Parenting Views

My views on education, mutilingual parenting and other parenting topics
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September 22, 2012

Weekend Reflections: Bilingualism and Education in Singapore

Dominique Parenting and Kids, Parenting Views, Weekend Reflections

Study Materials

Educating kids and education in Singapore has always be heavily emphasized on. Billingualism is the norm here as it’s compulsory to learn English and your mother tongue (which is Mandarin for my kids).

From Kindergarten, they are taught both English and Mandarin with the majority of lessons in English. Maths, Science , Art & Crafts and other subjects are all thought using the English medium. Exposure to Mandarin has been limited to the 1 hour Chinese lesson which they have in school.

I personally feel that it doesn’t give them enough exposure to Mandarin as they are not using the language to communicate most of the time while they are in school. English is still the dominant language which is used in teaching.

To get my kids ready for school I have been teaching them in both English and Mandarin since they were born. I have been collecting and using flashcards and other related teaching material to practice with them. We do reading of storybooks in both English and Mandarin before bedtime.

I feel that they should be most comfortable expressing themselves in both English and Mandarin and be able to switch effortlessly from one language to another. For them to do so I need to ground them in their vocabulary and written and spoken ability in Mandarin more then English. The limited exposure that they have in school shouldn’t be carried on into the home and I give the kids maximum opportunity to converse in Mandarin when they are at home.

Once they are very fluent in these two languages we will be moving onto Japanese and French.

How do you foster Bilingualism with your kids?

September 8, 2012

Weekend Reflections: Teaching them Right

Dominique Parenting and Kids, Parenting Views, Weekend Reflections Behaviour, Parenting Views, weekend reflections

Monkey boy climbing

The past week I’ve been reading a lot about families and teaching kids about being grateful. Many kids nowadays are more privileged then we were when we were a kid. It is easier for them to get their wants and fancies met as parents and doting grandparents are more willing to indulge them.

As a parent I know all to well how over indulging your kids can be more harmful then good for them. It is really naive to think it is okay to give in to them as they are “young” and they will outgrow such a behaviour when they get older. The sad truth is that growing older in age doesn’t always equal maturity. I have seen how overindulgence have let to the breeding of spoilt brats who in turn become obnoxious adults.

I have personally seen how overindulging a child from young has affected his ability to become independent and a responsible adult. It was a real pity to see a promising young boy have his life “wasted” and turn into a real shame. His skewed mentality that his parents will always be there to bail him out financially and give him mental support irregardless of what he does has seen him fail in both his relationships and career.

I really wonder how long can the parents of this “boy” be blinded by the so called act of unconditional love? It’s simply ludicrous for a parent to constantly bail out his/her child and solving his problems for him even when he is a 40 yr old adult. I feel that is being really selfish as a parent to prevent their child from being able to grow up.

Yes we do need to be there for our kids and help them on their way if they do falter. However there should be a limit to it and the child should learn how to pick up his own pieces and move on. They need our guidance and help but more importantly need to be able to make their own decisions and live with the consequences.

Nothing was given to us on a silver platter and we had to work hard/ save up to get what we desired. It should be the same for the kids too.

Being grateful and appreciative of the perks that one gets is not something that it manifested overnight. It has to be learned.

We have to start teaching them their P’s and Q’s from young and model for them how they are expected to behave. Constant reminders and offering of age appropriate incentives when they are kids while help to reinforce the need to be grateful and appreciative.

Teach them to be grateful while learning how to earn their keep by working towards their goals and aspirations. We as parents only get one shot at installing these values in them and what better time then now when they are still kids?

What are your thoughts on teaching them right?

Join in this week with your weekend reflections.