It has been very tough for me. Why? UPSR!!!! My son will begin his UPSR exams tomorrow. *hyperventilate* I am stressed because I did nothing to prepare him except to prepare his meals and the usual chauffeuring and house-cleaning chores.
Perhaps I am gripped by a sense of guilt.
Should I have policed him very rigidly and checked every book he worked on independently?
*sighs* Much as I feel uncomfortable and insecure tonight, I do believe I did the right thing from the time he was a toddler.
He started eating on his own at 15 months. Strangely, he was a very neat boy. As he sat in his high chair, he would point to the table when he spilled a tiny drop of cereal mixture. And then if he dirtied his mouth, he would point to his lips and call me, "Mama...mama...dirty!"
I solved the problem by always giving him a napkin on the right (for him to wipe his mouth) and a table-cloth on his left for him to wipe the table :-). It worked pretty well and both of us were happy that there were no spills or thrills.
When he was about 18 months old, he insisted on having his bath on his own. Yippee! Of course, I stood and watched and gave directions :-).
Soon, the time came for him to go to nursery. It was a breeze. I took him to the school once and on his first day, I just dropped him at the gate and he walked in on his own.
When he entered Year 1, I was there only on Day 1 and left went he found his seat. Then, I made sure he got on the correct school bus. From Day 2, he went to school on his own by the school bus and I have to confess that he prepares everything (his school bag, homework, lunch-box and by Std. 2 even his breakfast all on his own.
Like what I wrote before, I never ever opened any of his exercise books, never questioned any of teachers and so far, have only been to three of the six parent-teacher consultations. The other three were attended by his dad :-).
He learnt how to cook when he was five and could whip up a meal of three dishes by the time he was in Std 4 (have blogged about it with pics too), even to the extent of learning how to make hokkien mee. Indeed, he has been a blessing to my family and I know it is by the grace of God he turned out this way because I prayed for him specifically (in many areas) every single day of my pregnancy.
It is the eve of the UPSR. The whole day has been a jittery one for both of us. High anxiety and both of us tried to destress via eating!!! I remember how I also put on weight when my older boy had his UPSR and PMR :-).
At this point of time, I do not know what he knows or what he does not know. I wish I did. :-)
He does not want me to know either.
I just have to put my trust in God and believe that he will be alright and He will guide and bless him. Fortunately, my boy had a shot of confidence as his violin teacher gave him the good news that he scored a distinction for his Grade 7 ABRSM violin exam.
A school-mate whom I have not seen for over twenty years recently reconnected with me via Facebook. Her son is taking the PSLE in Singapore and she sent me such two warm and most encouraging emails. Her sincerity and inspiring messages really touched the very core of my being. Truly, there are many angels in human form. Thanks, Lean Kim, for your love, concern, prayers and encouragement.
To those of you who have children taking the UPSR tomorrow, may God fill your child's heart with peace and may God bless them richly as they take the exam tomorrow.
To my dearest son, I love you very much and believe in you. May God bless and guide you and may you always be filled with the peace that passes all understanding.
Here's one of my favorite slides on THE ART OF BEING POSITIVE. CLICK HERE to view it.
Have a restful evening and sweet dreams.
*If you have problems leaving a comment in my blog via Firefox, it could be due to an add-on called Ghostery that blocks trackers such as my Feedjit in your browser. You can comment via Chrome or Internet Explorer. Thanks to Witso who told me of this.
Perhaps I am gripped by a sense of guilt.
Should I have policed him very rigidly and checked every book he worked on independently?
*sighs* Much as I feel uncomfortable and insecure tonight, I do believe I did the right thing from the time he was a toddler.
He started eating on his own at 15 months. Strangely, he was a very neat boy. As he sat in his high chair, he would point to the table when he spilled a tiny drop of cereal mixture. And then if he dirtied his mouth, he would point to his lips and call me, "Mama...mama...dirty!"
I solved the problem by always giving him a napkin on the right (for him to wipe his mouth) and a table-cloth on his left for him to wipe the table :-). It worked pretty well and both of us were happy that there were no spills or thrills.
When he was about 18 months old, he insisted on having his bath on his own. Yippee! Of course, I stood and watched and gave directions :-).
Soon, the time came for him to go to nursery. It was a breeze. I took him to the school once and on his first day, I just dropped him at the gate and he walked in on his own.
When he entered Year 1, I was there only on Day 1 and left went he found his seat. Then, I made sure he got on the correct school bus. From Day 2, he went to school on his own by the school bus and I have to confess that he prepares everything (his school bag, homework, lunch-box and by Std. 2 even his breakfast all on his own.
Like what I wrote before, I never ever opened any of his exercise books, never questioned any of teachers and so far, have only been to three of the six parent-teacher consultations. The other three were attended by his dad :-).
He learnt how to cook when he was five and could whip up a meal of three dishes by the time he was in Std 4 (have blogged about it with pics too), even to the extent of learning how to make hokkien mee. Indeed, he has been a blessing to my family and I know it is by the grace of God he turned out this way because I prayed for him specifically (in many areas) every single day of my pregnancy.
It is the eve of the UPSR. The whole day has been a jittery one for both of us. High anxiety and both of us tried to destress via eating!!! I remember how I also put on weight when my older boy had his UPSR and PMR :-).
At this point of time, I do not know what he knows or what he does not know. I wish I did. :-)
He does not want me to know either.
I just have to put my trust in God and believe that he will be alright and He will guide and bless him. Fortunately, my boy had a shot of confidence as his violin teacher gave him the good news that he scored a distinction for his Grade 7 ABRSM violin exam.
A school-mate whom I have not seen for over twenty years recently reconnected with me via Facebook. Her son is taking the PSLE in Singapore and she sent me such two warm and most encouraging emails. Her sincerity and inspiring messages really touched the very core of my being. Truly, there are many angels in human form. Thanks, Lean Kim, for your love, concern, prayers and encouragement.
To those of you who have children taking the UPSR tomorrow, may God fill your child's heart with peace and may God bless them richly as they take the exam tomorrow.
To my dearest son, I love you very much and believe in you. May God bless and guide you and may you always be filled with the peace that passes all understanding.
Here's one of my favorite slides on THE ART OF BEING POSITIVE. CLICK HERE to view it.
Have a restful evening and sweet dreams.
*If you have problems leaving a comment in my blog via Firefox, it could be due to an add-on called Ghostery that blocks trackers such as my Feedjit in your browser. You can comment via Chrome or Internet Explorer. Thanks to Witso who told me of this.
Anonymous UPSR = you parents sangat resah (exam)!
PMR = parents memang risau !
SPM = silly parental mare !
STPM = stupid mare !!