i received the letter in the mailbox last week indicating that her application's successful. and that there's an orientation on 15 november 2008 for all new students and their parents. that falls on a saturday so i won't have to take leave.frankly, i've got mixed feelings about this whole primary one business. the reality is that my daughter's growing up real fast, and i can no longer hold on to the days of her being my little darling who entered this world as a scrawny 2.59kg newborn. i noticed that over the past year, she's shot up quite a bit and while she's never been pudgy, xian's lanky limbs have stretched out even further. in fact, she's the tallest girl in her kindergarten class.
on her good days, xian's a sweet-tempered, sensitive and cheerful child. she's a very loving girl and always watches out for wen at school. but these days, she's started to retort, argue and pout when she doesn't get her way. my firstborn is clearly trying to assert her independence and her display of rebellious streak reminds me of, *horrors*, myself!
my nightmare has begun much earlier than i'd expected. and yes, it's retribution for the trauma i'd inflicted on my folks when i was growing up. only i'll be experiencing it threefold.
ARGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!
i have to be mentally and emotionally prepared for the onslaught of homework. it's terrifying to hear what my peers (who've kids around the same age) have to say about the primary school workload. just yesterday the sunday times reported that primary school-going youngsters sleep much less than they should! most of the students interviewed had only about 6-8 hours of sleep per day, while experts insist that young children below the age of 12 should be having 10-12 hours of sleep.
why are these young kids sleeping less? it's obvious. they have too much homework to complete. and to make matters worse, many have packed schedules which include music classes, swimming classes, enrichment programmes, tuition etc.
i understand why parents sign their children up for these extra classes - most of us want to give our younglings the "extra competitive edge" or help, especially if they are academically weaker and may trail behind their peers.
i'm guilty too. xian goes for swimming lessons (mostly to improve her stamina, plus i think it's an important survival skill to have) and piano lessons (i started with piano at her age and i believe in giving her some basic foundation). she doesn't seem too fond of her piano classes but carries on because her cousins are all learning to play the piano too. but i'm not going to force her to continue and am prepared to let her stop once she gets older - i quit lessons when i was 10.
perhaps i'm worrying too much ahead of time...but i am a little concerned. as most parents are. i don't think it's *just* me. being a parent sure isn't easy and i regret how ill-behaved i was as a kid.
yeah, it's retribution all right. :(
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