the children less homework only before the Continual Assessments and Semestral Assessments. I probably do not understand that it is just normal for the children to be so pressurised when they reach upper primary only because I am a first time mother of a child who is in Primary 5.”

I heard the explanation. So, is extreme pressure and gearing away from a balanced life - inevitable and unavoidable? I tried my last effort to continue to convey my message about children needing a balanced life too and studying is not everything. With a thin voice, I guess I didn’t manage to achieve much. Then, back to the issue “Are the young children really lagging behind time? Lagging behind the competitive education system?” What are they made to RACE against? Is this really the best for the children - just to be prepared?

As a mother, I cannot imagine my children receiving even more pressure (as what I have been told). Does it mean no more time for all the other emphasis in life? If Brendan, who has been performing well in the past, is feeling the extreme pressure, what about the other children? What is it like going through the education system in other countries?

[For now, I do not look forward to a more stressful life/childhood for the boys. *Pat! Pat! Son. Mommy will be with you*]

I received a call from Darren’s teacher.  When I asked her about his performance, she remarked : “He did not give me any serious problem except that he likes to mind other’s business and not his own business. He keeps talking. However, he is really cute because no matter how I scold him, he will still say goodbye to me happily and is always cheerful.” 

“Keeps Talking”? I was afraid that he might not have got used to the class. Though it is not good to talk while teacher is speaking, somehow I was comforted that he keeps talking because he has settled down in class. 

So, “he is minding other’s business and not his own business” because he is curious. At this age, I have also noticed that he has become very curious. Always on the lookout of happenings around him or asking questions.  It is not wrong to be curious but if it affects his concentration in “listening to teacher”, then that would not be good.  Curiosity to a certain extent, has its merits.

I remember :

 [It is a mirace that curiosity survives formal education.]

- Albert Einstein-

[Curiosity is the very basis of education and if you tell me that curiosity killed the cat, I say only the cat died nobly]

- Arnold Edinborough-

So back to the question, how do I get Darren, a young and curious 6-year-old boy” to mind his own business and not bother about the surroundings?

A trip on a bus is appealing to him. Especially when he has seldom travelled by public transport. The thought of travelling on a school bus, with dedicated seat, with same group of new friends DEFINITELY is EXCITING for our little boy - A BRAND NEW EXPERIENCE.

All of a sudden, a LITTLE TOY BLUE BUS (which has been neglected and stacked away with many other toy vehicles) becomes the NEW INTEREST of our litte boy, Darren.  Most importantly, he is using it to illustrate to me, where he sits and what he likes about riding on a bus.

So,  

• Kids express better when they can illustrate what they have in mind.
• Kids express better when the topic is of interests to them.

Today’s primary curriculum in Singapore has introduced “Show and Tell”, and also exposure for the children to “Express Themselves” through presentations or when given a certain topic during the oral examination. Purpose is to train the kids to articulate themselves and be more confident in presenting their speeches. 

Besides the school, we can help our children too, to express themselves more confidently.  Hmmm….not a bad idea at all to let them identify topics, objects and places which are of interests to them and encourage them to talk about them freely:)

Darren stepped into a new school compound yesterday, accompanied by Mommy and Papa Ed. It was his 1st day in Primary School, the day he officially stopped as a Pre-Schooler.

There are changes. So, there are anxieties.  It turns out that mommy’s hidden concerns are more than that of our young boy.

Mommy’s concerns

In my mind, the following questions have been lingering for a while:

 1) will he wet his shorts in school? {especially when he has shown instances of wetting himself when he is nervous or too occupied)

2) will he dirty his shirts? {especially when he tends to create a mess when eating}

3) does he know how to get down at the correct bus stop when coming home by school bus?

4) will he be careful when climbing that long flights of steps in school?

5) will he get a seat on the bus?

6) will he dare to tell teacher that he needs to go to the washroom?

And….The “will?” and “does?” list goes on….

To a mother, the child will always be a young kid “in her heart”.  So, I guess we will not feel at ease - till we see our our children settling down {Note: the definition of settling down VARIES among mothers.}

The outcome

Then, it turns out that the truth is sometimes parents do feel more concerned and uneasy than the children.  Why do I say so?

The evidence is - at least for the 1st day of Darren’s primary school life, most of my concerns were unfounded *Phew*.  And, with the right motivation and even peer pressure, our usually “protected” children can learn to adjust themselves and change their usual habits.  In fact, I was surprised that Darren, with the help of his buddy, bought curry chicken rice and ate it without any resistance in school!

{Usually at home he would never have wanted to taste spicy food at all. Yet, he did it in school and even told me that he wanted to try it again:)} So, this is the goodness of “power of peer pressure”, huh?

Parents’ presence

Parents’ physical presence in school, on our children’s first few days in a new primary school environment, is definitely significant.  Yes, I mean “parents and not “domestic helpers” which is quite a common sight nowadays.

To the children,

It is a positive encouragement that the parents are there to give them the moral support.  The purpose is not for parents to stick to the children, disrupt the lessons or interfere with the kids’ pace of adapting.  But, it is to help to let the children feel that their love ones are there to see them through a new journey. Chilldren can relate to us better of their experiences in the new school environment, knowing that we have been there.

I am happy that I always try to be there for my children’s activities and events in school. 

By being involved, I am able to relate to their excitement and elated stories and in turn, the “presence” is reciprocated by the joy on their faces and the closer bond that is formed.

For this, I have made the right choice to “walk with my children” in their school days - which ultimately form a large portion of their experiences and moments in their younger days. 

- [Denesa]-

To the parents,

So, I do not mean that our presence there on the 1st few days of school will help our kids to settle down faster.  In fact, our children are learning to adapt under the reliable/professional hands of the teachers. Even if different children adapt at different pace, they will adjust themselves independantly and eventually.  By being there, it is to KNOW the new environment that our children are moving on to.  

I am happy that I am part of my kids’ lives.

For I KNOW,

The environment where they have been spending half of their time;

The way their school curriculum has been structured;

The types of food which they eat while we are not by their sides;

Their Teachers - the other people whom they respect and create a significant impact in their lives;

Their Friends - wonderful companions who make their lives complete.

- [Denesa]-

Mommy’s emotions

No matter how we choose to believe in our minds, our eyes will convince us that our children have grown up.  I admit - I miss Darren’s cute little behaviours that bring much fun to our lives.  Somehow, I do not want him to grow up so fast. Yet, the other side of me, I do want him to develop his skills and confidence as the moments have come to manage his days more independantly.

 For unknown reasons, my eyes were tearing as I joined Darren and school in singing the school song. The fact is whether I like it or not - my boy has grown up. It is just that  feeling of unwillingness, that feeling of pride and that sigh of relief.  Today, Papa Ed and I will join him on his 2nd day in school. And..that emotions remain rich.