Dear Friends,
Do we know who's our kids' best friends and what they do during their favourite lesson in school, Recess? Do we know what matters to them most and what's their opinion of us?
Ashley, my boy came back from school yesterday and requested me to bring him to Bryan's, his classmate's home on Sat to play Maple Story computer game. As I do not know the boy and his mum, I asked to speak with the mum first. We had a good conversation on the boys and I learned from her that Ashley is her boy's best friend. That reminded me of a nice story I learned from a mum at his P1 classmate's party last year. She shared with me that Ashley is her boy's best friend and he missed Ashley alot when they relocated to Hong Kong. He wanted to write Ashley a letter and mail to Ashley's "Happy House". Ashley must have told him about the Pooh Bear Happy House sign we hang at our main door. The two mummies had a good laugh 'cos her boy insisted on mailing the letter to the Happy House without address, thinking Ashley will receive the letter.
I asked Ashley why the boys regard him as their best friends and he has no clues. I think I know why. This morning, I asked him what he and Bryan do in school together. He shared with me that he always hang out with 10 boys including Bryan during recess. They will take turns to be leaders. As the leader, Bryan will lead the Star Wars game. When it's Ashley's turn, he will play soccer with his friends. Back in class, he will signal to Bryan to have their private meeting in the toilet. When the teacher asked him why he took so long to come back, he told the teacher he was suffering from constipation. At that moment, I tried to refrain myself from telling him that this behaviour is unacceptable. I just let him talk. I plan to propose alternatives to their private meetings like going to school earlier or visit each other on weekend as attentiveness in school is very important. I'm adjusting my parenting style to communicate with him more like a friend so as to build a safe environment for him to share his secrets with me.
Ashley is a natural cheerleader to his friends and sister. I think that's why his friends find him warm and encouraging. Having said that, he is still your regular kid. He gets upset when I praised Abby, my daughter and when she got a bigger trophey than him. He throws tantrum when he refuses to do his homework. He agrues with his friends when they disagree on how to write the script for their project, etc. I'm not perfect and I don't expect my kids to be perfect. I simply focus on their strengths and encourage them to give their best at all times.
Warm Regards,
Loving Mum
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