A Visit To The Dentist

Son No 3 finally got two of his baby teeth - the lower incisors - removed by the lady dentist, Dr Tong, at One Utama yesterday.

This was Son No 3's fourth visit to the dentist and he showed very little anxiety. Dr Tong is an experienced, motherly dentist with a kindly disposition. Son No 3 was comfortable with her. Throughout the visit, he was brave and assertive in his demands, instructing Dr Tong not to press too hard, making it known when he needed to rinse his mouth and that he disliked the topical anaesthesia that was applied because it was too hot.

Dr Tong and the two nurses were suitably amused. Son No 3 must have brightened up their day - I guess he is quite different from the normal type of patients that they have. Their pleasure translated to a RM10 discount to the bill!

Son No 3 was most cooperative when it came to mummy's requests to have pictures taken to commemorate the event.

(Above) Taken at home before the visit.

(Bottom) Outside the dental clinic after the extraction.

(Far Bottom) Eating McDonald's vanilla ice-cream 10 minutes later.

But, alamak, I forgot to tell him about the tooth fairy ....

Champion Of All Games

Son No 1's current ambition in life appears to be the reigning champion of all games in his Facebook account, where he is being challenged. He is on his way to seeing it becoming a reality.

I remarked dryly that he should keep up his competitive spirit and apply it to his classmates when the new school term commences in late August.

Seriously, I am quite amazed that he can keep up with so many computer games. OK, it is his main (and only?) preoccupation, but still?

I surmised that it is the way their brains are wired these days.

I was observing him playing a certain strategy game when I asked him how did he learn to play the game.

Like that-lor.

Did you read the manual/instructions?

Huh? (I must have sounded very last-century)

Did your friends teach you?

No need-la.

Then how did you learn?

Like that-lor.

All the time, when he was playing the new game, he was clicking here and there briskly... you can almost see his mind working furiously. Well, if I have to put a name to it, it is probably called experiential learning. It is what schools in Singapore are trying to teach.

I am ambivalent when it comes to my children playing computer games. I know they distract the children and take away their time from reading and other meaningful activities. Nevertheless, I also know there is no way we can shield them completely from the cyber world. At the end of the day, it is discipline, discipline and discipline. I watch out for time excessively spent on computer games (addiction), playing any one game that borders on obsession and the values espoused by the game, overtly or otherwise.

For myself, I am hopeless when it comes to playing new games. My favourite computer game is The Sims. But I do not like it when the game designers add too many new functionalities to the game in newer versions. Just keep it simple, for goodness sake.

My brain is already firmly wired.

"Can We Read The Bible?"

"Can we read the bible tonight?"

Whoa, what brought that on? We were alone in the car this afternoon when Son No 2 popped the question. Ours is not a church-going family and regretfully, God does not figure prominently in our daily home life. So I was somewhat surprised at the question.

"I want to pray to God."

Hmm... it turned out that one of his best friends in school, a girl named Yuki, had asked him this question, "Do you believe in God?", to which he had answered in the affirmative. Yuki had replied that she also believed in God.

I asked Son No 2 casually which church does Yuki attend.

"I don't know, maybe like the one we passed by this morning."

"No, that's a mosque. It's where Muslims go. You know, the boys who wear the songkok. Christians go to church." I paused, unsure how far to continue in this subject. I decided to continue, "Christians believe in Jesus."

"I believe in Jesus and so I am a Christian."

Well.... I doubt he understood the significance of his announcement. Son No 2 went on to reminisce about the time when he attended a church-based kindergarten in Singapore and where they listened to Bible stories and sang songs. That's where he got to know Jesus.

Imagine this, young Yuki has done her part as an evangelist. Now it is my turn to ponder... is this a calling that I have to do my part to introduce my children to Christ? I think I have sufficient knowledge of the Bible but my own relationship with God is a big question mark.

Earlier this year, it did occur to me to introduce God to the children in a more structured way. I realised that spiritual development is one area that I have neglected. I have in fact made a trip to Popular Book Store (they have all types of books) to stock up on children's bible story books as well as bible-related activity books. So I already have the materials ready. I just never got started. This is perhaps the boost that is needed to start me going...

An Update

It has been a busy weekend. First, a new semester has started at the university where I am a part-time tutor. For this semester, I have agreed to take two classes. I enjoy teaching and as I am pretty familiar now with the subject content, I figure it should not take up too much of my time in terms of preparation. But still, it means I have to go to the university on both Saturday and Sunday, once every month.

But what has been really taking up my time is Son No 2's term tests. The syllabus is very demanding for a 7-year-old and I am compelled to guide him in his work. To be fair to him, he is learning two new languages at the same time (Chinese and Malay) and many of the subjects are taught in Chinese. Given that, I would say he has been coping extremely well, better than I had expected.

Good thing is Son No 1 is having his school hols - so my chauffering duties are somewhat lightened. I say, "somewhat" because he still has other activities that require chauffering. You know, things like movies, camps, enrichment classes and chores that need to be completed during school hols.

And Son No 3? He's still mulling over his future career. He has hit the nail on its head last week when he wondered aloud, "When I grow up, there are so many things to do, and I have to work so-oo hard. Mummy, can I be a 'children' when I grow up?" Darling, don't we all wish we can be children all over again? Enjoy your life while you can!

Anyway, this promises to be another busy week ahead. And I wouldn't want it any other way.

Race & Religion

Wah, such a heavy topic for my family-themed blog?

Well, I was teaching my Son No 2 a chapter from his Moral Education textbook and this chapter introduced race and religion. What it describes prompted me to write this post. Let me explain.

In this chapter on "zong jiao" which means religion, there are large pictures on each page because these 7-year-olds do not have the vocabulary to study this topic. On one page, there are 4 sketches of children representing the different races: a Malay, an Indian, a Chinese and a pan-Asian. Then there are four sketches of places of worship: a church, a mosque, a Buddhist (not taoist) temple, a Hindu temple. The children are expected to match the race of the child in the picture with the place of worship.

What I am appalled is that I am expected to tell my son that Malay = mosque, Chinese = Buddhist temple, Indian = Hindu temple and pan-Asian = church. It is fundamentally wrong to ingrain such notions in our young. In reality, there is no one-to-one relationship between race and religion, and should never be.

What I need to tell him is that an Indian can be a Christian as well. So can a Chinese. I also need to tell him that some Chinese/Indian become Muslims. No, no, no... it is too confusing for the poor child. Why is this topic taught in such an early age anyway?

Even before this, my Son No 2 has been grappling with his identity. Having spent much of his early years in predominantly-Chinese Singapore and is now studying in a Chinese school, he had little clue that life can be so complicated. To illustrate, some of the questions that he has asked me before include:

1. I am born in Singapore, why am I a Malaysian?
2. We live in Malaysia, why aren't we Malays?
3. We are Chinese, why do we speak in English?
4. How do we know we are Chinese?

Sigh. And to those who think that they will know better when they grow up, I am not so sure.

Last year, when I went for my medical check-up here, the receptionist did not ask me for my religion when she was entering my biodata. But in the medical report, it was stated that my religion was "Buddhist". She had assumed that being a Chinese, I was a Buddhist. Now where did she get that idea, I wonder?

MobTV Rockz

"Look, that's Suntec City! And that's the new Tiong Bahru market."

"It's the HDB flats at Bishan!"

We are watching Channel 8's mandarin drama serials and it's fun to spot places that we recognise. Yes, for this month, we have subscribed to MobTV. MobTV stands for Mediacorp Online Broadband TV. It carries the non-cable shows that are produced by Singapore's own TV stations.

We, in Kuala Lumpur now, are feeling - well, I wouldn't call it homesick - but more nostalgic. Truth is, we miss these shows with a strong Singapore flavour. We love to watch the familiar faces, like Ivy Lee and Felicia Chin and we love to listen to the Singapore-accented mandarin or Singlish as spouted by Phua Chu Kang.

Hong Kong dramas never really cut it with Son No 1 who grew up with Holland Village and The Unbeatables starring Zoe Tay and Li Nanxing. Of course, with MobTV, we can now watch Singapore shows anywhere in the world so long as there are internet connections.

Son No 1 is also a faithful fan of Singapore cinema shows. He has watched almost all the locally-produced shows from I Not Stupid to Just Follow Law and always enjoys these shows heartily. I call those familiar actors and actresses (Fann Wong, Jack Neo, Christopher Lee etc) his Singapore friends.

As it is Son No1's school hols, it's a good time to touch base. Since waking up at 11:30am this barely morning, he has been glued to the laptop, watching Love Blossoms, Beach.Ball.Babes, School House Rockz and Phua Chu Kang re-runs. He's having a whale of a time.

Hmm.. the school hols last an unfettered four weeks. Son No 1 should make my S$16.80 one-month subcription really worth it.

My Mom, My Teacher

Overheard Son No 2 saying to Son No 1: "I don't like studying in school but I like studying at home."

I was touched. It is the highest accolade to me as an educator. And one that is most meaningful.

Well, Son No 2 is a cheerful and eager learner most of the time and it makes a difference - he's a joy to teach. But he does get bored and fidgety easily. Over time, I got to know his learning habits and what makes him tick.

I know, and worry, that in school, there is too much rote learning and not enough fun or thinking activities incorporated into the pedagogy. Sometimes, the children copy things blindly from the whiteboard, without a clue what it is all about.

As a trained educator, I am glad my child is able to benefit from my training. I try to supplement what is missing from school. Especially in the teaching of Science, my forte. Some of our memorable "lessons" include driving round SS2 looking out for plants and flowers that he has learnt in school, blowing into test-tubes filled with different levels of water to make tunes and planting seeds/watching seedlings grow.

In the learning of Malay, our bugbear, I use a heavy dosage of learner's psychology. Introduce, reinforce, assess, review. Maintain a conducive learning environment. Tailor worksheets to ensure success. On the last point, I would add that although I buy assessment books, I seldom use them wholesale. When I do (due to lack of time), I find them not very effective and sometimes, even demoralising. I like to prepare my own worksheets so that they are true reinforcement of what we learnt that day. The worksheets are also meant to build confidence, not to show deficiencies, which should have been corrected at the learning stage.

In part, our study session is another special one-on-one bonding time that is appreciated by both mummy and son. We share much laughter on most days. Of course, there have also been bad days but these are getting rarer as we adjust to each other's expectations. This status quo may not last - children change as they grow - but right now, I just want to enjoy the time that we have together.