Show not Teach

Chloe has been using this phrase quite often but I still don't get what does she mean.
She was practicing her piano, and I tried to correct her. So, I demonstrate and showed her how to play with the right tempo. Then she said, "You are showing me, but you are not teaching me!'
I wasn't too sure what she meant by that.


Fast forward a few days, she suddenly said
Chloe: I don't want to go swimming lesson tomorrow.
Me: Why? Don't you like swimming?
Chloe: It is too difficult (she is learning free style where she has to turn her body to the side, move her hand and breathe)
Me: That's why you need to go to learn how to do it. Syahmir (the teacher) is teaching you.
Chloe: He is just showing me. not teaching me.


Rather puzzled what she meant by show and not teach.

Swimming and Drums

Weekends are slowly packed with the kids' activities. They have their arts and craft lesson on Saturday morning, and swimming in the late afternoon. In between, there is no time to do much except than to chill out at home.

Chloe started her swimming lesson. Coincidentally, the timing is the same as Lucas's. Very convenient for the parents. The lesson is more of an introduction to be comfortable with water than swimming. She refused to put her head under water after her second attempt. I think it will take some time to overcome the water fear. Meanwhile, Lucas is practicing his free style. Last week, I saw the coach teaching him to do back stroke.

Lucas with his swimming mates listening to the coach.

 

Chloe was taught to climb up from the pool and jump to the pool. Daddy has to be in the pool with her.

 



Lucas practicing his drums.

The grandparents were worried loud noise from the drum will make him deaf, and got him a pair of ear muffs.

Swimming

Lucas has been going to swimming lesson since last December and he is making good progress. He is always looking forward to his lessons and he enjoys it too. He has been taught on how to do free style, back stroke, and free or rather frog style. He knows how to sink himself to the bottom of the pool and come up. However, he does not know how to come out to breathe and go back to water, and not very good with staying afloat. Anyway, happy that he is making improvement and enjoying it.

Holiday Plans

Next week is Lucas's last week of school. Holidays again....
We have decided not to force him to go swimming. So we are scraping the 2 hrs a day 5 days a week swimming plan. Instead, he started taking Mandarin class. A teacher comes to the house twice a week, one hour each time. The teacher will read him story and they will have their discussion on that topic. On his first lesson, he learnt about bouncing big and small ball. After the class, the told his father that learnt about big and small but he has forgotten about how they are said in Mandarin! I'm trying to get my kids to be bi-lingual and trying so hard to switch the mother tongue from English to Mandarin. Each time I speak to them in Mandarin, they will both jokingly asked 'how put how?' (how are you or literal translation is fine or not?) and burst into laughter.

Other than Mandarin class, there is not much plan. Not travelling this holiday as Dominic has no more leave and we are getting a bit lazy. Staying in a hotel in city center on 31 Dec to party - eat and watch fireworks. Trying to arrange some play-dates for the kids and do some cookies baking for Christmas. I'm sure time will fly.

My Snobbish Son

How do you tell kids that they are very lucky to have parents and have more things than they need??

Last December, we were at a bookshop. At the cashier, they were some postcards with names and the age of the underprivileged kids. Anyone can buy them book as a gift. So, we asked Lucas to pick a postcard. He chose a boy who was the same age as him and he chose one of the book from Mr Men collection as a gift. He was then given a card to write a message to the kid. And guess what my smart aleck son wrote - poo and pee !!! When we found out, it was too late. Asked him why he wrote such unpleasant message, he said it is funny.

Today, we took him to buy stationery for some underpriviledge kids again. His school is collecting stationery to be donated to underpriviledge kids. I told me beforehand as to why and where we are going. When we get into the shop, he chose his own stationery first. I reminded him we are buying for poor kids and he is not poor. He just ignored me. He did not even bother helping to choose what type of stationery to buy. Fine. When we get home, I was busy taking off the price tag form the items. He saw that there are a few angry bird stationery and he asked, 'Why are you buying these? They don't have iPad and they don't know angry bird.' Dah....what should I say? Snobbish or just plain innocent?

When I told Dominic about this, Dominic told Lucas, 'Maybe we should give your iPad to the poor kids. They will be really happy.' And you know what Lucas answer is.

One day a few weeks ago, we stopped at the traffic light. There was a van full with students beside us. Then I said:
Me: Lucas, look at the van. All the children are from your school.
Lucas: Why are they in the van?
Me: Because their Mommies and Daddies have to work and cannot send them to school. When Mommy and Daddy have to work, you will have to take the van too.
Lucas: Of course NOT.
Me: Then how are you going to school?
Lucas: I will go with Auntie S (my neighbour whom I car pool with)

Is he having it too good? BTW, he weighs 16.5kg and 108cm.

He just discovered he can move faster and easier in the pool if he stays in this pose.

He is more confident when he has cousin swimming with him. Jumping off the ledge ..

Little helper or trouble maker ?

He came back from the neighbour's house with the mask and hand robot saying the neighbour gave them to him.

Dilemmas

Yesterday was quite an unbelievable day. We did so much yet so little. We went swimming and Lucas forgotten all his swimming technics. Worse is he refused to practice it. During our one and a half hour in the pool, he only practiced three times.
He will sit on the ladder, giving excuses or reasons why he doesn't want to swim or not ready to swim. Only his father has the patience to listen to him.

After 30 mins of talking, he will take one plunge. He did not make it to the second line. Here. Dominic was standing on the first line. Then he will talked again for another 30 mins. So, in 1 1/2 hour, he made the plunge three times.

I'm on wits end. I'm thinking of sending him for intensive swimming during his December school holidays. 2 hours a day, 5 days a week until he gets it (hopefully before the school starts in January). That will also costs us a bomb, about RM4000 (US$1300)! What should I do - push him and spend the money or just let him take his time and save us some money??

Chloe is starting her nursery next year. She will be attending school 5 days a week from 8.30am to 12 noon. She is given a seat by her current playschool. I was thinking of sending her to Lucas's former nursery. Her current school has very good facilities and teachers, teaches in English and Mandarin but very expensive. Lucas's former nursery has a very good teacher, who can teaches the kids to be independent very effectively, at half the current school's fee. After some deliberation, Dominic said 'Let's for once give the girl something better than the brother. The boy has always been getting the good things'. So, I suppose decision is made.

We are going to Germany this coming April! Will be flying Airbus 380. Lots of planning to do for the trip.