Oh dear.
Chinese New Year just passed and the whole family just got nuked with something. It's like flu, but it isn't. It's like sore throat, but it isn't. It's like fever, but it isn't. It's like cough and colds, but it isn't. The most annoying thing about it, is that everyone of us seems to have it, and it's not yet going. It feels like it is being ping ponged between the three of us. Judy and myself are already on antibiotics, and Jakjak, we'll probably have to bring him to a vet ... er ... pediatrician in the next few days.
I'm just hoping that it isn't a new virus that nobody has found a cure for yet. But that seems too far fetched at the moment. It's more realistically just a stubborn strain of the flu. Still, it's not fair. I took leave from work over the last 3 days! I was supposed to be spending the hours with the family, instead, I had to spend most of it recuperating from a fever that goes on and off like it has a mind of it's own.
Find It, Make It.
It was going to be a long weekend. There were two public holidays making up the Lunar New Year. I was thinking, "that's a great opportunity to have time to spend with the little guy!". In this instance, the thought doesn't count as much as the action. While the prospect of having extra playtime was there, so was that prospect of having extra "me" time. For a lot of busy working people, that extra bit of time appears precious, so precious in fact that sometimes, we tend to cram so many things into it that we end up accomplishing less than what we sought out to do in the first place.
What I didn't expect was that I was going to be coming down with something. Not quite the flu, and not quite the sniffles, but it becomes this annoying little thing that stops you from appreciating that time off. And because I wasn't really feeling well, I barely had time at all to even get my thoughts together. I was just either unwell or nasty. In the end, I preferred just lying it off to ease the headaches that thinking brings about. And so, what was supposed to be a good excuse for spending extra time with Jakjak didn't really end up as time at all.
This brings me to another mental exercise. How many times did we actually exert effort to have that time to spend with our loved ones? I certainly had the time, but the effort to make use of it had been futile due to the circumstances. Had I felt better (and had Jakjak felt better as well), we could have easily gone to the park, bike, scooter, go to the library and play games all day long. We did manage to get some playtime, but not as much as we both hoped for.
At least now I have that piece of thought in my head. It's not just about finding the time, it's also about making that time work for you.
To make it clear, no, Judy is not pregnant with our second child. This morning sickness is totally all about Jakjak and our daily battle to get him in the shower every school day morning. This is Jakjak's morning sickness.
Waking up for school is already a chore in itself (I should know, that's how I felt when I was going to school), having to wake up at a un-kidly hour is bordering on work already. Such is the dillema we have as Jakjak's school is scheduled for 8:30 in the morning. We have had different episodes each morning as we try to wake him up and get him into the shower (he is usually awake after a shower). And so far, we have managed to bring him down on time for pick up.
Episode 1. The angry bird. No matter what you tell him to wake him up, he will just give you this mad grunt and hellish scream. All the way until the first spray of shower falls on his face. He gets calm a few minutes after that, but we do advise caution.
Episode 2. The happy bird. This is the rare episode that Jakjak wakes up like it's his normal wake up call. He wakes up, uses the loo and goes to the shower. No fuss. No wails.
Episode 3. The sleepy log. No matter how you try, he just won't wake up. Worst case scenario, I have to carry him all the way to the shower. That wakes him up.
Episode 4. The 2 minute rule. He is still in his waking up stage here. But you can talk to him. I usually tell him that I will come back in 2 minutes to give him a bath. And I do.
Episode 5. The fruit salad. Anything goes. This is when our moods don't actually meet and we go from docile, to meanie and to calm in a matter of seconds. We still manage to take a bath in the end.
And that, is just for getting him to the shower. Dressing up, eating breakfast and waiting for pick up are all stories on their own.
I guess you could say that in my mind, it was a matter of "when" and not "if", Jakjak gets into a confrontation.
No, he isn't one to start "battles" out of the blue. In fact, he is a kind soul that looks out for kids that appear to be younger (or smaller) than him.
And then there are those times that he gets caught up in playing with other kids. That's the time that he forgets how strong he can be. I have not trained him in martial arts while he was young, so I guess you can blame me (partly, please) for his unconstrained fighting powers. This is because we decided not to introduce him to any kind of violence as he was growing up. We preferred Maisy Mouse to Tom & Jerry. But as hard as we tried, we knew that he would get exposed to other media sooner or later. And with a rather rowdy cousin who dreams of fighting in the army, well, that came sooner than we had hoped.
After some Ben 10s, Transformers, CSIs and Law & Order SVUs, he had been on the action oriented side of the fence. He is on defense though, rather than offense, but it doesn't change the fact that he is rather strong for his age. Especially with that flame foam sword he weilds occasionally. I thought that I could contain it within the confines of the "danger room" (a.k.a. our house), but as kids play to be social, it didn't stay confined. It is controlled mayhem most of the time. At least until Jakjak or one of the other kids take playing hero too seriously.
Jakjak had never been in a real fight. We do get some kids telling us that he had hurt them, but after a thorough investigation, evidence only leads to play related accidents. He (or the other kid) apolgizes and off they go again to play. This is what happened one day when he got dropped off from the school bus. Apparently, he managed to hurt one his bus-mates as they were playing.
We always tell Jakjak to apologize to others if he has not done so (he forgets, sometimes). And he is quick to apologize in real time as well if he is aware that he had done something wrong. We impart him with wisdom on what action to choose in difficult situations. But he is still just 6 years old, and he will act like a 6 year old. With guidance from mum and dad, he does look like he is growing up with more responsibility. That is of course, except when he is investigating a crime scene or chasing off chupacabras.
It's less than 12 hours before wake up time as I am writing this (in TRU, with Jakjak no less).
Jakjak had made it through the first week of school, although not un-scathed. He still managed to fall and scratch his knee while playing with his new classmates. At least he is confident while in school. He has a buddy in P5 who tags along during breaks and free periods (we're only assuming this of course, as mum only saw him a couple of times during recess). For those short moments though, we felt relieved that he seems to be coping well in his new environment.
It's getting him into his service that is proving to be the challenge. Since his K2 days, he has been having separation woes everytime the service comes to pick him up. It still is the same today.
The change doesn't just go for him though. Everybody now has to wake up at the same time as Jakjak. One of us needs to bathe him while the other prepares breakfast. Then we need to help him get into his uniform and then bring him down to his pick up point. We would have wanted him to be doing it himself (well, at least some of it anyway), but it would take him ages to do it. He just seems to have this thing for getting distracted in just about anything he does.
The first week allowed the children to familiarize themselves with the school. They got to know their teachers and their classmates. Parents (first time parents anyway) learned to wake up and get their kids ready for school. All of this has been good so far for everyone. All for one and one for all!
Almost the same time last year, Jakjak had to go to school. But that was pre-school. This year, he is going to a proper school as a primary one student. As usual, the first day jitters are still there, much the same things as last year. Only this time, it's even more tense. I'm talking about mum's first day jitters. Packing up Jakjak's bag with his school stuff, labeling each of Jakjak's things, preparing food for every situation and making sure that Jakjak looks sharp and neat for his first day at school.
As for Jakjak's jitters, it revolves mostly about him being "shy" and "nervous" (Jakjak's own words), which is all normal as far as I'm concerned. I give him a speech that dad's are supposed to give their children on the first day of school. I do that Nemo bit from "Finding Nemo" for him just to get him to relax.
It is going to be a daily battle getting him ready for school everyday though. It took me all of a gazillion minutes just to wake him up for his bath, a gazillion more just to feed him and another gazillion to dress him up. And that's on top of me preparing for the office as well (I'm pretty sure mum's even more frustrated with the two of us). And today is just the first day.
I wish I could see what Jakjak was up to in school. But school policy do not allow for parents to supervise their children while in school. Makes sense. And I am aware that it does well for kids to learn to be independent on their own. In vague waves of recollection, I do remember some of the things that I personally went through when it was my first day in school. I hope that Jakjak would cope better than I did.
When Winnie the Pooh and friends were woken up by a strange sound, it was the start of a great expedition. A Heffalump expedition. Pooh, Piglet, Tigger, Rabbit and Eeyor carry on as Heffalump hunters in their usual hundred acre woods way. Meanwhile, little Roo goes off on his own and discovers a new friend and lets go of his fear.
Pooh movies are those little treasures that you coke across every once in a while. It's really about the children and the way they discover the world around them. It does not rely on fancy special effects, high tech robots or laser swords. It is quite simply, a story told in a most subtle but engaging way.
The Heffalump Movie is about fear of the unknown. Something kids are quite familiar with. Fear of the unknown, the unfamiliar. But then, with a little bit of courage, something that you were scared of might actually turn out to be someone you would treasure for the rest of your life. Friendship, camaraderie and courage are the themes for the Heffalump movie. And it's still a pretty cool movie, despite it's age (and age target). It's meant for kids and kids at heart, Jakjak and myself watched it over a TV broadcast over the local channel. It's a good movie to share over prata. :-)
Singapore has been known to hosting lavish year end parties. But that's what they are, parties. It was never like our year end celebration back home in the Philippines. Back then, neighbours and family were around to celebrate with cheers, food and fireworks (it is usually very loud).
We have spent a few quiet years in Singapore, so this year, we went and spent the turn over with family in Batam. It wasn't nearly as loud as back home, but it wasn't as quiet as when it was only the three of us waving light sticks. In the end, it's still about being a family, and that's what it was. The turn over of the new year with Jakjak, mum, lolo, lola, cousin Andrae, Niki and Frankie, aunt Gladys and uncle Arvin.
Here's wishing everybody a prosperous New Year. May all your wishes come true!
