Exploring Our Children’s Potentials

We had a wonderful trip with friends and their kids to understand fire fighters’ work better!

And, I made these 2 videos, as keepsakes =)

 

 

 
And oh, I also went LIVE on Facebook, for the first time, haha =)
 

 
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If you need help, the main number to call is: 112!Here’s a brief summary of what the officers shared with us:

>> Exercising proper Fire safety is important, including at our homes.
– Eg. Do not take the lifts in any case of fire.
– Take the emergency stairs.
– If there’s ‘small fire’ at home, don’t run away! The fire will get ‘bigger’ and out of control if you leave your home.
– Try covering the ‘small fire spot’ with a totally drenched towel to put it out.

>> If you need help, the main number to call is: 112! Call that number and they’ll direct you to the right ‘institution’ to help

>> NO need to pay them if they come to help us. The government already pays for their service!

>> Firemen’s job is not only putting out fire. They also help in cases like: when someone falls into the river, in flood cases, when people are stuck in a lift, when a child’s arm is stuck in railings, etc. The other day they even helped to rescue a cat (sounds so much like in the comics☺)

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I have this new found respect and admiration for these officers!
Frankly, I have this new found respect and admiration for these officers!

The officers at the fire station were very friendly towards us and the kids, very welcoming.

They deserve better appreciation and acknowledgement from us all, me think …

PS: To visit any fire stations as a group AND ride the fire truck around the area, it costs Rp250,000 per trip. Call a fire station directly, and make a booking first. Have fun!

This video was created as part of Brie’s ‘Show and Tell’ at her Kindergarten.

The topic was ‘What do you want to be when you grow up?’

She said she’d want to be a baker =)

And so we made this clip while she prepared some banana muffins to share with her friends the next day! =)

Here’s the clip:
 

 
Enjoy! =)

As much as I really dislike traffic jams and spending so many hours everyday on the road, being ‘trapped in the car’ with the kids does provide us with opportunities to instill values, correct behaviours and listen to the kids’ stories, updates and thoughts.

And one of the topics that we’ve discussed many times while in the car is: what happens after we’ve made a mistake.

ALWAYS tell the truthThese are the values that we always, ALWAYS, share with the kids:

> You can always talk to Mommy and Daddy about anything

> It is important to ALWAYS tell the truth. Mommy and Daddy really appreciate honesty.

When we’ve made a mistake, Mommy and Daddy still prefer to hear about it from YOU, and not from others.

Just because you own up, it doesn’t mean you can always escape the consequences
> If you are disciplined because of a mistake/wrongdoing, it is part and parcel of your learning journey, and it’s because Mommy and Daddy believe that it is necessary, for your own good. Just because you own up/confess, it doesn’t mean you can always escape the consequences.

> Covering a mistake with a lie means the mistake (or sin) is DOUBLED. Covering a mistake with LIES and blaming others, means that the mistakes are tripled and so on. All this happened in the garden of Eden and it’s not a surprise if our tendency is also to cover up our sins and blame others.

BUT.

KNOWING and DOING are two different thingsHaving said that, we must always tell ourselves that:
It is better to always come clean and admit our mistakes, though it is very hard to do.

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Now. KNOWING and DOING are two different things.

Knowing about ‘what we should do’ does not mean we’d do it.

It’s hard to do. For us adults, too.

That’s why I believe these lessons and reminders are not just for the kids.

It’s for all of us. For Mommy and Daddy, too.

So.

Let’s make this our daily struggle, with God’s help.

Food for thought.

Older children (especially teenagers) don’t automatically share their thoughts and struggles, if such parent-child communication habit has not been nurtured since very youngIf we wish to have children who share their days with us, their struggles, thoughts, sadness, happiness, annoyance towards something/someone, etc … I truly believe it needs to start from the very first day our child goes to ‘formal school’, ie. Where they leave us for a few good hours.

It is a HABIT that we need to nurture since day one.

And for our family of five, we started the habit with all three children.

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Since the eldest started going to Nursery (N2, back in Singapore), I purposely started the habit by:

– Picking her up from school myself
– Always asking open questions like, how her day was like, with whom she played that day, what she did with her teachers and friends during recess, etc.

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In the first year, I sometimes got replies like, ‘Hmm… I don’t know’, or ‘I can’t remember’In the first year (yes, it didn’t happen overnight), I sometimes got replies like, ‘Hmm… I don’t know’, or ‘I can’t remember’ (This btw happened to all three children when we started nurturing this habit)

So what I did was, I changed the ways my questions were worded.

At other times, I went on and told the kids about MY day, what I did earlier before I picked them up, the incidents that took place at home, for example.

Then, I asked about their day.

And, every now and then, I told them how I love hearing about their day.

(Again, in the first year when I started the habit, the kids didn’t always know what to share. Which to me was okay. But I still consistently asked different questions to help them recall how their day was like and share it with me).

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I have to learn to keep quiet and just LISTEN to their storiesBy now, the eldest is 13yo, the middle-born is 10.5yo and the lastborn is 5.5yo.

(I’m still ‘working on’ the lastborn’s habit to always tell me about her day at Kindergarten)

No problems with the older two children though.

When I pick the two of them from school, they’d most likely tell me about their day within 3-5 minutes.

AND, almost always, I have to tell all 3 kids to ‘take turns’ in telling me about their day.

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Do I sometimes get a headache from hearing their stories, complaints, or jokes?

Yes, I honestly do sometimes.

Especially when I happen to have a lot of other things (read: concerns) in my head.

But.

This is something that I also treasure very much.

And because I know how precious this habit is and how it must continue, I know I have to learn to keep quiet and just LISTEN to their stories. Many times I must say, it takes a LOT of effort to just, listen.

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It needs a lot of effort and consistency on our part. Self-denial, too.Do I think such a habit is a necessity?

Yes, I do, very much.

Older children (especially teenagers) don’t ‘naturally’ share their thoughts and struggles with their parents.

And if such parent-child communication habit has not been nurtured since very young, it’s highly unlikely that it’ll start during our children’s teenage years.

Do take note though: it needs a lot of effort and consistency on our part. Self-denial, too.  Over many years (ie. Since they start going to school).

But I can tell you, it is totally worth it.

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Anyway.

I came across an article – 50 questions to ask your kids instead of asking “How was your day”, and I thought I should share the questions here, too, as ideas for you! =)

Here they are:

What made you smile today?
Can you tell me an example of kindness you saw/showed?
Was there an example of unkindness? How did you respond?
Does everyone have a friend at recess?
What was the book about that your teacher read?
What’s the word of the week?
Did anyone do anything silly to make you laugh?
Did anyone cry?
What did you do that was creative?
What is the most popular game at recess?

What was the best thing that happened today?
Did you help anyone today?
Did you tell anyone “thank you?”
Who did you sit with at lunch?
What made you laugh?
Did you learn something you didn’t understand?
Who inspired you today?
What was the peak and the pit?
What was your least favorite part of the day?

Was anyone in your class gone today?
Did you ever feel unsafe?
What is something you heard that surprised you?
What is something you saw that made you think?
Who did you play with today?
Tell me something you know today that you didn’t know yesterday.
What is something that challenged you?
How did someone fill your bucket today? Whose bucket did you fill?
Did you like your lunch?
Rate your day on a scale from 1-10.

Did anyone get in trouble today?
How were you brave today?
What questions did you ask at school today?
Tell us your top two things from the day (before you can be excused from the dinner table!).
What are you looking forward to tomorrow?
What are you reading?
What was the hardest rule to follow today?
Teach me something I don’t know.
If you could change one thing about your day, what would it be?
(For older kids): Do you feel prepared for your history test?” or, “Is there anything on your mind that you’d like to talk about?” (In my opinion, the key is not
only the way a question is phrased, but responding in a supportive way.)

Who did you share your snacks with at lunch?
What made your teacher smile? What made her frown?
What kind of person were you today?
What made you feel happy?
What made you feel proud?
What made you feel loved?
Did you learn any new words today?
What was the hardest rule to follow today?
If you could switch seats with anyone in class, who would it be? And why?
What is your least favorite part of the school building? And favorite?
If you switched places with your teacher tomorrow, what would you teach the class?

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I hope the post gives you more ideas on what to ask and why parent-child communication is a necessity in our family.

Have a wonderful day, everyone!

 
… to be remembered, although it happens year after year
 

 
… God’s way of reminding us that we have been blessed with another year, and hence we must find our true calling, use our limited time wisely and be a blessing to others.
 

 
I thank God for these 4 people in my life.

They are far from perfect, like me.

Yet their presence in my life teaches me so much about life, love and God’s grace.

I recently discovered these 3 ‘worrying’ facts:

1. Indonesia is the second worst among the world’s 61 most literate nations, only higher than Botswana, according to a new study conducted by Central Connecticut State University in the US.

2. Jakarta is named the world’s number one “Twitter city”

3. Hoaxes and fake news have become a massive problem in Indonesia in recent months

In short, Indonesia’s literacy level is low, BUT its people loves to write and share their opinion online!

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Knowledge and one’s love for reading and learning influence the heart and mindNow.

Looking at the 3 points above, … are they related, you think?

Well, I think so.

I believe, knowledge and one’s love for reading and learning influence the heart and mind.

And what we feed into our mind and heart subsequently affects the kinds of content (opinion) we share.
 

 
Reading has somehow become a rare activity these days, especially amongst the younger generationSo, what is its relevance to us as parents, some may wonder.

I feel it’s an urgent call, a reminder, for all parents to nurture their children’s love for reading and learning, since their early years.

Teaching them:
… to enjoy reading.
… to read from credible sources.
… to digest and think about what they’ve read.
… to always have a thirsty and humble heart, one that’s willing to learn

(Reading has somehow become a rare activity these days, especially amongst the younger generation. Unfortunately.)

Anyway.

Food for thought?

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Sources for the above 3 points:

http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2016/03/12/indonesia-second-least-literate-61-nations.html

http://jakartaglobe.id/features/indonesias-surprising-love-affair-with-social-media/

http://time.com/4620419/indonesia-fake-news-ahok-chinese-christian-islam/

 
So I am now officially a mother of a teenager.

The eldest is now thirteen.

Time flies too quickly.
 

 
She cares about her studies.

She’s into keeping things clean.

She loves to doodle and draw.

She is punctual.

She has very neat handwriting.

She’s not afraid of expressing her opinions.

She prefers to sleep than do sports.

She’s not into animals.

She loves books (and loves Singapore libraries!)
 

 
Three days after her actual birthday, we went to my parents’ place for dinner. Brought along this yummy birthday cheesecake to share with everyone. My healthy 92yo grandma happened to be in Jakarta, too, which was great!!

A nice gathering indeed.
 

 
Anya,
you are indeed very blessed.

We pray that as you grow up and discover more about the big world (which can be both beautiful and cruel), you courageously and consistently stand firm on what’s true and right, even when we are not there next to you, … even when no one stands by you.

You have a strong character, and we know this means you’d have the courage to go against the flow, ie. When everyone else chooses what is ‘not right’ in your eyes.

We’ll continually pray for you and your personal faith in Christ. We pray that you grow in your thirst for God’s truth and live daily according to God’s will.

And. Don’t ever forget that we love you. Always.
 

In recent months, in Indonesia’s context, one’s choice of religion seems to receive more attention than usual.

‘Gee! Your doctor wasn’t nice, was he? Was he a Christian?’

‘My doctor spoke to us with zero empathy! I was disappointed to know that he was a Muslim.’

‘I hope you’ll find a good Muslim specialist.’

…

Sadly, more tension and negativity towards different religions is present lately, … tension rather than harmony and tolerance.

Many write comments about others in such hurtful manners.

Personal opinions about someone (who holds a different view or belief) are written in a highly provocative and hateful way, online.

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Since we cannot change others, … let us consider representing our choice of religion and faith positivelyI know it happens in other parts of the world.

I guess, I just didn’t wish for it to happen right here in Indonesia – a country which acknowledges six religions and promotes religious tolerance and ‘unity in diversity’ motto.

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Anyway.

Since we cannot change others, … let us consider representing our choice of religion and faith positively, especially at times like now.

Because our choice of words and actions, in social media or in real life, represents our religion and faith. Whether we like it or not.

Food for thought.