Exploring Our Children’s Potentials

One of those occasions where Vai casually went off by himself and one of us had to quickly go after him.

Gee. I really don’t know how to begin. There’s so much to tell.

I guess I’ll start from the time I left for Jakarta with the kids and sort of go from there.

Traveling alone with just the two kids

Both kids were awake when we’re on board. I had snacks, small toys (even playdoh and crayons!) packed in my bag, just in case they got bored and went on doing undesirable stuff.

But hey, apparently they’re both quite okay throughout the plane trip!

[To begin with, I kept my standard pretty low, ie. as long as they didn’t cry, run around or kick a fuss, I’m a happy mom!]

We sat near the window and Vai sat on my lap. And when the seat belt sign was off, Vai went and played with Anya and with whatever stuff he could find nearby!

He wiped the tables and walls. Sat on the floor and played with his toy cars. Held toys with his teeth and did his “Mommy look! No hands!” stuff.

(Good thing we’re placed towards the ‘front’ – where no other passengers were ‘in front of us’!)

During take off and landing, they’re both okay too (ie. no ‘ear pain’ from the change in air pressure). Thanks to the continuous biscuit feeding and water drinking, I guess?

When we reached Jakarta and got our luggage, Anya helped push the pram with Vai sitting on it, while I dragged our baggage with one hand and pushed the pram with the other.

It was all good. Phew.

Mosquitoes

Ah now, our little flying friends.

I have to say, they’re EVERYWHERE. And somehow they seem to love kids more than us adults!

I put on anti-mosquito lotion on the kids almost all the time, BUT obviously it’s not possible to cover ALL parts of their body ALL THE TIME.

And so yes, the kids did get bitten and they (especially Vai) ended up having quite a few red and swollen marks here and there (read: cheeks, ear, temple, neck, arms, legs, you name it).

Oh btw, Vai got bitten just under his left eye too, and it got so swollen that for two days he looked like he’s been punched in the eye!

Sigh. I told myself, at least none of us got denque!

Family get-together

The reunion itself was nice. We went to the mountains (read: Puncak) and stayed at our villa there for a few days.

We had our family photo done in the outdoors, and the kids had fun amongst themselves. They swam, played with their cousins, rode their tricycle, ran around barefooted, and so on.

And this is a shot of my grandparents posing with their ‘great grandkids’! Oh btw, they’re 88 and 84 years old!

[And to think that Vai and my grandpa are EIGHTY SIX years apart in age is just too amazing!]

And yes, as there were some twenty of us, mealtimes together almost always looked like a busy affair!

…

For two weeks we’re surrounded with family members. Lots of them. And one of the good things about that is I (finally) managed to do bits of stuff ‘for myself’, like having my hair done and getting a nice full body massage (my first time!)

It was goooood.

After two weeks, I’m finally back!

Anya’s started school again and we’re all back to our routine.

Anyway, we took HEAPS of photos and will share them as soon as I’ve unpacked at least ‘part’ of our stuff!

For now, have a great weekend everyone!

PS: I’ve read all the comments too! Thanks to those who’ve shared! I’ll reply soon, and in the mean time, do write in if you haven’t done so yeah!

When we first start breastfeeding our newborn baby, most of us go through times when we :

– wonder whether our breastmilk is sufficient and whether we should also give some formula milk
– are so sleep deprived from the frequent night time feedings
– bear the pain of engorgements, even infections like mastitis

When we start introducing solids, most moms then :

– wonder how often we should feed the baby
– wonder if the baby’s food needs to be all organic
– run out of ideas of what other food menu we can give
– bear the change of smell and texture from baby’s poop!

As the baby enters toddlerhood, most moms :

– face regular mealtime mess
– struggle through mealtime rejection phases
– wonder when salt, spices and sauces can be introduced
– are torn between choosing to let the child self-feed himself (read: mealtime mess) or continue to spoonfeed the baby

…

The actual list goes on and on and is different from one mom to another. Mealtime situations are even different from one child to another within the same family. One may perhaps be a consistently easy eater (lucky Mom!).

One thing for sure though, all moms go through some sort of mealtime ups and downs, and if you feel you’re one of them and are facing tough phases too with your kids, I’d just like to say : you’re not alone.

…

I’m hoping parents who read this blog can start sharing their personal experiences with the kids too, so everyone can learn from each other’s sharing.

All you need to do :

1) Click on the ‘Comment’ link (right under the Title of the blog entry)
2) Share a little something
3) Click ‘RSS feed for comments on this post’, so that you can receive other people’s sharings via email

It’s that easy!

For a start, I’d like to invite readers near and far to share your mealtime experiences with your little kids.

Has your chid always been a good eater? Or a fussy one? Has she ever rejected her meals ? How did you deal with the situation ? Do you have any particular mealtime worries ?

Don’t forget to leave your name, your kid’s age, and perhaps where you’re in the world right now *smile*

Hope this discussion and sharing can be a start to something useful for all parents out there!

The other day the kids and I did this arts and crafts thing together.

We made a Balloon Lady!

What we used:
> A balloon (for the ‘head’)
> Crepe paper, cut to strips – approx. 1.5cm wide (for the ‘hair’)
> Glue
> Coloured cartons (for the eyes and mouth)

After I inflated the balloon and cut the cream-coloured crepe paper, the kids started smearing some glue on the top of the balloon.

I opened up the strips of crepe paper and the kids put the long strips across the top.

Oh btw, I cut out some shorter and wider strips too for the fridge and back of the head.

I then cut out these shapes : two oval eyes and a crescent smiley mouth. Anya then did the gluing and pasting onto the balloon.

And VOILA!

Here’s a big Hello from the Balloon Lady!!

From: Respectful Parents, Respectful Kids: 7 Keys to Turn Family Conflict Into Co-operation

In some ways our children are as much guides for our life as we are for theirs.

They are a reminder of how lively and engaging life can be.

For children, the world is a giant laboratory and they’re serious explorers of it.

Watch, experiment with them and learn from them because they can help you remember how to be deeply in love with life.

Children play and explore, laugh and wonder right out loud. They provide a constant invitation for us to join them. Accept their invitation and cross the line into their world.

Imagine how it must feel to walk through sand for the first time, to balance on two wheels and zoom through space, to pluck petals from a daisy and sense the flower slightly tugging back, to hear an airplane or the wind or a crow caw for the first time.

Their awe and appreciation of simple things in life can be yours. And they’re wiling and waiting to share it with us.

If you expect your children to think and behave more ‘adult-like’ BEFORE they’re developmentally ready to perform them, we’re in a way threatening their sense of emotional security.

Trying to meet parents’ expectations but not yet ‘ready’ to do so is commonly experienced by all kids.

Drinking from a cup, eating with a spoon and tying shoes cannot be done before brain and muscles are ready.

And sometimes they may simply be genetically and developmentally unique and special.

As much as parents expose, teach and help a child to grow and develop, it is possible that he doesn’t ‘perform’ as we ‘hope’.

He may not yet start cruising at 10 months, nor as tall as his peers at 2 years, and not yet know his alphabets at three years of age. But despite all that, he is just as special as others who seem to be ‘more advanced for their age’.

Each child has their own unique timetable for developing, as well as their very own personalities, abilities and ways of learning.

The question is :
Do we see our child as unique and do we accept him just the way he is created, while at the same time positively encouraging him to continually explore and develop his potentials and letting him see our unconditional love and acceptance of him?