STAR BLOGGERS

Looking at the number of enrichment centers popping up like bean sprouts, I am certain the number of parents enrolling their kids for the different programmes is on the rise these days. From baby singing classes to music appreciation to arts to speech and drama to the different languages and motivational classes, I will be surprised if you can’t find one to suit your kid’s need.

As parents, we want the best for our kids. We are moving forward, we have left the twentieth century where one could still make it big without formal education. The number of undergraduates in NUS alone is rising – which tells us education is of utmost importance. The paper chasing route seems almost like a secure path to a comfortable future. After all, that is the ultimate result many parents want for their kids. Is it not?

Which means, there is no better time to start the path than now, when the kids are still young, when they are still moldable, when their curious minds are like a sponge, ready to absorb what is given. Preparation leads to success and that is what most parents are doing – preparing their little ones for what they hope are good futures.

When the kids fail to excel at certain subjects, parents send them for additional classes for brushing up their knowledge. Their intention is good but too much of such ‘good’ things may not necessarily make it better. And in the course of doing so, they unfortunately neglect the well-being of their kids. Do they like going class after class on the weekends when all they want is just to play? Do they really enjoy the music lessons we sign them up for when they secretly prefer to draw? And that is something, only you as a parent, can help your kid with.

Every little thing that stresses you as an adult is magnified a thousandfold and intensified in your kid’s little mind simply because they do not know how to handle it. Kids, at every stage of their growth, go through different life experiences. They may be stressed and stretched out far more than you think you know. They get stressed from the tiniest little thing, like going to the pre-school, birth of another sibling, or having to pay a visit to the dentist or perhaps, not having as much allowance money as their peers.

Strike a balance. All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy, isn’t it? As much as every parent thinks differently, every kid is also different. I can’t speak for all, but I do know of parents who maintain a very well-balanced lifestyle for their kids. Their kids do attend enrichment classes, they also have assessment books given by their parents to complete but the kids also spend an equal amount of time outdoors, simply having fun.

I’m a single parent of an 8 year old boy, Shane, and I must say, I’m pretty strict with him. Shane has a ‘weekday time-table’ to follow although I do have the tendency of “closing one eye” when he doesn’t. This time table does include ‘free time’ everyday, free for him to choose what he wants except watching television or playing his Nintendo or PSP. The only time he gets the TV on a weekday is Friday at 7pm, that’s when his favourite Ben-10 is showing on the cable. Apart from that, he also gets the luxury of having his dinner in the TV room on Friday nights as opposed to having it on the dull and boring looking dining table on normal days. But if he misbehaves during the week, this privilege will be taken away.

My kiddo takes music lessons – drum and piano on Saturdays. He also attends a Chinese enrichment class prior to his music lessons in the morning. I am fortunate that both the music and Chinese language school are in the same building, hence minimizing the need to rush from one place to another. I make sure he has at least a forty-five minute break in between the classes and we either spend it in a toy store, a bookshop or a coffee joint having a cold refreshing drink. After the last class ends, he gets to decide where he wants to have dinner. Finally, the day often ends with a movie treat.

Shane loves Sunday. It’s his free day. He will tell me what he wants to do and if it’s reasonable enough, he gets his wish. And more often than not, it’s always the re-run of Harry Potter on the DVD. We also make it a point to spend Sundays outdoors, and at his favorite place, the Science Centre. Recently, I have started introducing him to baking at home on Sundays! It’s fun and stress-free, except when the cookies get burnt.

So remember, strike a balance. Even if you think your kids are robots, you are not. You need to have a rest as much as they need theirs.

My kiddo takes music lessons – drum and piano on Saturday. He also attends a Chinese enrichment class prior to his music lessons in the morning. I am fortunate that both the music and Chinese language school are in the same building, hence minimizing the need to rush from one place to another. I make sure he has at least a forty-five minute break in between the classes and we either spend it in a toy store, a bookshop or a coffee joint having a cold refreshing drink. After the last class ends, he gets to decide where he wants to have dinner. Finally, the day often ends with a movie treat.

Shane loves Sunday. It’s his free day. He will tell me what he wants to do and if it’s reasonable enough, he gets his wish. And more often than not, it’s always the re-run of Harry Potter on the DVD. We also make it a point to spend it outdoor, and his favorite place, the Science Center. Recently, I have started introducing him to baking at home on Sundays! It’s fun and stress-free, except when the cookies get burnt.

So remember, strike a balance. Even if you think your kids are robots, you are not. You need to have a rest as much as they need theirs.

Angie Wong is a yummy mummy of 8 year old Shane.  She says, “Shane is my biggest achievement and accomplishment.” You can read more about their mother-son exploits here: http://shanewei.blogspot.com.