Friday, 21 December 2012
Wednesday, 19 December 2012
A special Christmas concert
Children with special needs always have a special place in my heart. Well, I didn't really work with any or encounter many in my life. Maybe it's because of the movie "I am Sam" - a touching story of an autisic single father fighting for the custody of his normal daughter, or because of the book "A friend like Henry" - a powerful story of a mother's struggle to break into the world of her autistic son and how a dog changed everything, or because of the local blog I follow "Love and A leap of faith", or because of a few parents I know with special children - they always inspire me.
Or simply because I am a mum, because I see every child as a child, I see every child as unique and special.
On Monday night we had the privilege to attend a special Christmas concert for a group of Down Syndrome children. It is put up by parents and volunteers from the Singapore Down Syndrome Association. And all the props for the show are made by the children themselves. The lead singer is a local musician who is now teaching music to children with special needs. I spent the first half of the concert clapping and singing along, and the second half trying to fight the tears coming off my eyes. It is one of the most special Christmas concert I have ever attended.
I can't post the photos of the children without the permission of their parents. But, trust me, they are all angels.
As for Kah Yen, she fixed her eyes on the center of the room (which is also the stage) the moment we entered the concert. She refused to sit on the chair or our lap throughout the concert. Instead, she stood on the staircase, clapping and laughing along with the audience, and swinging her body and head whenever the music is on. For a moment I heard her screaming and cheering too, I think I am pretty sure she has gotten my genes.
Or simply because I am a mum, because I see every child as a child, I see every child as unique and special.
On Monday night we had the privilege to attend a special Christmas concert for a group of Down Syndrome children. It is put up by parents and volunteers from the Singapore Down Syndrome Association. And all the props for the show are made by the children themselves. The lead singer is a local musician who is now teaching music to children with special needs. I spent the first half of the concert clapping and singing along, and the second half trying to fight the tears coming off my eyes. It is one of the most special Christmas concert I have ever attended.
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| Children tossing "snow"during the concert |
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| Choir singing and children dancing with their stars |
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| Santa Claus has come to town early |
I can't post the photos of the children without the permission of their parents. But, trust me, they are all angels.
As for Kah Yen, she fixed her eyes on the center of the room (which is also the stage) the moment we entered the concert. She refused to sit on the chair or our lap throughout the concert. Instead, she stood on the staircase, clapping and laughing along with the audience, and swinging her body and head whenever the music is on. For a moment I heard her screaming and cheering too, I think I am pretty sure she has gotten my genes.
 |
| This girl likes concert |
Thursday, 13 December 2012
Preparation for school - Part One
Finally Kah Yen is going to school!
I had a full taste of the difficulty of looking for a childcare center in Singapore. Before I had my own child I think people are crazy when they told me they start to hunt for childcare one year in advance, or even before the child was born! Now I think I will do the same for my second child and doesn't matter if you call me a "Kaisu" parent or not.
I only started to look for a childcare this year August after we confirmed we are buying a house in Punggol, Kah Yen was already 20-month old. I couldn't start earlier for I don't know where are we moving to and when. The timing was not perfect but I still have four months to hunt for a school if in order to send her next January. I thought it won't be that bad.
It was! Punggol is a new town. There are too many young families with children, too few childcare centers. After three months of calling, visiting and queueing, I only found two centers with vacancies. For some of the popular centers, my queue number in the waiting list is beyond 200, I think by the time they finally call me Kah Yen is well ready for primary one. For the two centers with vacancies, neither of them is a suitable choice, one is too far, the other one is over-priced. We are not looking for an IDEAL one, we just want a center that is nearby and within our budget.
I wrote a post about my idea of a good childcare center in August, I sounded like I was already an expert and had everything under control, but deep down in my heart, I was worrying, panicking, self-blaming and panicking again. Time is not on my side, AND, there is no plan B.
My panicking finally affected the husband, so much so that one day at work when he saw a center next to his office building, he walked right into it. And he fell in love with it instantly. Okay men don't really fall in love with something instantly like women do, they are not mushy as us, what I mean is, his first impression of the center was very good.
He has since visited the center twice and me once. Both of us liked it. The center has been there for 8 years. It is very near his office. The price is reasonable. The children look happy. They look like they are well-disciplined too. The teachers we spoke to are gentle and patient. The rooms are bright and spacious. It is right at the center of the heartland but yet it is secluded, away from all the noises and the traffic. The big playground in front of it is almost like the center's own. It is also right behind the library, so organized library trips are their pride.
At the start I was totally against bringing Kah Yen to near our offices. I am afraid the daily travelling is too much for Kah Yen, and there is constant pressure of knocking off on time. But after visiting the center, my mindset changed. Maybe travelling half an hour with Daddy each day is not a bad thing after all, a precious time for some Father-Daughter bonding. And while Daddy is in charge of picking her up, I can go back home straight after work to get dinner ready. Nobody needs to rush.
So last week I brought Kah Yen with me to the center to settle the registration, I was lucky they were preparing for their year end concert. With music and dancing going on, Kah Yen was able to relax and walk around the place on her own feet. Later Kah Yen sat on the floor with other kids to watch the rehearsal together, she looked like she is already one of them.
After we said goodbye to the kids and teachers, I asked her:
"Do you like school?"
"Yes!" she said.
"Do you want to go to school?"
"Yes!" was her answer again.
I am not sure if she fully understood these two questions, but I am just going to take "Yes" for a "Yes" and hope everything will turn out fine.
I had a full taste of the difficulty of looking for a childcare center in Singapore. Before I had my own child I think people are crazy when they told me they start to hunt for childcare one year in advance, or even before the child was born! Now I think I will do the same for my second child and doesn't matter if you call me a "Kaisu" parent or not.
I only started to look for a childcare this year August after we confirmed we are buying a house in Punggol, Kah Yen was already 20-month old. I couldn't start earlier for I don't know where are we moving to and when. The timing was not perfect but I still have four months to hunt for a school if in order to send her next January. I thought it won't be that bad.
It was! Punggol is a new town. There are too many young families with children, too few childcare centers. After three months of calling, visiting and queueing, I only found two centers with vacancies. For some of the popular centers, my queue number in the waiting list is beyond 200, I think by the time they finally call me Kah Yen is well ready for primary one. For the two centers with vacancies, neither of them is a suitable choice, one is too far, the other one is over-priced. We are not looking for an IDEAL one, we just want a center that is nearby and within our budget.
I wrote a post about my idea of a good childcare center in August, I sounded like I was already an expert and had everything under control, but deep down in my heart, I was worrying, panicking, self-blaming and panicking again. Time is not on my side, AND, there is no plan B.
My panicking finally affected the husband, so much so that one day at work when he saw a center next to his office building, he walked right into it. And he fell in love with it instantly. Okay men don't really fall in love with something instantly like women do, they are not mushy as us, what I mean is, his first impression of the center was very good.
He has since visited the center twice and me once. Both of us liked it. The center has been there for 8 years. It is very near his office. The price is reasonable. The children look happy. They look like they are well-disciplined too. The teachers we spoke to are gentle and patient. The rooms are bright and spacious. It is right at the center of the heartland but yet it is secluded, away from all the noises and the traffic. The big playground in front of it is almost like the center's own. It is also right behind the library, so organized library trips are their pride.
At the start I was totally against bringing Kah Yen to near our offices. I am afraid the daily travelling is too much for Kah Yen, and there is constant pressure of knocking off on time. But after visiting the center, my mindset changed. Maybe travelling half an hour with Daddy each day is not a bad thing after all, a precious time for some Father-Daughter bonding. And while Daddy is in charge of picking her up, I can go back home straight after work to get dinner ready. Nobody needs to rush.
So last week I brought Kah Yen with me to the center to settle the registration, I was lucky they were preparing for their year end concert. With music and dancing going on, Kah Yen was able to relax and walk around the place on her own feet. Later Kah Yen sat on the floor with other kids to watch the rehearsal together, she looked like she is already one of them.
After we said goodbye to the kids and teachers, I asked her:
"Do you like school?"
"Yes!" she said.
"Do you want to go to school?"
"Yes!" was her answer again.
I am not sure if she fully understood these two questions, but I am just going to take "Yes" for a "Yes" and hope everything will turn out fine.
Monday, 10 December 2012
You and Me
We all know toddlers take some time to figure out how to use pronouns such as "you", "me", "I", "he" and "she". The book says they only master them between the age of two-and-a-half to three. The book is probably true, for Kah Yen is still very much confused by her pronouns.
Talking about "me", I thought she is good since I have taught her to sing "Jesus loves me this I know" and also "Good is so good to me" with a pat on the heart everytime it comes to the word "me", and she follows. But then the other day when I did a funny face to make her laugh and she wanted me to do it again, she kept saying "Mummy show you! Mummy show you!" Sigh...
She didn't quite get her "you" right either, though she can follow us saying "God bless you", I guess it is just a phrase to her. When she woke up from her nap and couldn't find her Daddy, she kecame to me and asked "Where is your Daddy? Where is your Daddy?" I had to hold on my laughing and resist answering her "My Daddy is in China. How about yours?" LOL.
I correct her by saying "You mean where is my Daddy?" and here is what happened after.
Kah Yen: "Where is my Daddy?"
Me: "Your Daddy is in the study room."
Kah Yen: "Where is my Mummy?"
Me: "Your Mummy is right here."
Kah Yen: "Where is my Kah Yen?"
Me: ...
...
Hold on. The good news is, she is learning to use her "I" correctly. Previously when she wants something, she either says "Kah Yen wants biscuit." or worse (and more often!) "Biscuit! Biscuit! Biscuit!" Look at what she says now:
Yesterday we were having lunch outside, I bought chicken rice for myself and minced meat congee for her, the moment I reached our table with the food. There she goes.
"I want porridge! I want rice! I want chicken! I want soup! I want I want I want!!!"
Opps, did I just say that it is a good news she has learnt to use her "I"? I apologize I have made a mistake.
Talking about "me", I thought she is good since I have taught her to sing "Jesus loves me this I know" and also "Good is so good to me" with a pat on the heart everytime it comes to the word "me", and she follows. But then the other day when I did a funny face to make her laugh and she wanted me to do it again, she kept saying "Mummy show you! Mummy show you!" Sigh...
She didn't quite get her "you" right either, though she can follow us saying "God bless you", I guess it is just a phrase to her. When she woke up from her nap and couldn't find her Daddy, she kecame to me and asked "Where is your Daddy? Where is your Daddy?" I had to hold on my laughing and resist answering her "My Daddy is in China. How about yours?" LOL.
I correct her by saying "You mean where is my Daddy?" and here is what happened after.
Kah Yen: "Where is my Daddy?"
Me: "Your Daddy is in the study room."
Kah Yen: "Where is my Mummy?"
Me: "Your Mummy is right here."
Kah Yen: "Where is my Kah Yen?"
Me: ...
...
Hold on. The good news is, she is learning to use her "I" correctly. Previously when she wants something, she either says "Kah Yen wants biscuit." or worse (and more often!) "Biscuit! Biscuit! Biscuit!" Look at what she says now:
Yesterday we were having lunch outside, I bought chicken rice for myself and minced meat congee for her, the moment I reached our table with the food. There she goes.
"I want porridge! I want rice! I want chicken! I want soup! I want I want I want!!!"
Opps, did I just say that it is a good news she has learnt to use her "I"? I apologize I have made a mistake.
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