The kiasuness in me

Every parent wants the best for their children. I know I want my kids to have the best, and it's easy to be kiasu for them. We feel proud when our kids show development more advance than for their ages, and we try to load them with more things so that they'll be more advance than their peers.

But sometimes we forgot to let our kids play. Their childhood is after all, so fleeting, and in a blinking of an eye, they'll be adults, out there working. So I want my kids to have a great childhood, and I have to remind myself not to be so kiasu.

As it is, we sent our boy to Shichida for 6 months, and now he's in a mid-expensive-range nursery, and probably continuing in the mid-expensive-range kindergarten. He's also learning the violin at 3 years plus. I bet some parents would think that I am kiasu. But then again, maybe I'm not, since I hardly force him to practice at home or to do 'lessons'. Most of the time, the dear kiddo is just playing his lego, his aeroplanes, his dinosaurs, and I read to him as much as I can.

Need to get more interesting books. Tend to keep yawning when reading. :P

The way I look at it, what I want my kids to have is exposure. Learning the violin at a young age is as good as right-brain training. Drama classes is for confidence. Nursery is for socialising. I'm not too worried that he's way behind everyone in violin class, or that he still cannot write his letters (or recognise some of them).

But I'm really happy last week when during his violin class, when his teacher asked if anyone would like to 'perform' in class, the dear boy put his hand up and volunteered. Heh. Okie, I tried hard not to roll my eyes since he DID NOT practise at all that week. I'm lucky if he practises once a week. Heck, when I learn the piano when I was a kid, I used to practice an hour before going for lessons. See where it got me? I still love playing the piano and classical pieces for that matter! That is what I want my son to have. A love for music rather than being exceptionally good in it. Of course when he is six years old and if he could play the violin in the underpass and collect a few thousand of dollars, we'll be very happy to retire too.

The daughter has also been praised to be very smart and intelligent, and maybe smarter than her brother. I think in a way she is, and in a way she's not. Her character is less cautious than her brother, so in this way she'll be more advanturous and is able to take risks. Just see her crawl all over the house, reaching out and grabbing anything she sees. The son doesn't do that at her age. He was more careful. We were never worried that he will climb up the stairs by himself. But we caught the girl trying. Yikes.

And in a way, she's slower on the uptake than her brother. She doesn't see things right in front of her nose. Heh. Sounds like someone I know. :P

We'll be sending her 'education-wise' in the footsteps of her brother. I'm quite happy with the arrangement. But one thing for sure, we'll not be sending them to the 'branded' primary schools. Big fish in little pond. That's our take. If possible, to our alumni primary schools, and that's about it. I don't believe in sending them to the high end primary schools for it'll only be stressful for everyone. And if they can make it to the good secondary schools, then they deserve to be in it. Otherwise, at the end of the day, all of them are still doing the same 'O' levels.

Damn, I think I've just grown older.