Eric Carle's The Very Hungry Caterpillar

In my adult life, there are 2 areas I suddenly find myself very ill-equipped and lacking knowledge in - dealing with pregnancy and parenting. During my first pregnancy, both husband and I were desperately browsing book shops, surfing the net, reading up and faithfully following "Super Nanny" on TV. My husband even bought 2 DVDs by Dr Harvey Karp - "The Happiest Baby" and "Happiest Toddler on the Block"; the latter was quite a favourite with toddler Peanut who enjoyed watching his contemporaries.

Now, there are a few precisous lessons which I learn and find very useful from "Super Nanny":

1. Be firm and consistent when setting boundaries

2. Spend dedicated time with each child - it makes him feel special and if I may add, do wonders in avoiding unnecessary attention-seeking mischief.

3. A rewards chart - a tool to achieve pre-set goals, will tell you more in another blog entry.

Am particularly religious with the 2nd lesson as Peanut is a sensitive kid. Every evening, or almost every evening, I'd spend individual time with each kid. And once a few months, we would have our special outings with Peanut alone - holiday trip to Hong Kong, dining out and recently attending a concert. I enjoy these outings as much as Peanut, especially the last.

It was a puppet show by Mermaid Theatre of Nova Scotia from Canada, comprising of 3 stories illustrated by Eric Carle - The Little Cloud, The Mixed Up Chameleon and The Very Hungry Caterpillar, especially for young kids. It had all the right elements - brightly coloured props and settings, lots of enthusiastic kids (who kept asking, "where's the caterpillar" throughout the 1st 2 acts, named every shape the clouds form and every animal that the Chameleon met at the zoo), engaging narration, interesting stories. They even had a Q&A at the end to explain how they work the puppets - so thoughtful; otherwise poor parents, like me, will be struggling to explain the intricacies of the art and trying to answer all the 'whys'!

Peanut enjoyed the performance so much that he kept asking to watch again. It was a huge improvement from his first concert attendance. Here are some photos from the Q&A. I was so engaged that I forgot to take photos of the earlier part on the caterpillar - alamak.

23 November

Someday ... in my twilight years, I hope to attend musicals and dance performances in the arms of a young man who not only do it because I ask him to, but because he truly enjoys the experience.

Papa's broken armchair is my ...

The original version goes like this:

"Row row row your boat

Gently down the stream

Merrily Merrily Merrily

Life is but a dream"

I was so amused when I heard Peanut's adapted version. In case, you have difficulty making it out, here goes:

"And when you see a crocodile, don't forget to scream. Help!"

The Unintended Hairdo

Peanut is the best kiddie customer a hairdresser can ask for. From as young as 10 months old, he would quietly sit for up to 30 minutes (that was the longest so far) and allow the hairdresser to do his/her stuff, bending his head this way and that. I have seen other kids screaming and struggling so much that the parent probably wished the child was never born. Nah,just kidding - I doubt any parent would feel that way. Though Sweet Potato did cause a strong desire on my part to dash out of the shop the first and the last time he had his hair cut. And I am so not looking forward to his next hair cut ... week after week, I convinced myself that he has no need for one notwithstanding that his hair is sticking out and half covering his ears. Let's wait till the hair covers his eyes and he starts knocking into the furniture ... well, maybe then I can make do with a hair pin and wait till the hair interferes with his consumption of food ...

Anyway, now that Peanut is capable of talking clearly and can be understood by strangers, I stood by and left him to answer the hairdresser's questions which went like this:

"Do you want (or was it 'like'?) colour?"
"Yes."
"What colour do you want?"
"Red"

And so this is the result:





Poor kid, he was so upset. Kept saying, "Mama, I don't want this hair." He was probably expecting to get a colouring book or some colouring pencils!

The Neverending Story

Here's a typical conversation when I drive Peanut around.

"Mama, why cars go on roads?"
"Not just cars; buses, motor cycles, lorries also travel on the road as they have wheels."
"Why?"
"So we can go to places in a short time"
"Why?"
"So you don't need to stay at home"
"Why"
"So you can go out with mama"
There was a pause. It was the opportunity/cue for me to break the chain of neverending questions with my own question.
"Why do you have so many questions? Why?"
Peanut pondered for a while and answered, "I cannot talk like you."

Less than 100metres away...

"Bicycles have wheels right?"
"Yes, they can go on the roads"
"My car cannot go on the road?"
"That's right. It's a toy car"

A short while later, at the lights,
"Mama, why do you stop?"
"Because it's red light"
"Why?"
"So the traffic on our left can go"
"Why?"
"We have to take turns."

Car rides are such a challenge! I simply love and hate them.

Communal Bath

Another first ...