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Tag: child play
Posted By SLK on Wednesday, September 19, 2012 { 0 Comment(s) }
No one and I mean NO ONE can scold my kids when I am not there and for something which is not entirely their fault. I can go to all lengths to protect my girls, fight like an animal when it is not their fault. This is exactly what happened just a few moments ago...
Kit is a great swimmer for her 5 years of age but this age also has its moods – sometimes great and sometimes a true troublemaker. Kat on the other hand, is a serious swimmer who prides in doing laps and endurance swimming. What this means is that when I send the two swimming to the pool downstairs, some days are just perfect (mostly when I am watching them) or some days are miserable (mostly when our nanny is watching them) and Kit comes home crying or sulking with a vow to never go swimming with Kat again (a vow which is easily forgotten by the end of the minute!)
So, today when they came back with Kit howling at the top of her voice, I did not think it was anything different – till Kat explained the whole situation to me. Apparently, Kit was getting bored in the pool today as there was not enough space so she started splashing Kat and pulling on her bathing suit and generally causing her trouble. At this point the lifeguard beckoned Kit with her finger (!) and scolded her and warned her that she can never enter the pool again if she behaves this way. What way, may I ask? Kit knows when she is being scolded and does not take it well when she thinks she is not wrong (sometimes even when she is wrong) – so she started crying at which point the lifeguard scolded her again!
This same lifeguard was on the other hand allowing a little boy to take her rescue tube and play with it in the pool (bumping Kat several times with it when she was doing her laps) - now how professional is THAT!!
So first when Kit came home crying with Kat, I lost my cool – there is something about sobbing and the inability to make out anything what is being said that truly frustrates me. After I heard the story from Kat and our nanny, I called up the resident manager and explained the situation. Sadly the lifeguard had left for the day but she has promised to talk to her tomorrow and get back to me. She says the protocol is to explain to the parents first or the adult with the children and if that does not work, parents should be contacted – they are not allowed to scold children (5 years old?) directly- absolutely not their business!
Kat always likes to hear me fight for the right – she says it gives her confidence – so I guess something good did come out of this situation today.
Once all sorted I explained that everyone was in the wrong and no one can make that right. Kit was wrong for having acted in a way that prompted the lifeguard to get angry. Kat was wrong in having cut short her already short exercise routine and not having controlled the situation with Kit. Nanny was wrong in not having protected Kit when she was being scolded or interfered or called me. I was wrong (and surely crazy) for having trusted them all and sent them together believing everything was going to be OK!
Now that the anger is out of me, I have a severe migraine – all that blood rushing did me no good. Did it?
Kit is a great swimmer for her 5 years of age but this age also has its moods – sometimes great and sometimes a true troublemaker. Kat on the other hand, is a serious swimmer who prides in doing laps and endurance swimming. What this means is that when I send the two swimming to the pool downstairs, some days are just perfect (mostly when I am watching them) or some days are miserable (mostly when our nanny is watching them) and Kit comes home crying or sulking with a vow to never go swimming with Kat again (a vow which is easily forgotten by the end of the minute!)
So, today when they came back with Kit howling at the top of her voice, I did not think it was anything different – till Kat explained the whole situation to me. Apparently, Kit was getting bored in the pool today as there was not enough space so she started splashing Kat and pulling on her bathing suit and generally causing her trouble. At this point the lifeguard beckoned Kit with her finger (!) and scolded her and warned her that she can never enter the pool again if she behaves this way. What way, may I ask? Kit knows when she is being scolded and does not take it well when she thinks she is not wrong (sometimes even when she is wrong) – so she started crying at which point the lifeguard scolded her again!
This same lifeguard was on the other hand allowing a little boy to take her rescue tube and play with it in the pool (bumping Kat several times with it when she was doing her laps) - now how professional is THAT!!
So first when Kit came home crying with Kat, I lost my cool – there is something about sobbing and the inability to make out anything what is being said that truly frustrates me. After I heard the story from Kat and our nanny, I called up the resident manager and explained the situation. Sadly the lifeguard had left for the day but she has promised to talk to her tomorrow and get back to me. She says the protocol is to explain to the parents first or the adult with the children and if that does not work, parents should be contacted – they are not allowed to scold children (5 years old?) directly- absolutely not their business!
Kat always likes to hear me fight for the right – she says it gives her confidence – so I guess something good did come out of this situation today.
Once all sorted I explained that everyone was in the wrong and no one can make that right. Kit was wrong for having acted in a way that prompted the lifeguard to get angry. Kat was wrong in having cut short her already short exercise routine and not having controlled the situation with Kit. Nanny was wrong in not having protected Kit when she was being scolded or interfered or called me. I was wrong (and surely crazy) for having trusted them all and sent them together believing everything was going to be OK!
Now that the anger is out of me, I have a severe migraine – all that blood rushing did me no good. Did it?
Posted By SLK on Friday, July 20, 2012 { 0 Comment(s) }
We’ve all been through this. Little girls love fairies, fairy tales – after all, who doesn’t like some magic in their childhood (I could still do with some myself even now!)
So Kit sits down to watch this fairy movie (Barbie - A Fairy Secret) with stars in her eyes already – believing in it already even before it starts. The 1 hour something passes without many comments, Kit mesmerised by it all. (*adorable*)
You would think that was it – another end to a nice movie perfect for that age. What is funny is that children are truly like sponges, absorbing everything they see and hear. This movie really hit it BIG with Kit! (Who would think Barbie could be so compelling!!)
As its summer break, Kat has now taken over the story reading job at night time for Kit and likes to put her to bed (I love it so much – suits me JUST FINE!) That night, after putting Kit to sleep, Kat comes to me and says:
Kat: “Mummy, you’re never going to believe this. Kit thinks she is a fairy and she is serious!”
I couldn’t do anything but smile as it did sound super cute but Kat promised me not to tell Kit and said she would get her to tell me herself so I could be more convinced.
So next morning, Kat talks to Kit and then Kit comes to me:
Kit: (all shy and eyes down) “Mummy, I have to tell you a secret”
Me: “Yes Kit, what is it?”
Kit: “I am a fairy for real. YES I know I am!”
Me: “Really?” (trying not to smile too hard so as to give myself away – trying to be serious). “How do you know that?”
Kit: “Actually at 10 minutes past midnight, I get up every night and I get these fairy wings and can fly. That is why you don’t see me because it’s so late at night. I get them because I believe in them”
Me: “That is so interesting and magical!” (Not mentioning the fact that my eyes are almost glued to the video monitor in her room every night)
Kit: “See I can jump so high as well – this is ONLY because I am a fairy!”
And Kit jumps a very average jump but her eyes tell me that she believes this jump was enormous (truly a leap of faith!) purely because of the fairy magic involved.
The conversation ends with me acting very convinced with the fairy magic discovery and Kit content that I was convinced. She jumps back to her room – ready for another day of dress up and make-believe and I am left wondering where have all the years gone by? It seems like a few years ago when I would have done something like this too…these days are truly precious – life is so simple and really magical.
God bless little girls!
So Kit sits down to watch this fairy movie (Barbie - A Fairy Secret) with stars in her eyes already – believing in it already even before it starts. The 1 hour something passes without many comments, Kit mesmerised by it all. (*adorable*)
You would think that was it – another end to a nice movie perfect for that age. What is funny is that children are truly like sponges, absorbing everything they see and hear. This movie really hit it BIG with Kit! (Who would think Barbie could be so compelling!!)
As its summer break, Kat has now taken over the story reading job at night time for Kit and likes to put her to bed (I love it so much – suits me JUST FINE!) That night, after putting Kit to sleep, Kat comes to me and says:
Kat: “Mummy, you’re never going to believe this. Kit thinks she is a fairy and she is serious!”
I couldn’t do anything but smile as it did sound super cute but Kat promised me not to tell Kit and said she would get her to tell me herself so I could be more convinced.
So next morning, Kat talks to Kit and then Kit comes to me:
Kit: (all shy and eyes down) “Mummy, I have to tell you a secret”
Me: “Yes Kit, what is it?”
Kit: “I am a fairy for real. YES I know I am!”
Me: “Really?” (trying not to smile too hard so as to give myself away – trying to be serious). “How do you know that?”
Kit: “Actually at 10 minutes past midnight, I get up every night and I get these fairy wings and can fly. That is why you don’t see me because it’s so late at night. I get them because I believe in them”
Me: “That is so interesting and magical!” (Not mentioning the fact that my eyes are almost glued to the video monitor in her room every night)
Kit: “See I can jump so high as well – this is ONLY because I am a fairy!”
And Kit jumps a very average jump but her eyes tell me that she believes this jump was enormous (truly a leap of faith!) purely because of the fairy magic involved.
The conversation ends with me acting very convinced with the fairy magic discovery and Kit content that I was convinced. She jumps back to her room – ready for another day of dress up and make-believe and I am left wondering where have all the years gone by? It seems like a few years ago when I would have done something like this too…these days are truly precious – life is so simple and really magical.
God bless little girls!
Tags:
child play, growing up, love
Posted By SLK on Thursday, May 10, 2012 { 0 Comment(s) }
OK...so it FINALLY happened!! After days of tugging and pulling, Kit lost her first tooth and was she excited?? She was over the moon – after all now that one tooth has given way to adult teeth and not to forget she is now in the league of great role models like Kat!
Every afternoon (after having ‘worked’ on her loose tooth for the majority of the bus ride) Kit would come running to me after school to show me the progress. It was actually adorable – the way she wouldn’t brush her teeth hard (I think that one might have been intentional!) or chew on that side. She wasn’t even happy about drinking, always fearing that she might accidentally swallow her tooth and then she would have nothing for the tooth fairy...
SO when it happened in the morning, Kit was overjoyed! From the moment she had noticed a loose tooth, Kat had given Kit her own tooth fairy box. Within minutes the great little tooth was wrapped up in tissue and placed inside the box – right next to the window (in case the tooth fairy lost her way and spent too much time looking for it!)
Kit kept on telling me all day how her friends had told her that the tooth fairy gives chocolate coins, so naturally I made a mental note to buy some before night so I could do the same. It was only around bedtime that I realised that I had forgotten to do the single most talked about task – I had totally forgotten about the chocolate coin!! Kat was very disappointed in me and when I put Kit to sleep, I had no idea what I was going to do...
As always, I got into the kitchen and invited food to talk to me. I know it sounds weird but sometimes I actually do that – when I have no way of knowing what to make for dinner, I open the refrigerator and the pantry and somehow can see food that I can cook by using what I have. I like to think these are the makings of a great cook but never the less, this saved me! When I opened the pantry, I immediately saw some Disney chocolates which had not been eaten (surprisingly) for a while. I knew I could not use these as such so I carefully took out the chocolate part and very creatively wrapped it in foil paper and voila the chocolate coin was ready!
Imagine Kit’s surprise when she found the coin in place of the tooth (it rests safely in my ‘baby’ drawer) – chocolate eaten, enjoyed and the whole adventure of the first tooth gone is over...I have to admit, Kit looks awfully cute with that little gap in her teeth!
Every afternoon (after having ‘worked’ on her loose tooth for the majority of the bus ride) Kit would come running to me after school to show me the progress. It was actually adorable – the way she wouldn’t brush her teeth hard (I think that one might have been intentional!) or chew on that side. She wasn’t even happy about drinking, always fearing that she might accidentally swallow her tooth and then she would have nothing for the tooth fairy...
SO when it happened in the morning, Kit was overjoyed! From the moment she had noticed a loose tooth, Kat had given Kit her own tooth fairy box. Within minutes the great little tooth was wrapped up in tissue and placed inside the box – right next to the window (in case the tooth fairy lost her way and spent too much time looking for it!)Kit kept on telling me all day how her friends had told her that the tooth fairy gives chocolate coins, so naturally I made a mental note to buy some before night so I could do the same. It was only around bedtime that I realised that I had forgotten to do the single most talked about task – I had totally forgotten about the chocolate coin!! Kat was very disappointed in me and when I put Kit to sleep, I had no idea what I was going to do...
As always, I got into the kitchen and invited food to talk to me. I know it sounds weird but sometimes I actually do that – when I have no way of knowing what to make for dinner, I open the refrigerator and the pantry and somehow can see food that I can cook by using what I have. I like to think these are the makings of a great cook but never the less, this saved me! When I opened the pantry, I immediately saw some Disney chocolates which had not been eaten (surprisingly) for a while. I knew I could not use these as such so I carefully took out the chocolate part and very creatively wrapped it in foil paper and voila the chocolate coin was ready!
Imagine Kit’s surprise when she found the coin in place of the tooth (it rests safely in my ‘baby’ drawer) – chocolate eaten, enjoyed and the whole adventure of the first tooth gone is over...I have to admit, Kit looks awfully cute with that little gap in her teeth!
Posted By SLK on Tuesday, September 20, 2011 { 0 Comment(s) }
I have always wanted to be a good swimmer – forget about good, I could have been an “okayish” swimmer but even that has not worked out :( Learning how to swim at 30+ years is never easy (there is SO much to fear!) but I somehow (surprising to me too) overcame that barrier and once I have my fins (or mermaid feet as Kit calls them) I can actually swim! Getting there...VERY slowly.Maybe it is this lack of swimming instincts from my end (Papa does great!) but both of us are...er...very pushy parents when it comes to swimming for Kit Kat. This is one sport that is not taken lightly at our house (oh yes!). Kat has been a great swimmer and was in the swim team for some time but then she started ‘fearing’ the instructor (he was very very strict) and her twice a week lessons became a major challenge for us. Kat promised that she would swim in the pool downstairs as many times of the week as she could manage but she could no longer swim in THAT place with THAT instructor – she did stick to her promise for a long time but now with Middle School, even walking with the backpack on is a challenge (the new gym routine made her so achy in the first week – where has all the calcium and energy gone? – one can only wonder at the 3 months long summer vacation which has thrown everything and everyone out of sync)
Swimming, we believe is a great way to tone a body and has no bad effects on your bones etc. It’s a super way to keep fit especially now that Middle School for Kat has a great selection of lunch…
Little Kit started on her swimming as early as 6 months or so. First it was the “mother and baby” class where I went in the pool with her (it’s not deep at all so no lifeguard skills needed – yay!), followed by independent swimming in the teaching pool – she went through several unrecognizable names of classes until finally she completed Beginner 1 this summer. Well done Kit!
A huge step for Kit last week was her first Beginner 2 class in the BIG Olympic sized pool. Since her first exposure to structured swimming, Kit has always been in a warm, small sized pool. This was the first time she was in a class aged 5-8years (Kit is not 5 yet) and in a much cooler, big sized pool. I watched her with pride as she struggled to complete a length – she was running out of breath and her kickboard was going in all directions once she lost her strength but her determination was admirable. She carried on and never once gave up in the middle of her lap. She was swimming with big boys but that did not dampen her spirits at all…she was breathless after the 45mins class but was overjoyed to have achieved it. Parents are allowed to be on deck in the first class – after every lap, Kit would turn around and ask me if I was taking pictures and videos of her for Kat and Papa – I surely did and she proudly showed those off when she came home! Not sure if the determination will be the same this week or not but my gut feeling is that Kit has the will to go through it. As a parent it was a proud moment for me and I could not help but think of her as a little Kat who went through the same process few years ago – the resemblance was so striking.
These are little baby steps as Kit follows in her sister’s footsteps – every step is precious, challenging and unpredictable – sometimes Kit Kat push us along with them effortlessly, sometimes they struggle and so do we – but we have to keep on reminding ourselves that we will get there with love, patience, understanding and appreciation and that we WILL have all these skills one day, some day!
As for Kit, go Nemo go!!
Tags:
child play, fear, growing up, swimming with kids
Posted By SLK on Wednesday, August 31, 2011 { 0 Comment(s) }
OK - August has been very eventful for us. 2 weeks driving down the West Coast from San Francisco to LA (around 1500 miles in all). An earthquake last week and then Irene (a hurricane and then a tropical storm) – all these combined with several migraine attacks! We’ve been busy...
It has been a never ending round of packing and unpacking suitcases this month (latest being the one we packed few days ago in case we had to rush downstairs when Irene struck)...all is getting back to normal now (sort of!)
Kat was actually sad to get out of the rental car (aka our mobile home) because she felt that it had been her home for the last 2 weeks (I don’t blame her – with all the snacking we did on the road, it did seem like ‘Mom’s kitchen’!) On the other hand, Kit was sad as the end of the road trip meant a stop to endless snacking (anytime, anything!) and the uninterrupted Backyardigan after Backyardigan episodes she watched on the iPad (courtesy Kat who had the brains to download these before we left).
Call me ‘weird’ (it’s actually trendy to be weird now!) but I will miss the constant running around and the checking in and out from so many hotels en route. However, the most I will miss is the bonding time Kit Kat had over this holiday; both with us and between themselves...cherished times!
One such display of sisterly love was when Kit Kat were floating on the tube (attached to our boat) at Lake Tahoe. Sunny sky, warm water and peace and quiet in the air – the only sounds we could hear were from Papa driving (so fast!) and all of us shouting in excitement.
After several rounds of duo floating together, Kit wanted to do one turn on her own (more so, because Kat had one!) – Papa and I agreed and Kit had a ball!! Beaming from ear to ear, she held on to the tube with all her strength and at some point, Papa got so excited that in the flow of it all, he suddenly accelerated – Kit caught on well but the other second, she lost her balance and fell into the 1000 ft (at some parts 1500ft I believe) deep lake.
Of course, Kit Kat had their life jackets on all the time but still the sight of a tiny Kit in the vast expanse of water was chilling. We reversed the boat right away and would have got there in a few seconds BUT Kat was already in the water – going to save her little Kit! There was a look of extreme alarm on Kit’s face when she fell but I could not miss her joy on seeing Kat swim up to her. Our expert swimmer made it to Kit before us in the boat and swam back with Kit. Since then, Kat has been the official lifeguard for Kit (rewarded with hugs and wet kisses from Kit much to Kat’s eww!‘)
Moments like this and I am truly convinced that no matter how much the sisters fight, there IS a special bond between them…most days, I am almost positive that given a chance, they could pull each other’s hair, teeth, clothes, books and everything apart!!
It has been a never ending round of packing and unpacking suitcases this month (latest being the one we packed few days ago in case we had to rush downstairs when Irene struck)...all is getting back to normal now (sort of!)
Kat was actually sad to get out of the rental car (aka our mobile home) because she felt that it had been her home for the last 2 weeks (I don’t blame her – with all the snacking we did on the road, it did seem like ‘Mom’s kitchen’!) On the other hand, Kit was sad as the end of the road trip meant a stop to endless snacking (anytime, anything!) and the uninterrupted Backyardigan after Backyardigan episodes she watched on the iPad (courtesy Kat who had the brains to download these before we left).
Call me ‘weird’ (it’s actually trendy to be weird now!) but I will miss the constant running around and the checking in and out from so many hotels en route. However, the most I will miss is the bonding time Kit Kat had over this holiday; both with us and between themselves...cherished times!
One such display of sisterly love was when Kit Kat were floating on the tube (attached to our boat) at Lake Tahoe. Sunny sky, warm water and peace and quiet in the air – the only sounds we could hear were from Papa driving (so fast!) and all of us shouting in excitement.
After several rounds of duo floating together, Kit wanted to do one turn on her own (more so, because Kat had one!) – Papa and I agreed and Kit had a ball!! Beaming from ear to ear, she held on to the tube with all her strength and at some point, Papa got so excited that in the flow of it all, he suddenly accelerated – Kit caught on well but the other second, she lost her balance and fell into the 1000 ft (at some parts 1500ft I believe) deep lake.
Of course, Kit Kat had their life jackets on all the time but still the sight of a tiny Kit in the vast expanse of water was chilling. We reversed the boat right away and would have got there in a few seconds BUT Kat was already in the water – going to save her little Kit! There was a look of extreme alarm on Kit’s face when she fell but I could not miss her joy on seeing Kat swim up to her. Our expert swimmer made it to Kit before us in the boat and swam back with Kit. Since then, Kat has been the official lifeguard for Kit (rewarded with hugs and wet kisses from Kit much to Kat’s eww!‘)
Moments like this and I am truly convinced that no matter how much the sisters fight, there IS a special bond between them…most days, I am almost positive that given a chance, they could pull each other’s hair, teeth, clothes, books and everything apart!!