My grandson grows up

This morning Aaron had his first school adventure...travelling to school in a private car for the first time.He had always been driven about by his parents or grand parents and I just wonder what goes on in that little head of his when he climbed into a " stranger's car " for the first time.Was he scared ? worried ? or just excited ?.Hard to say but I should try to probe his little mind when he is in a talkative mood.But it was quite obvious that the thought of it was not so attractive to him as he threw some tantrums early in the morning when he had to get ready for school. Kids today are not as fortunate as us though they have the benefits of more things to eat , play and go out.We did not have much of these but we had one thing which they do not have ....freedom.We had time after school to frolic and do ours things. Today I look at my grandson and he has to wake up early , get ready for school, off to day care after school and can only be free after 6pm.Poor kid ! No wonder the thought of the long day puts him off.I would too, if I were in his shoes. He has been pampered all along and always had someone close to him by his side and he grew up in a safe and comfortable environment.Now he is off to unknown waters and its quite natural that he is put off.If we look at it carefully , unless he can fit into the new environment school is going to be hell for him.I can imagine him in a school of a few hundred students , trying to feel his way around.Can he cope? will the school provide him with the kind of care and security which he has been so used to ? hopefully , then school will be an exciting experience for him. I cannot help but feel concerned as to what my grandson is getting into.

The wheels go round and round

Mum looked after Kyra from the day she was born till she was ready to go to nursery.She had no choice but to come back to Kl as Aaron was born and needed looking after.The time she was in Spore I had to fend for myself but that was not a problem as I have lived on my own in several places, Tashkent, Melaka and Lembah Beringin. Aaron is now ready to start on the next phase of his life ,going to formal school and now its time for Lucas our youngest grandson.His parents bought a new house and being working people of course needs assistance to bring the little fella up.So its time for us to move again to a new neighborhood like we did initially to Spore, Taman Desa and Ara Damansara.Fortunately mum is very adaptable , making friends wherever she goes and she has such a positive attitude about things so much so that I would say its nothing short of amazing.I'm sure she will adapt to the new environment and just like her will make the best use of it.She is already talking of going to UK when our next grandchild comes along. Bringing up the little fellas is not an easy job .It eats into your time and freedom but we look at it as our contribution to make life easier for our own children.I suppose most parents will do this for their kids.How can you say "no" when your help is needed.its not only a responsibility but in a way a pleasure to know that you are still useful and wanted.So the next mission is to see Lucas grow up and ready to be sent to nursery and then maybe off to London and eventually , hopefully HOME.To parents to be with the children and to be able to make life a little bit easier for them is as mum says " worthwhile , despite the tiredness and little sacrifices ".We often wonder how she is able to cope , looking after the little ones ( and doing a great job) and at the same time taking care of the household chores.At times I ask her and her answer is " I love my children and grandchildren " and that is what makes the burden negligible.What an attitude ! Staying with our youngest daughter will be interesting and meaningful as we can see little Lucas grow up.We have had a good stay with our second daughter and seeing Aaron grow up to be a strong , healthy and intelligent boy is one of our joys in life and gives us the motivation to move on. The famous words " I shall pass this way but once , hence any good which I can do ,let me do it now for I may not pass this way again "aptly describes what mum is doing and will continue doing for the children and grandchildren. Denai Alam here we come !

A little boy grows up

Last week we celebrated the wedding of our nephew to a wonderful girl and for mum and me looking at him so grown up and happy it brought a lump to our throats.Time flies, it seems not so long ago that he came to live with us at the age of 9. His parents cried " help" ..they found him a handful and he did not get on well in school.Mum in her goodness never hesitated to take him in with us .He was fortunate because at that time I was the District Education Officer and could put him in any school .We chose to place him in the school where mum taught as it was convenient in terms of logistics and more so because she could keep an eye on him. Two of her close friends taught him and I might say they in no small way were responsible to ensure that he studied like a good student. On his part we did wonder what could have gone through his head when he had to leave home at such an early age . He would have thought " Why do my parents send me away ? Dont they want me anymore ?" It was fortunate that he had the company of our four girls who in no small way exerted some good vibes into his life.Looking at him sometimes, I could no help but feel sorry for him especially those times when he went home for the school holidays and had to come back again leaving his dear brother and cousins. Many a time he cried and my heart just went out to him but looking at the bigger picture ...that it was for his own good we steeled ourselves.So his turn around mission went on.The family treated him like one of us and the girls would do their best to teach him the " right path" and growing up in that kind of environment to a certain extent helped.Mum loved him like her own son, feeding him well and taking him out for his favorite KFC almost every weekend. Soon the little monster began to show signs of change , more time spent on his studies leading to better marks in school and the guided activities began to show results too. Meal time , study time , play and sleep time were all well arranged and he soon got into the habit of doing his stuff on a regular basis . He stayed with us for a number of years and by the time he finished his primary education we felt it was time to send him home .It was then difficult for us , for mum especially for he had indeed become a part of our lives and all of us loved him like one of the family.But it was time for him to return home ... a much better individual. Today looking at him getting married is one of the memorable moments in our lives.He has come this far and we know he will go even further in life. e wish you Alvin and Shiao Ling a happy journey through life !