Jacobs Ballas Children's Garden March Visit

March 22 was one of those days that the children were free from any lessons. It was a break from Chinese Speech and Drama classes at Hokkien Huay Kuan so Mommy took a much needed weekend break to bond with the girls. It was a hard time deciding where to go, since almost every time they will want to go to Sentosa. Hmm, I guess they're really beach girls but Mommy decided that sometimes there are more places to see and more things to do than just going to the usual Palawan Beach.

So we decided on the Jacobs Ballas Children's Garden. We've heard some good raves and wanted to find out how child-friendly the place was, apart from taking some pictures with the new Pikkolo baby carriers and testing it out for longer periods of time.

My, it really was an eye-opener. It was not too big and everything was in sample size (meaning to say there is no big field of any particular plants) and the kids can move around quite comfortably. There were also some sort of play areas for the kids, combining nature with play, allowing them to enjoy it without knowing that they are actually learning. Brilliant.

The only imperfection was that it rained the day before and the grounds were a little soggy, but it didn't stop us from having much fun.

Having fun learning about photosynthesis

The long slide...

Relaxing... where's the tea?

Some purple beans....

Don't they look like butterflies?

Simply fascinated

After the playing and the learning, the girls decided they were hungry. I suppose they were not but they can never resist smelling some french fries and nuggets and walking away without having any. So we did make a pitch-stop at the small eatery just at the entrance of the Jacobs Ballas Children's Garden. It was a snack to help them recharge so that we could go on and enjoy parts of the Botanic Gardens which was just beside where we were.

Deliciously sinful snack

The Botanic Gardens turned out to be an even more interesting place since they were able to chase some pigeons and see for the first times in their lives, tadpoles! Overall, a wonderful trip and Kieona did enjoy enough to ask that we visit it again sometime soon.

Chasing the pigeons

One having fun, the other getting lazy

Can you spot the tiny tadpoles?

Visit to the Dentist with Eugene

13 March was a school holiday so we all ended up booking for a dental appointment a month ago to have the kids' teeth checked. We knew from Kieona's dental conditions that fillings will be one of the treatments she will have to go through this time round again. Kierra's teeth are in excellent condition and no further work was required. It was Eugene's first visit to the dentist and it appeared that it was a pleasant one for him as well. I must say the School Dental Clinic is pretty good. And we all didn't mind the price, which costs like less than S$10 per child per visit should it just be for cleaning and check-up. Definitely worth the extra trouble going so far and planning so far ahead of the visit.

As usual, a trip to the School Dental Clinic will entail some form of entertainment for the kids with a visit to the Health Promotion Board exhibition area. Since it wasn't exactly costly, it is always a good place to visit to refresh their memories and allow them to role-play at the dental area. Well, it was a good chance for them to use the interactive games to decide which types of food diets are considered healthy. If you have picky eaters like mine, I think it does help a little. Kieona is beginning to tell me at home that vegetables are healthy. The funny thing is that she also totally stops eating any kind of skins. Well.... it's not easy for me since I've got to deal with "yucks, I don't want skins" all the time but I guess it's a healthier option, so I let her be. The downside? She gives Kierra all the chicken skins and Kierra gladly gobbles them up. Argh...

We did have a pretty wild hour after the dental visit and Eugene seems pleased he was able to gather with us for play. Check those kids out! :)

Daddy is a champion!!!

The entire gang, minus the photographer, who is Daddy....

Pie Pie with the studious look

Terminator???

In the dental chair

Check out those fillings

Kieona taking care of Eugene

Kierra wondering where to go

Why you kiss the neck?

This happened a couple of weeks ago. As Kierra grows, she asks many funny questions and has her logical deductions, but some are simply hilarious. I can't remember all, since we've been busy over the weeks and I'm racking my old brains, but this was pretty much a classic and I still laugh each time I recall it.

We were watching the movie Twilight which is a really popular tween movie. Although we're not exactly big fans of it, we were curious enough to rent the DVD. There was a scene where the male lead kissed the female lead on the neck and Kierra went, "Hey, why you kiss the neck? The neck got no lips what!"

Ahh.... kids who have watched too much kissing scenes. :))

Kieona is 5 years old!

Time really flies and it does seem like just yesterday we found out that I was pregnant with our first little baby. Many months of being with the kids at home as a SAHM, now up and running with my business, which took off from being a home-based online one to a full-fledged babywearing specialist shop with online presence and a retail boutique. And still enjoying each an every precious moment I have with my kids. Now there are two!!!! And Kieona is 5 years old!

Little big princess has requested to not celebrate her birthday with her friends in school, so she got her wish granted. Mommy thought that was a wierd request, but we respected her wishes anyway. Perhaps she didn't feel it was necessary. Perhaps she just wanted more time with me (and she probably thought that having a celebration in school will take away the celebration at home or time away from me?).

Sunday, 1st March 2009 was the exact day of her fifth birthday. We didn't exactly have any celebrations with a bang, since there was their usual Sunday Chinese Speech & Drama class at Hokkien Huay Kuan in Toa Payoh. It wasn't my intention or will it seem any wiser for us to skip it, since they both really enjoy their classes very much. So that pretty much burnt up our morning and early afternoon. We had sushi at IRAS building though, but it does seem strange that Kieona didn't eat a lot. After that we let her choose a toy of her choice at Toys R'Us in United Square and she decided on a pretend play set which consists of a pair of girly heels. She's been at it everyday since. :)

Nap time and the rest of the afternoon would have been off, but a series of events prevented that from happening. Eugene & family came by to give Kieona an ang pow for her birthday and they stayed for a little while. Eugene was so happy and refused to go home after. We missed him, and the feeling is mutual.... but I guess as the Chinese saying goes, "Tian1 Xia4 Wu2 Bu4 San4 De4 Yan4 Xi2". Perhaps we could have sleepovers when the kids are a little bigger.

The girls had an hour to rest so I did all I could to keep the sleep area comfortable and quiet. They didn't sleep, although Kierra did seem extremely tired earlier on. Then the skies poured, as if to deter us from heading out for dinner. But there wasn't much of a choice, since Kieona's birthday was the same as Ah Gong's birthday. We had to drag ourselves out and tried to skip in the rain, finding fun at the downpour. Dinner at Bottle Tree Park wasn't exactly fantastic, since the standard seem to have dropped by leaps and bounds. Then again, it was just a family dinner so I guess the food quality wasn't the most important ingredient. Ah Gong's side of the family came from Malaysia too. I suppose he should be happy.

Uncle Tien Jie's family bought a Mango birthday cake which oops, melted. There was a electrical trip-up at home and the cake wasn't frozen the way it was intended to, but it still tasted pretty good anyway. Anyone looking for good Mango cakes, try out the one from Emicakes, pretty good even by Mommy's standards.

Kieona told me that was Ah Gong's birthday cake and I asked if she wanted one for herself. She said she didn't want to share. I supposed that is something quite expected. I wouldn't like it either as a child. Even Kierra's reaction was (just this morning), "Mommy, Ah Gong cake all melted. Why Jie Jie don't have birthday cake?". Then Kieona asked me at the breakfast table, "Mommy, can you buy a cake for me and we celeberate at home?" I asked if she wanted to invite any other persons not at our home. She said no and she wanted just us.

Kieona is all grown up. The little girl who is always so strong in her opinions has now decided that she can choose to live her life the way she wants and she is now expecting her decisions to be expected and carried out the way she wants it. And she articulates that clearly. My little girl is now one year older and I hope, wiser. :)

Kieona & Kierra posing with the cake Kieona chose

The cake.....The cake-cutting...

Our Car with Decal

Kierra took out a piece of paper which she had left in the car and asked me if it is Mommy's car. Mommy was driving then and just muttered that they must have stuffed a junk piece of paper in my car and didn't think more about what she was trying to say. She flipped open the piece of A4 paper at the same time when I stopped at the traffic lights.

I saw the Baby Slings & Carriers logo, and immediately knew what she was trying to tell me. She was talking about our car decal. "Mommy, this is your one right? This is the same picture as your car." Smiling, I explained that it was the our business logo and it represents the love a mother has for her baby, as she cradles and holds the baby close to her (as in babywearing). The baby naturally is contented close to the mother's chest. Baby feels comforted and is sleeping soundly because she is confident that Mommy will constantly surround her with love. Kierra went, "yes, baby love Mommy and Mommy love baby, right Mommy?"

Our car - driver's side

Our car - passengers' side

Kierra's First Drawing

We returned home last week after a day at the shop and was greeted by the usual, "Mommy, this drawing is for you," from both Kieona and Kierra. Usually Kierra's drawing will be some scribbling but this time she showed me a cat. Mommy thought it was drawn by Kieona as Kieona is very good at drawing characters. Kierra told me she drew it and I asked Kieona, just to be sure. And she said Kierra did draw the cat below:My Kierra has grown up! :)

Chinese New Year 2009: Year of the Ox

Chinese New Year this year came and went quickly, since we were all busy from getting back after the Korea trip and then minding the business. We didn't have the luxury of shopping for new clothes or new shoes, so our family made do with new dresses for the girls that Mommy took a couple of minutes out to visit this small little shop at Thomson Plaza (where our shop is as well) to quickly grab a dress each for Kieona and Kierra. Since I couldn't find any reasonable priced, nice shoes for them from the mall, they had to make do with the old boots they have. Even Daddy and Mommy had limited new clothes, all bought as last resorts just to keep up the tradition of having something new for CNY. This Chinese New Year is indeed a simple, cost-effective affair. (ok, apart from the ang-pows that we had to give out.)

Preparing for CNY with painted nails for the girls

Kierra's nails

Kieona's nails

Reunion dinner with Daddy's side of the family was a week earlier at a coffeeshop near our place. We had decide to book a table with the zichar store since we had to consider distance and factor in the time Mommy needed to rush to from work.

Kids playing in our house after reunion dinner with Daddy's side of the family

Kierra being the center of attention

Reunion dinner with Mommy's side of the family happened on the eve of CNY, and it's the usual steamboat at Gu Gongs' place. It wasn't exactly eventful and probably the most exciting event was meeting Pie's new domestic helper. Oops, she has two missing front teeth, which Mommy thought looked a little odd.

All in, it was the usual visiting. This year since Mommy only had two days off for the CNY break (yes, closing the shop will mean great financial strains), we limited our CNY visiting to just the usual relatives' houses. My, it was really a strain visiting and we were glad for the times we could stay at home. Afterall, it was the longest break we had in a long time as a family, and we simply lazed around, watched dvds and eating Mommy's simple homecooked dishes. Yes, finally Kieona got her wish for Mommy to cook her a meal..... :)

WaiPo with Kieona, Kierra & Eugene at Gu Gong's house

Family Portrait?

With Wai Po again

Zhor Zhor, Stella Kor Po, Mikayla & us

Wai Po, Auntie Gina, Mikayla & Rae Ann

Feasting....

First time Mikayla asks Mommy to carry...

Family Trip to Seoul, Korea 28 Dec 2008 to 2 Jan 2009

Last year end was a busy time for the family. Apart from starting Mommy's first Babywearing retail outlet at Thomson Plaza on Dec 1 2008, we also went on a whirlwind tour of activities including going for the usual family Christmas celebrations at Stella Kor Poh's house and attended Uncle Dominic's wedding before leaving for Korea the very next night.

The girls had a wonderful time in Winter Korea. They saw snow, played with snow at the ski resort, trekked up Mt Sorak and so on. Kierra was hibernating most of the time, since it was very cold and we had very little sleep due to the rather packed schedule. We did however enjoyed ourselves a lot. The only event that marred the trip was Ah Gong's fall at Mt Sorak. He slipped on the ice and fractured his arm. The good thing was that the doctor who tended to him was quite good and he could continue on our trip.

Kieona & Kierra playing with the snow at Oak Valley

Kieona & Mommy enjoying our hot potato soup

This breathtaking view was taken at Nami Island, if you are familiar with "Winter Sonata"

Playing in the snow

The whole family, dressed in Hanbok

More pictures can be found at:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=64038&l=d3fe3&id=704853732
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=64040&l=b9e13&id=704853732
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=64042&l=f708e&id=704853732

What Kieona taught Mommy about Focus, Persistence, and Single-Mindedness

I find much joy in parenting my children and in the process re-finding humans' most innate abilities. Oftentimes as we grow up, we start to lose our focus and our persistence in our goals in life.

A particular episode over the weekend made me re-focus my efforts at building up our business and strengthened my beliefs in helping other parents find ways to wear their babies in more sustainable ways.

Kieona was having her music lesson on Saturday at Yamaha in Thomson Plaza and as usual, I sat in with her. She is starting to play the V7 chord and 1st chord (which means 3 fingers on her left hand depressing 3 different keys on the lower keyboard). Now this may not look very difficult for an adult, but depressing 3 keys for a child who is 4 years old is a big deal to them, as their psychomotor skills are being stretched to the maximum (not counting the fact that they also have shorter fingers).

For Kieona, she has particularly short fingers and being such a lady, I was really afraid that she may complain of pains of the disability of stretching her fingers so wide. Her teacher told me that it may hurt for Kieona (as her fingers are particularly short) and it's ok and she could just try. Try she did and this time it was on her own. I have been encouraging her to keep trying before and I was proud that she declared she doesn't need help. I saw with my very own eyes that she tried very hard and stretched it way beyond. My heart hurt a little seeing her tiny bent fifth finger stretched so wide that it looked like it was giving way. But I held back and just asked her very calmly if it was ok and if it hurt any. She declared that she could do it and that it didn't hurt one bit. It thrilled me to bits just hearing that. She didn't complain and just did what she could to learn the new chords. I was proud.

Now, this entry isn't about boasting how great my daughter is in her keyboard skills, but the attitude she has towards learning and new things. She knew that I will help her anyway, but she has willed herself to think that she can do anything despite her shortcomings. In fact in more ways than one, we have discovered that Kieona is one such great child who never fails to persist in what she believes in. All in her tiny life, she possesses in her such great willpower and persistence in getting at what she believes in. That kind of doggedness is helping her break many, many barriers in learning new skills. I am simply amazed by how much she has overcome in the past few months alone, and how that persistence has helped her overcome her shortcomings (eg. the short fingers).

I hope that she will continue to have this single-mindedness and fighting spirit in her as she grows up, as this is what has been helping her get whatever she wants.

Kids & Regrets

Wai Gong recently spoke about having kids and how much effort & sacrifice parents have to go through bringing them up. Mommy is surprised that he said if he lived his life over, he probably will not want to have kids.

Two years ago in 2006 when our family was going through a family crisis, I may have felt the same way - that kids were a burden and I wouldn't want to have them if I could live my life again. But now nearing end of 2008 and with two girls who are absolutely a joy to be with most times, I feel different.

Wai Gong's words did make me think real hard about life with kids and the various perspectives. It is without doubt that having children will take a lifetime of responsibility, a toil on finances and a whole load of sacrifices but I finally understand that it's all worth it. So what if these days I can only buy an occasional pair of 3 inches heels and one that costs more than $200? So what if I have to miss the weekend wine and dine at expensive restaurants? So what if we have had to miss just flying off to a new exotic location every once in a while?

For the past five years or more, I had made a choice to give up a promising career and lots of material wants and freedom. Although it was tough coming to terms with having to count the dollars initially and losing my freedom of not having an hour for leisure or lunch, I still felt happy each time my children hug me and tell me they love me. I wanted kids and I wanted to be there for them and to inculcate in them what's right and wrong. And simply be there for them when they need me. It was just fortunate that Daddy was with me on this and we managed to make our family work out so far.

Some people tell me that even if you had been there for the kids, some kids will still turn out bad. It's just fate. While I agree that being there for them may not always translate into them being wonderful persons in the future, I am just glad to be able to be a mother to my children, receiving and giving them hugs when they need. The rest, s they say are up to fate.

Now with the retail shop and the long hours away from Kieona and Kierra, I realize now that it is not the kids who stop you from doing things but it is what motivates you to keep doing them. Without them, I wouldn't have had the mind to want to pay it forward by helping more parents bond with their children naturally and effortlessly. Without them as motivation, I will not bother to put in so much effort into building a sustainable business and to help other parents at the same time. Without them, I will not see any need to strive for a better life. Without them, my family is not complete. Without my family, then life is not worth striving hard for.

Mommy finally understands why we are working so hard for. And it's great knowing that. Thank you Wai Gong for helping Mommy understand my primary source of energy. And for the last time I'll say, having kids is one decision I will never want to change if I have to live my life over.

Gymnastics on Rings

Wow! This is a proud Mommy posting. Since the shop opening more than a week ago, I haven't had much time to spare for the girls. Kieona was a little upset that I couldn't take them to their gymnastics lesson last Wednesday. Yesterday I made some time out for them by going with them for their class in the evening while Wai Gong watched the shop.

It was the most fabulous gymnastics lesson that I watched them perform. As they were having some certification testing, I just told them before the lesson to show me what they wanted me to see. Show me they did. Both were able to execute a backwards roll on the rings. Kieona could do that and come down in a straight up position without losing her balance. Kierra could hold her backwards roll on the rings very well for a long period of time. That is just so fantastic - anyone watching them will have been amazed. Well, even I for one, cannot do that, let alone balance my body and come down without losing balance. In fact, they were the only ones in the entire class who could successfully attempt that move.

It's a pity Mommy didn't have a videocam. It was a moment so good, yet the moment slipped without getting captured. It was fortunate though I made it to watch their routine. I hope I can get one more eureka moment like this and I hope I have my videocam ready the next time round.

Moles & Beauty

Gu Gu always tells Mommy that Kierra has a mind of her own. Although I never really quite figured out what is meant by that, Kierra does sometimes come up with strange analogies or forms her own conclusions about things.

Take for example yesterday when I got them to brush their teeth and wash their faces before they head for bed. Kieona got to the toilet first to pass urine and was upset that she isn't first to get there. So she told me that she doesn't like Jie Jie. When I asked why, she said Jie Jie is ugly. I told her that it's a mean thing to say and it's not very nice to comment on how others look. And I added that I actually find Kieona rather pretty. Then she said, "Jie Jie face got mole. Mommy, you also. Daddy also. You all not pretty. Only I don't have mole on my face. So I very pretty."

I nearly flipped over with laughter.

The Price Of Beauty

It's been a couple of months since the girls had their ears pierced. We thought their ears have healed properly and never knew that it can get infected after they've healed. Anyway, it started with Kierra. She started having pus in the pierced earhole. Mommy diligently started putting the lotion again but it didn't improve for more than a month. That was in October.

Then Kieona's started acting up too. We brought them back to B'Dazzle - the place they had their ears pierced for a check and were told to continue applying the lotion. My, that didn't help although Mommy did it at least twice a day.

I thought about it and even though they advised against taking out the earrings, we decided enough was enough. It was causing too much grief and pain in the kids. We looked around for those earrings that are made in a continuous loop. It was a humongous task, and only after scouring many goldsmith did we find one that is exactly what Mommy was looking for - like hers. They were pretty expensive, but even if it costs more I suspect we would have paid anyway.

The big task began and the day we had the earrings changed was a day deep in pain for the girls. Removing the old earrings wasn't difficult, although it must hurt for Kierra too since the pus had her ear studs stuck fast to her skin. We used the maid's method of applying oil while putting on the new earrings. Both girls cried and Kierra was kicking furiously. Mommy managed to get Kieona's done, but with Kierra kicking and no one able to provide comfort I soon gave up. Thank goodness Daddy wasn't squirmish and persisted to put them on for her.

My, such kicking and screaming but they finally went through. There was some blood shed but it's been two weeks now, and we believe it is finally healing.

For people whose kids are having their ears pierced, one word of advice. You may want to get similar earrings like the ones we bought, as they allow the skin to breath since water can get logged and cause problems if the kids are wearing ear studs. I'll be posting some photos of the loop earrings when I get the chance.

Humble Green Beans Cure for Coughs

It was a pleasant surprise. Mommy craved for green bean soup soon after the other day we had green bean soup at Thomson Plaza. I actually felt that I was going to catch the kids' flu bug with so little sleep and so much running around but got better with that single bowl of green bean soup.

Why not let the kids have them I thought, since I remembered my maternal grandma always saying that it is "cooling" in nature. The girls have been coughing so badly and I thought it couldn't get any worse. Plus, since I was craving it.....

We just boiled some green beans (costs us like only S$0.80 only) in a pot of water with a few pandan leaves for taste, some mini sago pearls for fun and some rock sugar. Can't use normal sugar as I heard it's heaty. So anyway, I braced myself for some protests by the kids as the last time I tried, Kieona hated green beans and refused any. (Can't blame her since I'm really not a green beans fan too.)

The sago helped a little and they both took some (without the beans as usual) and yesterday night, the cough seems to just disappear. Even Daddy felt the effects. He had been coughing badly (though not as bad in his sleep as the girls) and I didn't hear any resemblance of any coughs yesterday. They only coughed a little when they lay down and it wasn't incesant, like all the nights before. It remained so until morning when they woke up. Miracle, isn't it?

Today, they polished up the green beans soup before their nap and again no cough when they lay down to nap and none in between either. I'm keeping my fingers crossed for their speedy recovery. Yay!!!!

A Week of Flu

It's been a week since Kieona caught flu, and she's not getting any better. Kierra caught it too on Monday, a day later than Kieona with yo-yo fevers and incessant coughing throughout the day and night for both. We heard that meatpie was sick too - he was made to go home from school just 2 hours after he went there last Monday.

Yee Yee called and told us Pie was in hospital this morning (his PD's clinic), and was waiting to do his blood test, mucous test, X-ray. He had diarrhoea and had wheezing sounds. Was told he got bronchitis soon after and other test results will only be out on Monday. Meanwhile he's got to be on the neubulizer for the next 3 days. Poor Pie. Must be tough.

Our girls are really not doing much better. Today's visit to the GP found that Kieona has swollen lymph nodes and that's why the pain she complained in her neck area. It is not a suprise, since she had been coughing really hard the past few days. If anything, I thought it was getting worse. Dr Cheah said we have to monitor as it's spreading downwards and may lead to pneumonia - which seems to be getting very common for the young kids this season.

Argh!!! I just hope it doesn't get any worse. Mommy already wakes at every drop of the pin in the night, and it's been a week without much proper sleep. What a bad time too... since our retail store will be opening in 2 weeks and we've been busy preparing.

Their school mentioned in a health alert sent via email that a child caught HFMD. Don't know which is worse. Perhaps this flu was around to let the kids avoid any contact with that terrible virus. So are we lucky or not? I'm not sure.

However, I must say that I have been more than a little disappointed that the health alerts given by the center hasn't really been too proactive. I wonder since we never quite heard a beep, if any notable virus has been going around amongst the kids. The only personal contact we had was when I called the school to inform them of how my kids were faring and to find out if there were certain symptoms in other sick kids so that I could stay on my toes. Alas, didn't get any information which makes me a wee bit disappointed. Nah, don't think I'll be updating in future since it seems this is not the norm.

I had always felt that the more prudent way to deal with such "center epidemics" is to call and check with kids who have been away for 2 or more days to ask if there's anything wrong or if there are certain symptoms, so that the school could alert parents and we can take note if there is any serious virus spreading. While we have always kept our kids away to prevent any spreading of viruses to their schoolmates when they are ill, I wonder if others are doing the same, and am starting to lose my trust in that the school can enforce such behavior, or at least keep us informed of health situations, rather than keeping within MOH guidelines. Sigh!!!

Others Strengths vs Our Weaknesses

The weekend was a little heated, not by the weather but a conversation that we found ourselves in. It makes one wonder - does it help someone if you keep comparing and make yourself feel bad by pitting your weaknesses against others' strengths?

Just on Sunday, a relative told us that a friend's grandchild who is Kieona's age could recite Chinese Tang poems. Naturally, Mommy went "Oh, isn't the child smart?" The person went on to discuss about teaching a young child languages and all, and that we "must" read and make Kieona recite the Chinese Tang poems so that she knows. Mommy wanted to just end the conversation as I didn't see it getting anywhere, but then this person brought it up to Daddy's attention and that's where it got a little out of hand.

Because of the insistence, Daddy actually felt compelled to protect his children like all parents will. So he brought up the fact that Kieona was able to swim for short distances and get out of the water to breathe by herself. Then Mommy felt compelled to add that she is able to read some Chinese characters and play a simple tune on the electone. The person went, "Are you sure?" Then as Kieona and Kierra were scribbling in one corner and it was brought to his attention that Kieona can write her own name as well as Kierra's, he went "Really? Let me see.", took up the paper and went "where? Is it correct?".

As Chinese, we talk about modesty but we felt it really need not go beyond putting down our own strengths just to let others look better. For example if we really have to compare, does the same child who can recite Chinese Tang poems swim? Can he play the electone or recognize the Chinese characters? We were then lectured that a young kid should not learn to write characters. While we do agree that languages start with listening and speaking, must we stop a child from writing if this is what she is interested in and learns best? It certainly didn't make a lot of sense to us. When all these didn't get through, it was implied that we have to teach our kids. I certainly don't think he is in the position to comment, since there really is no need for us to justify what and how we teach our kids. We recognize that all kids are different and all families different, so we have generally preferred to kept our mouths shut where the topic of how people bring up their kids is broached.

Although the conversation was ended abruptly, the damage has already been done. Kieona actually went home and while I was trying out her electone pieces, she ran into the room and came out with her Chinese folder. She wanted to show me the Chinese poems she learnt in the Chinese class but she ended up sobbing, telling me "everything also I don't know". It broke my heart. I explained I love her for being her and furthermore she already knows a lot of things and we're really proud of her achievements. I thought nothing more of that, until she started sobbing again while having her teeth brushed that night. Then she told me that she is not good and cannot learn everything.

Hearing that makes Mommy feel so lousy and heartbroken. I just hugged and kissed her, and tell her it all didn't matter. As long as she keeps trying, her achievements are the only yardsticks she should ever measure herself against. There is no point getting upset by comparing our weaknesses against someone else's strengths. We should be proud of our own achievements and be acknowledge that everyone has different strengths.

Lessons learnt:
(1) Never pit your weaknesses against someone strengths. You will never feel good.
(2) Only give your comments if you can help someone, and save your comments if you have nothing positive to contribute. You may affect someone's (a young child) self-esteem.
(3) Never let what you hear affect you. Try to manage the noise.
(4) Believe in yourself. You are really better than you think.
(5) Love knows no boundaries. This episode makes Mommy more aware than we will love our children the way they are, even if they are not geniuses.
(6) All parents care for their children, but there is a difference between encouragement and recognizing their strengths, instead of focusing on their weaknesses.
(7) Never put a child down. Any side-effects may not be immediate, but it definitely hurts their self-esteems. This can have a long-lasting effect.
(8) It is ok to feel proud of your own child's acheivements (and you should always be proud of your child), but it is not ok to keep boasting. Imagine how it will be used as a yardstick for someone else's child and hurt that child's self-esteem.

Kierra's 1st Portfolio Shoot

Not to be outdone, Kierra had asked for a modelling portfolio too. Give her a break though, this is her first exposure....

Kieona's Portfolio Oct 2008

Our most recent photo-shoot in October 2008, after Kieona has completed her modelling course... enjoy...