While you still can
Someone asked me the other day about whether or not I’ll put Anya in a child care centre, since she’s already 19 months old anyway.
On this matter, Wilson and I both agree that once children start going to school or child care centre, you can never filter all external influences any longer.
While there are positive influences from teachers and friends whom they spend hours and hours with nearly everyday of the week, realistically, there will sure be lots of not-so-good ones too.
So to us, while you still can educate and discipline the kid yourself, teaching what you believe and value as righteous, you should take on the challenge and privilege of bringing your kids yourself.
Kids will normally start their Nursery classes when they’re around 3 – 4 years old. So, really, we ONLY have those first 3 precious years of a kid’s life to teach the kid yourself. Fully.
We can’t keep our kids constantly with us forever. There will be a day when she will walk out of the house and mingle with the outside world all on their own, for hours and hours at a time too. AND if you ask me, I would like to have already taught my kid all the important lessons and values that she needs to know by then.
This of course doesn’t mean that before a kid is 3 years old, she has no social life.
We take Anya out so very frequently. She’s out and about with us and our friends (and their kids too) since she’s a month old. And when we’re at home, I also make sure she continues to learn new things too (stuff like language and motoric skills, etc)
Well anyway, this is one of the reasons why I never look down on my role as a fulltime mom. I feel it’s such a privilege to have been entrusted with a life. A soul. And, not only to care and nurture physically, but also spiritually, emotionally, psychologically, socially, morally, and … you name the rest.
And while I still have the time, while I still can, I want to do it with all my heart.
Motherhood. An honour. A privilege. A joy.
