“Thanks” to today’s gadgets, more and more kids tend to say, “I don’t know what I’m good at. I don’t know what I like. I’m not interested in anything actually.” (But somehow they are interested …
I just recently found out that in 1954 the United Nations actually suggested that all nations observe a universal Children’s Day as a way to promote the welfare of the world’s children.
In Singapore, we celebrate Children’s Day every October 1st, and it’s a Public Holiday today as it falls on the same day as Muslims celebrate their Hari Raya!
Anyway this morning, when my kids woke up I greeted them with ‘Happy Children’s Day!’ and a big smile, AND just to get in the spirit of things, the kids wear their ‘I Love Children’ shirts and dropped by the I Love Children’s roadshow at Tiong Bahru Plaza earlier today too! Hehe.
[Btw, ‘I Love Children‘ is a non-profit organisation that aims to promote family and children’s welfare in Singapore, and I’m glad to have the opportunity to work with them closely]
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[Top Photo] That’s them at the I Love Children booth. And if you take a closer look, that’s a photo of 4-month-old Vai (with his head covered with a blue towel), and a shot of Anya and Vai washing their hands right below it (Btw, Vai still couldn’t see how it was him on the panel even after we pointed it out to him, hehe)
Anyway the kids got a goodie bag each (given out to 300 kids today) and we got a copy of ‘Scribbles’ too, their quarterly newsletter, where my earlier blog post on ‘Staying Happy, Staying Together‘ (a shorter version of it) is featured there (Click here to read the newsletter’s first two pages in larger print).
We didn’t get to stay there for too long though (to find out the winner of the ‘Romance still happens’ family photo contest!), but we did have a really nice full-day out today with the kids and Wilson’s family who’re in Singapore for a good one week.
They have a good article on “Parents versus Grandparents’, and what we (parents) can do to minimise conflicts and encourage better relationships between our kids and their grandparents.
And this time round, a shot of Anya, Vai and my dad at Vivo City (waterplay area, 3rd level) was the chosen shot for the article.
Click HERE to read the article (in Indonesian). Enjoy!
I always find it interesting, how a small child can make a big mistake, receive a serious scolding from the parents, cry, feel very sorry about it, and be full of laughter again minutes later.
She can even start a casual chat with her parents again, the very people who were very mad with whatever she did earlier, as if nothing much has happened.
At times like this, however mad I may still feel inside towards Anya’s earlier misbehaviour, deep down I know I need to learn from her : to not let my head get too ‘hot’ for too long, because it’ll only ‘negatively’ affect the way I deal with everything else afterwards.
It’s easier said than done though.
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Yes. Without her realising, my 4.5yo is giving me a lesson on life.
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Btw, what things have YOU learned from little kids?
And so yes the kids and I were there with him, on Friday and again today.
We didn’t get ‘up close and personal’ to the actual race (he did yesterday!), but watching it from a distance and hearing such a deafening sound of racing cars going at full speed right in front of our eyes was such a thrilling experience for me and the kids!
It was exciting! Even to a non-fan like me!
And today, Vai was going, ‘F One! F One! Ngeeeenngggg…..’ hehe.
Anyway, here are some more photos of the event!
[Wilson was the one who took the ‘car shots’]
Vai turned 25 months last week, and I just thought I better pen down a few updates on his developments before my memory goes really rusty. So here goes …
Potty Training I’ve started toilet training him since he’s about 23 months, ie. he’s off his diapers when he’s awake at home. We still get ‘accidents‘ (of course) but it’s always encouraging when he does tell me when he wants to do number one and two.
He’s tried the potty, but sitting on our toilet (with no ‘padded seat’ that goes on top of it) works best for him somehow. And since he can stay dry for 1-2 hours at times, I still need to be the one who periodically takes him to the toilet.
Afternoon Nap
Lately it’s been tough getting him to nap in the afternoon (he naps once a day). He’d prefer to jump on the bed or do silly things like putting a blanket over his head and running around saying ‘Lion dance! Lion dance!’.
And since letting him go without an afternoon nap is nearly impossible (because I know he NEEDS that rest, else he’d get easily cranky towards the evening), getting him to finally sleep can take ages (like, close to an hour!). And usually it’d involve a lot of warnings, nagging and serious scolding. I talk and raise my voice so often that many times I just feel ‘verbally and mentally drained’ afterwards.
On average, he sleeps a total of about 11 – 12 hours a day.
Love for Scribbles
Vai knows he’s not supposed draw on things other than paper. When he sees graffiti or markings on public walls, he’d go ‘Coret-coret … no no no! Coret di kertas!’ (Coret-coret is Indonesian for ‘scribble’, and ‘coret di kertas’ means ‘scribble on paper’)
However, despite him ‘knowing’ how he’s supposed to draw on paper, being the 2yo that he is, time and again I may get an unwanted ‘crayon surprise’ on our walls, our bedsheet, sofa, door, table, TV, desks. Even on our laptop monitor!
There was once a time when he somehow managed to get his hands on a permanent marker and drew on his bedroom walls! I was so shocked by the sight that invisible steams probably puffed out of my ears. Went to close our main door and windows before I gave him one of my utmost thunderous scoldings. He scrubbed the walls with me afterwards. The marks are still there till today, only 30% fainter.
And I kind of lost my voice for two days after that incident.
Vai and his sister
Vai likes to bug his sister. When Anya’s ready for bed, he’d pull her pillow. When Anya’s about to put on her shirt, he snatches it and plays with it instead. When Anya draws on a paper, he wants that paper too.
When he asks for item B but sees Anya goes to choose item A, sometimes he immediately says, ‘Vai mau A juga!’ (Indo for: ‘Vai wants A too!’). I guess this ‘competition’ between siblings is just impossible to avoid (despite our attempts to keep things neutral, fair and ‘non-competitive’ between them two)
Other than that, I know he loves his sister. They both can make each other giggle and laugh so hard. He can give her the biggest hugs and kisses too (hugging and kissing her on the cheek before and after Anya’s school is a routine we practice from day one).
Other Random Stuff Vai is one who automatically says hi and bye to people he sees. We want our kids to be friendly to people of all levels (from our friends to bus drivers and cleaners at food courts) and so yes, it’s a habit that we encourage since they’re young.
He likes to do silly things. Things that can put a smile even to strangers. He’d do silly moves and make silly faces and weird noises.
He’s 15.1 kg.
He drinks between 650ml – 800ml of formula a day.
His vocabulary has grown a lot over the past 2 months. He can roughly tell me what he wants, and explains to me what he sees in sentences. Say for example :
(upon seeing birds) ‘Mommy, liat, ada bird!’ (Indo for : ‘Mommy, see, there’s a bird!’)
‘Ada bird? Mana, Vai?’ (Indo for: ‘Bird?’ Where is it, Vai?’)
‘Tuh, bird terbang. Disitu mungkin. Mommy liat ga?’ (Indo for : ‘There! The bird flew away. Over there, may be. Did you see it, Mommy?’)
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Just like any other parents, raising our little Vai has its ups and downs. But really, however tough things sometimes get, we realise how we’re in fact privileged to be entrusted with this little guy.
We’re thankful to God for watching over him. And as much as we try our best to be his ‘teacher’, interestingly, at times we’re the ones who learn about life from him.
May God give us the needed strength and wisdom to be better parents for him and Anya everyday.
Kids,
You may read this years or decades from today, but I feel I need to write about this for you.
Did you know that Daddy loves you?
Did you know that when you were all little, and …
As a Mom, I can say that there are certain days that seem to last longer than usual.
Days when I feel tired, and mentally drained.
Moments when I have to deal with much whining, talking back, …
Out of the many things we share with the kids, one of them is:
We need to be extra careful with the internet.
It has lots and LOTS of rubbish.
But, at the same time, it has some …
So.
How long have we been married ?
It’s been 11 years for us.
To some people, that’s pretty long already.
To some others, we’re just at the ‘beginning’ of a long journey, and there’ll be many more ‘interesting’ …
Someone once said that once you’ve decided the person with whom you’ll spend the rest of your life with, basically there’s ‘no turning back’.
If we’ve made a ‘bad decision’, then we (unfortunately) will live with …
One of the things that I often need to remind myself is, I’m not just a Mom.
I’m also someone’s wife.
The ‘problem’ is, when you have kids, we are naturally inclined to focus our energy and …
My name is Leonny and I’m a Mom of three – Anya, Vai and Brie. I love to capture and share what I treasure, learn and observe in life, which includes parenting thoughts and other pro-family messages – basically, topics that are close to my heart. I hope my blog can inspire everyone who comes to visit.
Connect with me on Facebook (leonny.atmadja), Instagram (leonny_oureverydaythings) and subscribe to my Youtube (youtube.com/watchourchannel)
[Btw, ‘I Love Children‘ is a non-profit organisation that aims to promote family and children’s welfare in Singapore, and I’m glad to have the opportunity to work with them closely]
