Journey about raising up our lovely kids
Mothers Blog About Gen Z Kids
A short account – Distant Family Member
Jan 28th
A new addition to our family tree – my little nephew was born in mid December and just returned back to Thailand yesterday after a 2 weeks stay with my parents. I got to see him twice over the Saturdays while he was here. He is a very cute little boy and am starting to feel sad just thinking that I won’t be seeing him this coming Saturday and not sure when will he be back again for “holiday”.
This little nephew of mine was a darling, who hardly fusses even when he is wet, hungry or tired. I recalled that he was having constipation one Saturday and while trying to get his poos out, he didn’t cry out loud like most babies would, he just shed his tears quietly. He has really big eyes and would start at you when you talk to him. He is so adorable that even my 3 years old girl loves talking to him. I told her last night that her little brother has went back to Thailand and we won’t be seeing him this Saturday when we go to her “po po” house, she looked sad and kept asking me “why?”.
We miss him (especially my parents who get to see him everyday for that 2 weeks) and if you have family members who stay overseas and comes back to Singapore only a few times a year, you would comprehend how we feel…
So till we see him again (which I bet he would look very different then), we could only affectionately remember him as how he looks like now!
Book Review – The Diary of Amos Lee
Jan 12th
Have you read “The Diary of Amos Lee” written by Adeline Foo? I brought the 1st book “The Diary of Amos Lee: I Sit, I Write, I Flush! for my son during his December school holiday last year. He enjoyed the book so much that he finished reading the book within a day. He said he couldn’t stop reading it once he started reading the same. I suppose the book must be entertainingly as I could hear his laughter while he was reading it. He said it was one of the best books he had read.
Last Sunday, my son was expected to write a journal as homework and he used the book as a reference. I read his master piece and gees, it was pretty interesting and humorous that I can’t stop giggling while reading it. Even Genz Dad thinks that the journal was written very creatively. As a result, in a spur of moment yesterday evening, I got him the 2nd book – The Diary of Amos Lee: Girls, Guts & Glory! As expected, he finished ¾ of the book last night and I bet he would finish the whole book today.
Here’s the extracts of the book review from the official website of The Diary of Amos Lee (http://www.amoslee.com.sg/home.html):
The Diary of Amos Lee: I Sit, I Write, I Flush!
This diary began as Mum’s New Year resolution to get me to write. She told me to write when I am doing my big business. “Five to eight minutes max!” she said. “I don’t want you to develop piles!” And so my writing in the bathroom began. My entries started with the boring old stuff… then Mum got this new job as a writer and, following her around, I got to do fun stuff, like ogle at deformed frogs, see into the future with a fortune-telling parrot and wow at a life-sized F1 car made of chocolate! That’s how I got more interesting things to write about. Plus, I had to deal with an EVIL bully who was tormenting me at school… thank goodness for my best friends, Alvin and Anthony, we rallied against the bully and got through this year with lots of adventures and good fun!
The Diary of Amos Lee: Girls, Guts & Glory!
The story of Amos continues. He is still writing his diary in the toilet, but he has found a way to hide it from Mum’s prying eyes. Amos joins the school’s swim team and learns about hunger, not the sort to make you want to eat food, but the drive to excel and win medals in competitions! The themes in Book 2 touch on family, friendship and loyalty. Lessons are also drawn from Olympic legends like Michael Phelps, Carl Lewis and Sebastian Coe, in inspiring legions of young athletes to be the best in both studies and sports. Amos seeks his Olympic dream, in this second installation.
Parents, if you are trying to cultivate good reading habits of your children, try these books.
Advice or Advise?
Jan 11th
English can be quite confusing. There are a lot of words and some may sound the same, some with similar spelling but different meaning. It is almost impossible not to make mistake in English, even if you are a teacher or a university graduate. The only thing we could be is perhaps to avoid making them.
There are these 2 words which can be confusing – “Advise” and “Advice”. When do you use “advise” and/or “advice”. Firstly, we need to understand that these 2 words though somewhat sound the same, have different meaning. “Advise” is a verb meaning the act of giving a recommendation and therefore refers to the act of giving advice. E.g. The lawyer advised that the defendant plead guilty to the charges. “Advice” on the other hand is a noun meaning recommendation. E.g. The client thanked the lawyer for his detailed advice.
There are many other confusing words such as altogether vs all together, any one vs anyone, borrow vs lend, everyday vs every day, enquiry vs inquiry, I vs me, me vs my, who vs whom, and the list goes on and on..
Here are some useful resources on Common Mistakes and Confusing Words in English. They are easy to understand so very suitable for students too. Happy reading …
I Passed My Driving Test!
Dec 30th
I passed my driving test few days ago at my first attempt. The whole test was not smooth sailing, I had a strict tester. I googled his name when I reached home and found that he was rather infamous and failed most of his students. He is named the “No. 1 killer tester”. His name – Poh Ah Soon.
Anyway, that’s not the purpose of my blog today. My purpose of today’s blog is to share with you some “exam techniques” that I shared with my son after the test.
My son was very proud of me and commented that I’ve never once failed a test. I told him that I was actually very nervous before the test and asked if he would like to know my “tricks” on how I managed to pass the test. He eagerly replied with a “yes!” and this is what I shared with him:
- Be well-prepared for the D day. Practice makes perfect!
- Have a bottle of water with you on the exam day. Before the exam, sip some water (not too much, else you might have to go to toilet). This is a trick my lecturer taught us in school. Thirst+ nervous = lack of oxygen to brain.
- Though it’s common to be nervous before any exam. It is important to stay calm. Take a deep breath before the start of exam.
- During the exam, if you do not know the answers to some of the questions, don’t panic – move on to the next questions, highlight those questions you have yet attempted and go back to those questions you do not know later (for my driving test, I made some mistakes at the circuit, but I just moved on and not think about the mistakes that I’ve made earlier.)
- Check your work if you have the time.
- After the exam, accept whatever outcome it may be as long as you have tried your best. If you failed or didn’t do well, try again the next time.
Good Luck to all taking exams (whatever type it is)!
Help Your Children Develop Independence
Dec 29th
When your children are young, they depend on you for their every need. Sometimes it’s difficult for you to sit back and watch them develop their own independence. It might be tough but when you allow your child to make his or her own mistakes and learn life lessons early, they’ll grow into happy and healthy adults.
The best thing you can do is to find a balance because you don’t want to allow your child too much independence too early. You want to be able to watch your child develop independence from the sidelines so you can step in when needed.
Consider these tips as you nudge your child towards an independent life:
1. Let them make choices. While you don’t want your children making all the decisions, it’s important to allow them to make certain choices from time to time. Even as young toddlers you can give them opportunities to choose and develop independence.
* Allow your children their own meal choices.
* Let them pick some family activities.
* Let them choose toys and pursue their own hobbies.
* Allow them to dress themselves as long as their choices are appropriate.
2. Work on social skills. A large part of independence is learning how to effectively communicate. Improper communication skills can hold your child back. Children of all ages can work on developing better social skills.
* Reinforce the idea of sharing with young children.
* Teach your children appropriate ways to make friends.
* Teach them how to be polite and to use good manners.
3. Life lessons. It’s always a good idea to work on life lessons. This can be done early as well. Your children don’t need you to treat them as if you’ll always be there to take care of their every need. While you should always be there for them emotionally, teach them that you won’t solve every problem for them.
* Assign age appropriate chores to your children.
* Provide them with rewards for a job well done.
* Teach your children time management and problem solving skills.
Young Children
When you create a good learning environment for your children right from the beginning, they’ll start to develop independence on their own. They’ll learn to crawl to you and walk to you.
It’s important to give them opportunities to learn on their own early on. If they attend daycare, they’ll work on these skills during the day while you’re at work. If not, it might be a good idea to attend a local playgroup so your child can get to know others their age.
During these opportunities, let them do as they please while you watch from the sidelines. Let them play and only step in when needed. If your child begins to fight with another child over a toy, step in momentarily to reinforce the idea of sharing.
Whenever your child shows positive social skills, remember it together and reward them for their good behavior.
Older Children
Older children present a different set of parenting requirements. You might be scared as they face life’s tough decisions, but in the end you need to trust that they’ll make the right choices. After all, you can’t make decisions for them, but you’ll probably realize that your kids are smarter than you think!
In these circumstances, all you can do is work to keep the lines of communication open. As your children are growing up, have the tough conversations with them and let them know that you can be relied upon for your love and support.
Trust your children, but monitor them closely if you do have suspicions of negative activities. You shouldn’t encroach on their personal space, but there are still things you can do, such as keep track of their online activities and ask them where they’re going, with whom, and when they’ll be back. Set rules and curfews to help them make good choices.
Follow these tips and you’ll be rewarded with joy and pride as your children grow into capable, confident adults.
Opening of a Composition (A parent view)
Dec 22nd
I am writing this article from a parent view and what I’ve learnt from my son’s teachers.
How important is a good opening of a composition? Well, imagine you go for a movie, the opening is so dull that you nearly fall asleep, would you be keen to finish watching the movie? What if the opening of the story book immediately caught your attention, would you be interested to finish reading the book as soon as you can? Do you know why the story books by Geronimo Stilton are so popular amongst school students? The answer, the opening of the story book is always so catchy and fun to read. My son can’t wait to complete the book once he starts reading it.
Here’s an extract of I’m Too Fond of My Fur by G. Stilton:
When my old friend Professor von Squeaker called to ask for help, I agreed immediately – even though it meant trekking halfway around the world to Mouse Everest! The trip was long and dangerous. I almost froze my tail off along the way. And then I was kidnapped by a yeti! Yes, it was truly an extraordinary adventure…
Like a good movie or good book, a good opening of a composition gains the interest of the reader right away. Here are examples of a few ways you can catch your readers’ attention when writing your opening paragraph (Topic – An Unlucky Day):
Using a question
How would you feel if everything you do goes wrong on the same day? …..
Using Dialogue
“How was your day today, John?” Mom asked.
“It cannot get any worse, Mom!” I exclaimed.
Create a climax
“What’s going on, nothing seems to be going right today!” I uttered to myself as tears keep flowing down my cheeks.
Flashback (extracted from Towards Better Composition Writing Primary 4 by EPH)
Standing at the edge of the drain, I stared at my notes and worksheets floating on the filthy water. There was no way I could retrieve them. What was I going to tell my teacher?
The day had started fine. I woke at my usual time …
Oh yes, besides having a good opening, be sure that the opening paragraph is relevant to the essay you are writing.
What, Wait and Later
Dec 21st
I’m sure all parents find their kids adorable and are fascinated by the things they say. Remember when we were their age, we would just do what our parents asked us to do and no question would be asked. Today’s kids are so different and they are oh so smart. They always amazed us by the things they do and the words they say. In the past, if our parents asked us to go to bed, we would obediently do so. Today, if you ask your kids to go to bed and they are not willing to, you would most likely be engaged in a “words battle”. Sound all so familiar, right?
My “battle” is not just with my 9 years old son but also my 2½ years old girl. I realized that the 3 words that she commonly used nowadays are “What”, “Wait” and “Later”.
If I am talking to her elder brother or her daddy, she would poke her cutie face in front of me and asked “what”? When I asked her something she didn’t understand and pretend not to understand, she would also say “what”? This time, with a blur look on her face.
When I asked her to do something which she doesn’t want to, her standard answer is “wait, later.” Shower time when she was watching tv is a “wait, later.”, sleeping time when she was playing with her brother is also a “wait, later.”
Guess what would immediately catch her attention and her answer would be “yes”? The answer? “Do you want ice cream.” ;-p
How to Help Your Children Develop a Positive Outlook on Life
Dec 12th
When you equip your children a positive outlook, you’re setting them up for a happy and successful life.
Don’t believe me?
Well, who do you think would be most successful?
a) The person who believes he can achieve anything, become whomever he wants, and follows up with swift action, or:
b) The person who complains about anything, is indifferent about everything, and gets nothing done out of feelings of hopelessness.
Obvious, huh?
You see, children have such an amazing ability to learn. They’re babies one day, and the next they’re learning language and life skills at a rate much faster than any adult can. This gives us, as parents, a very important and sometimes overwhelming duty: to teach our children every day.
There are many things you can do each day to foster a positive outlook in your kids, but having a positive outlook yourself is the most important thing you can do to help your children grow. Let them know they make a positive difference in your life and love them unconditionally.
Keep the following tips in mind to help your children develop a positive outlook:
1. Lead by example. From a young age, your children pick up on more than you know. While you may live by the notion that you should always put your kids first, you also have to concentrate on your own self-development. Because, when you think positively, so will your kids.
2. Watch your reactions. Just as with leading by example, you must watch your reactions, especially when things go awry. If someone gets hurt or you learn some bad news, fight the urge to have a negative reaction. If you yell or outwardly worry, you’ll affect your children.
* Teach your children that sometimes things don’t go our way, but eventually the tides will turn.
3. Find the silver lining in challenges. As your children learn and develop, they’ll be faced with all sorts of challenges. Some of them will be easy, while others are more challenging. Be sure to point out the silver lining in any challenge your child may be facing. It’ll help them to see your point of view when they’re facing challenges alone.
4. Help them change their thinking. When you’re child is in the midst of a tough challenge, he may bring up the idea of giving up. Do your best to bring wisdom to the situation to know when your child simply needs to be pushed further. Perhaps there’s an angle to the problem that your child hasn’t tried yet.
* Nudge them in the right direction until they find the success they seek.
5. Promote laughter. Laughter breeds happiness and positive feelings. Your children will each have a unique sense of humor. Play into your child’s humorous side by promoting situations that your child finds funny.
* You can play games, go to shows, or simply have a good time together as a family.
A Happy Healthy Home
When you remember to treat your children in a calm and loving manner, they’ll be more likely to do the same. If your child tends to panic, don’t scold them for this behavior. Put them at ease as best as you can and show them that there’s a solution to their problem. If you panic, the situation may spiral into an unhealthy cycle.
In the end, there’s no right or wrong way to raise your kids. Do what’s best for your family in the way you know how. When you maintain a happy and healthy home, your children will learn to have hope and think positively!
A Tribute to my Helper at Home
Dec 9th
I am a working mom and my husband’s job requires him to travel frequently. While we are away from home, we need someone to help care for our two young kids.
I am fortunate that I have a good helper who is (and still) with me for almost 5 years now. We have heard horrible stories about domestic helper abusing their employer’s children. Honestly, I’m afraid that the same thing would happen to my children too. As such, when I first engaged my helper, I got my parents to help “monitor” her performance. It was about a year later that my parents gave me the “green light” that we can leave our kids alone with her at home. Since then, I trust her to take care of my children while we are at work.
I do not allow my kids to call my helper “maid”. I told my children, especially the elder one that she is their auntie and she is there to help me take care of them while daddy and mommy are at work. They have to respect her like they respect us. When they need help from her, they need to say “please”, when she did something for them, they need to say “thank you”, and when they done something wrong, they need to say “sorry”.
My helper does not want off-day so I compensate her with money. When she wants to take time off during weekend, I allow her to without deducting her pay. When she was sick and unable to tend for my children, I took leave to care of them myself and allow her to take “MC”. I remembered when she came back from her home leave last December, she was down with dengue fever and I had to take almost a week leave to take care of my children and cook for her (on top of the 3 weeks leave I’ve taken while she was away). When I go for my recent holiday trip to Hong Kong, I brought her along as a reward for her hard work. She was so happy that she got to meet up with her sister-in-law and cousin who are working there.
I believe the rule of thumb of having harmony with domestic helpers at home is to treat them fairly and respect them. If they are happy and feel that you treat them well, they would be grateful and work hard for you. Isn’t it the same for us when we are working for our employer?
Without her, I don’ think I would be able to concentrate while at work so I’m thankful that I have a good helper at home and my kids are safe in her good hands.
Banding in Primary School
Dec 8th
After streaming in primary school has been scraped, primary schools band their students based on their abilities and results at year end. For my son’s school, there’s no banding in Primary 1 & 2. Banding starts when they are promoted to Primary 3. What the school does was to place the best 40 students in 1 class and the next 40 in the 2nd class. Rest of students will be of mix caliber. From then on, students would be “classified” based on their final year results. As such, for example, if you are in the 1st class in Primary 3 but your overall position is no. 90 in school, you would be demoted to a “mix ability” class. I can’t help but question “would the child’s confidence level and morale be affected?”
Frankly, I’m not sure if this is a good way of “classifying” the students. The teacher also pre-warned the parents before the school reopens that because the children are the “best” in their level, they would be “drilled” to do better. My son commented that his class was too competitive and some of his classmates are very proud because they think they are the best. Some of these students even called those who didn’t score more than 90 marks for their test / exams “stupid”. Is that what the school aim to achieve? In addition, I felt that the students in the top two classes are placed with lots of unnecessary stress and pressure. Is the school concentrating too much on their best students and “ignore” the rest?
While I understand that every school wishes to produce good results students especially top students in PSLE, shouldn’t we remember what is the main purpose of educating these children?