Writer’s Workshop: Really Challenging but Worth it

Dominique Parenting and Kids, Thoughts alpha thursday, mama kat's writers workshop

English and Mandarin

I’m really glad that all of my kids are able to speak both English and Mandarin. These are the languages that are most commonly spoken in Asia and being Chinese ourselves it is important for us to know our mother tongue.

It is not easy for me to focus on them speaking both English and Mandarin at the same level as English is predominant in our family.

It is a challenge to get them speaking more Mandarin and even Cantonese  at home but is something that I m trying my best to do.

Here  are five reasons I’m Glad my Children Speak  both English and Mandarin

1. It is a must to be able to speak both languages in school.

Every kid is “effectively” bilingual in Singapore as we have to study English and our mother tongue.  Everyone here is Bilingual and in order to be able to communicate well with most people a good grasp in both languages is necessary.

2. They are able to learn and relate more to their Chinese heritage.

There is a difference reading a text in Mandarin and the same text after it has been translated into English. The overall meaning may be the same however when worded in Chinese it adds much more meaning and “richness” to the text.

3. They are able to understand and communicate with their elder relatives/ friends who do not speak English.

The kids great grandmother ( on their Dad’s side) only speaks  Cantonese and many of the  relatives there speak Mandarin or Cantonese and it is great that they are  able to talk to each other each time we go back to Hong Kong.

4. They are more open to different languages and cultures.

Coming from a bilingual/ multilingual speaking family and society they have grown up listening to a wide variety of music.  They are really into Korean Pop Music  at the moment and are aware of their unique customs and traditions.

5. They are on their way to become a Global Person

Most places in the world require people to speak English and/or Mandarin and by speaking both the kids have an advantage as they will be able to settle practically anywhere in the world and adapt to their own unique culture there.

What languages do your kids speak?

How do you help encourage them to use the

different languages?

Writer’s Workshop: Quite A Fun 10th Birthday

Dominique Parenting and Kids, Thoughts alpha thursday, mama kat's writers workshop

Last week I posted this picture on my instagram feed. It was of Monkey boy and the presents that he received for his 10th birthday. This year he received not one but two helicopters so both him and Doggie boy will be able to play with the helicopters together.

Tiger girl  too got a present as I felt  it would be unfair if both her brothers received presents while she had none. She received a Hello Kitty  supermarket play set and was thrilled to bits playing with the new toy.

Since everyone was getting a birthday present each and they couldn’t agree on going with Monkey boy’s preference for a tiramisu cake we decided to get  slices of cake instead of a whole cake.

We ended up getting six slices of three different flavours- chocolate,  strawberry and tiramisu.  It wasn’t cheaper this way as the cost of the six slices was equivalent to the cost of a whole cake.  However there was more variety this way and all the kids were satisfied with the choice of cake.

My eldest is now officially a tween and is moving into a new chapter of his life.

How do you celebrate your kid’s birthday?

Do the other kids get presents too?