Lil' Tot turns 5 this year.
She had just recently learnt not to wear her diaper during the day.
Another milestone achieved was when she also did not wear her diaper when we went out.
We didn't potty train her earlier like her peers and we faced alarming reactions of people asking us "Why on earth is she still in diapers???"
As if she just committed the biggest crime on earth.
We've had friends sharing with us how their kids were potty trained at so and so age.
But also, how their kids would soil their pants at play school/pre-school and even wet their beds at night.
How the parent would need to dry the kid's mattress every single day and change the bedsheets every single day.
How the kid would sometimes refuse to go to the bathroom and end up having 'accidents' in the living room or on the sofa.
Guess what?
We're happy that Lil' Tot learnt to go to the bathroom on her own without us forcing her to or enforcing a potty schedule.
When she needed to go, she'd go.
She still wears her diaper to bed when she sleeps at night though, simply because she just CAN'T wake up to go to the bathroom no matter how hard we try to wake her up in the middle of the night.
She just CAN'T be stirred from her sleep.
Regardless, we're blessed that we don't have to force her to be potty trained.
Whenever a child is ready, they are ready.
No arguments or tears in forcing them to go to the bathroom.
No hassle of having to clean and dry their soiled mattress.
No drama of soiled pants / accidents.
We persevered whenever people would tell our child "Oh my goodness, you're STILL in diapers???"
We trusted our child to be ready and when she was, she did it all by herself. :)
Saturday, 9 January 2016
Wednesday, 11 November 2015
Super Compact 2 Hours of Play
The neighbour's kids were home so we decided to ask them to join us at the park this morning.
In our bag, we packed some stuff:
Water colour and brushes
Crayons
Color pencils
Construction papers
Snacks - mini pretzels, chocolate cookies and crackers
Water bottle
It's really easy to prep stuff for several kids to do as they'll all join in the fun.
As the kids arrived and we laid out all the stuff on the table, they started to colour, draw and paint.
They then proceeded to run around the park, picked up random things to bring to the table and started drawing.
Thereafter, they ran to the playground and just played on the swings, slide and monkey bar.
Eventually, they played a game of hide-and-seek but after realizing that there were limited places to hide, they started to play catch as one of the kids brought along a ball.
As the ball started rolling off a bit further from the circle they had formed, they then started to race with each other, running from one end of the park to the other.
All hands were on deck by the mothers to ensure that the kids are safe and not push/pull one another.
Throughout the entire time they were playing, of course, at times we had to become a referee and advise them not to quarrel or get them to share things etc.
We finally gave up because there were too many kids talking at the same time or showing their emotions that we decided "Oh well, we'll just let them figure things out themselves."
Which they eventually did! haha
So you'd see at one moment 2 kids would be playing while the other 2 would be throwing a sulky face and sit down on the floor, refusing to join in.
Not long after, as they realize they're missing out on the fun, they'd join back in.
And the cycle repeats.
At the end of the 2 hours (I guess it's normal that kids could play for a maximum of 2 hours before they're super tired, depending on the type of activity), all kids were red in the face, sweat profusely with stained clothes.
We had to coax them to go home and take a shower as it was nearing lunch time.
After saying their goodbyes, all kids went home with a tired but content face. :)
In our bag, we packed some stuff:
Water colour and brushes
Crayons
Color pencils
Construction papers
Snacks - mini pretzels, chocolate cookies and crackers
Water bottle
It's really easy to prep stuff for several kids to do as they'll all join in the fun.
As the kids arrived and we laid out all the stuff on the table, they started to colour, draw and paint.
They then proceeded to run around the park, picked up random things to bring to the table and started drawing.
Thereafter, they ran to the playground and just played on the swings, slide and monkey bar.
Eventually, they played a game of hide-and-seek but after realizing that there were limited places to hide, they started to play catch as one of the kids brought along a ball.
As the ball started rolling off a bit further from the circle they had formed, they then started to race with each other, running from one end of the park to the other.
All hands were on deck by the mothers to ensure that the kids are safe and not push/pull one another.
Throughout the entire time they were playing, of course, at times we had to become a referee and advise them not to quarrel or get them to share things etc.
We finally gave up because there were too many kids talking at the same time or showing their emotions that we decided "Oh well, we'll just let them figure things out themselves."
Which they eventually did! haha
So you'd see at one moment 2 kids would be playing while the other 2 would be throwing a sulky face and sit down on the floor, refusing to join in.
Not long after, as they realize they're missing out on the fun, they'd join back in.
And the cycle repeats.
At the end of the 2 hours (I guess it's normal that kids could play for a maximum of 2 hours before they're super tired, depending on the type of activity), all kids were red in the face, sweat profusely with stained clothes.
We had to coax them to go home and take a shower as it was nearing lunch time.
After saying their goodbyes, all kids went home with a tired but content face. :)
Tuesday, 10 November 2015
The Validation
Lil' Tot, The Baby and I were at our usual spot this morning, in the park.
We brought our drawing materials and some snacks.
We laid everything out nicely on a table and sat down minding our own business.
A lady with her 9-month old son approached us and started to chat.
She was on leave and works as a teacher in a nearby school.
I noticed that she paid most of her attention to Lil' Tot, asked her questions and just listened to how Lil' Tot explained things.
The lady kept telling me that she was impressed with how Lil' Tot communicated and expressed herself.
In addition, she stood by and watched Lil' Tot draw on a construction paper and at the same time, communicated with me.
Lil' Tot even started to chat with the 9-month old baby, kept saying "Awwww he's so cute!"
When the lady got to know that Lil' Tot does not attend any play school or pre-school, she was more impressed.
She even added, "If she's able to communicate like this, she does not need to go to a kindergarten anymore. She can immediately start school when the time comes."
I was like "Wow!"
On top of that, the lady said that she'd love to send her son to us so that her son could play with the kids.
I honestly told her that we mostly play and don't really focus on learning ABCs or numbers, it all depends on whether Lil' Tot wants to learn them.
The lady said, "Play is better. No need to stress out on ABCs and numbers if they aren't willing to at such an early age."
Wow, to get such a validation from a teacher really IS something! :D
I strongly believe that we're moving in the right direction and to hear such acknowledgement from a teacher further validates that we're doing something right. ;)
We brought our drawing materials and some snacks.
We laid everything out nicely on a table and sat down minding our own business.
A lady with her 9-month old son approached us and started to chat.
She was on leave and works as a teacher in a nearby school.
I noticed that she paid most of her attention to Lil' Tot, asked her questions and just listened to how Lil' Tot explained things.
The lady kept telling me that she was impressed with how Lil' Tot communicated and expressed herself.
In addition, she stood by and watched Lil' Tot draw on a construction paper and at the same time, communicated with me.
Lil' Tot even started to chat with the 9-month old baby, kept saying "Awwww he's so cute!"
When the lady got to know that Lil' Tot does not attend any play school or pre-school, she was more impressed.
She even added, "If she's able to communicate like this, she does not need to go to a kindergarten anymore. She can immediately start school when the time comes."
I was like "Wow!"
On top of that, the lady said that she'd love to send her son to us so that her son could play with the kids.
I honestly told her that we mostly play and don't really focus on learning ABCs or numbers, it all depends on whether Lil' Tot wants to learn them.
The lady said, "Play is better. No need to stress out on ABCs and numbers if they aren't willing to at such an early age."
Wow, to get such a validation from a teacher really IS something! :D
I strongly believe that we're moving in the right direction and to hear such acknowledgement from a teacher further validates that we're doing something right. ;)
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