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| Look at that cheeky smile! (I mean hers.) |
Her daily recitations never fail to amuse us:
"Mee mee.... mah mee.... omma.... woo-man (woman)...dock-doh (doctor)"
"Dadda... appa.... ba-ba... man....Ben (daddy's name)..."
"Mah mah... nai nai.... Ong (grandma's name)..."
"Yeh yeh... Ah Toh (grandpa's name)..."
"Dabba...ka... bus..." (Double-decker bus)
"Godma godma..."
"Happy... toooo...yoooo...." (Happy birthday to you...")
"Gong gong... dog... Oreo. Ah Ee... back... work... dog bark!"
"(H)and... Armpit... Elbow.... Knee....Toe.... Mou(th)... Eye... No(se)....(H)air.... BUTTOCK!"
"May I... go out?"
And so on. It's always magical to hear her utter words she never used to utter.
Stranger anxiety. It was never an issue before, but recently, she began avoiding unfamilar people, as well as cowering in stress and a little fear whenever there were other kids around. I'm hoping that it is just a temporary phase.
That's all for Sophie. As for me...
...teaching music as a mother is so different. The obstinate, strong-willed, curious, and impressionable children are the same - but before my eyes lies a new lens. One that causes me to fear that I'm not doing enough or meeting the expectations of parents. Because I am now a parent myself, I find myself wondering... What would I have a teacher do for Sophie if she threw a tantrum in class, refused to practise, insisted on her own (sincerely wrong) technique, or showed no interest in music? How would I want my children to be taught? What if my own child lacked confidence in herself and had a phobia of learning piano because of negative experiences with the previous teacher? What if my child had ADHD? (Of course, this is me being hypothetical. Sophie sat attentively through 2 hours of children's ministry recently, and I don't think she has ADHD.) What if my child was a slow learner? Not that I've never considered such things before... but now, it all seems more real while I am a mother myself. And pressing.
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