mama kat’s writers workshop

Writers Workshop : A-Star (A*) Care for My Kids

Last week I wrote about 22 Things which I have done. This week I’m choosing  #17 from my list and elaborating about it.

#17- Going on No Pay Leave  to take care of the
kids during their formative years.

It wasn’t a difficult decision to make. I’ve always wanted to be fully involved in the lives of my kids as they are growing up.  I have heard and seen too many examples of my ex pupils complaining that their parents were never around and they never understood or really cared about them.

I know too well the pain a parent feels when even though they have engaged the best helpers or enrolled their kids in the most comprehensive programs at the end of the day they are not able to build up a strong bond with the kid as they were not present during their growing up years.

 Leaving the care giving to maids and nannies is not an option which I considered  especially during their formative years. I heard of many terror tales of maids mistreating their charges and even nannies being careless with the babies that were under their care.

They maybe able to cater to the infant/young child’s physical needs but are not capable of mentally stimulating them and help in their overall development. Also there is an element of fear or issues in trusting  an outsider to give your child the best care possible.

I’ve witnessed a lot of delinquency cases and misbehaviour in school kids stem from poor or negligent upbringing. I don’t want to look back in time to come and regret that I didn’t spend enough time and effort in  taking care and grooming my kids.

I want my kids to remember that I was around when they were young to nurture them to the best of their potential.  Mummy was around to witness their milestones and to guide them along the way.

Jenny Matlock Mama’s Losin’ It

22 Things I have Done

It has been an exhausting October. There has been a lot of movement with visitors flying in for a visit, school holidays and public holidays this month. The boys are looking forward to their 1st Halloween party next Tuesday. They will be going as ghouls. I can’t wait to  hear how the party goes at their Music school.

Last week as part of Mama Kat’s Writer’s Workshop I wrote about 22 Things which I never done.  This week I’m posting about 22 Things that I have Done.

At 33 yrs old I have

  1. Stayed alone  and studied in Sydney and Melbourne in Australia.
  2. Gotten married at 22 yrs old.
  3. Been married for 10 years to the most wonderful guy I known.
  4. Had 3 kids via C-section.
  5. Breastfed all my 3 kids and am still breastfeeding Tiger Girl who is currently 13 months old.

  6. Been White water
    rafting twice.
  7. Taken roller blading lessons even though I’m not keen to go roller blading.
  8. Tried skiing even though I knew I rather be tobogganing. 
  9.  Learned how to cook and bake on my own.
  10. Learned  Cantonese so that I can communicate well with R and his family.
  11. Learn how to create my own website and design my own blog.
  12. Visited Europe  and can’t wait to revisit some of the places when the kids are older.
  13. Appeared in a parents magazine with the kids on Mother’s Day Special issue.
  14. Won prizes in online contests which I took part in.
  15. Worked in four different schools and made many long lasting friendships with friends from work.
  16. Been working in the same industry since I graduated from collage.
  17. Been on NPL 3 times to take care of the kids in their formative years.
  18. Gone to music concerts with R and really enjoyed myself even though I didn’t have the faintest idea who the singers were.
  19. have had broken sleep for the past 7 years since my first born.
  20. learnt the fine art of how to multi-task with little kids around.
  21. lost 25kg and managed to fit back into my wedding dress after the birth of Doggie boy. Now I’m hoping to be able to fit back into that dress when Tiger Girl reaches 18mths old.  I’ve another 7kg to my targeted weight.
  22. learned to let go and focus on what really matters rather then be distracted on the unimportant and not neccessary.

What have you done so far?

 

Mama’s Losin’ It