The Patience Of A Slug

After being called in to the office (school) with mum, obviously, there would be a discussion over the dinner table.

It's not the first time we had a discussion about school. We have seen Jakjak's works from K2 to his present state. For a child of his age, we have always believed that he has been doing well. He is not excelling in math, but everywhere else, we know that he is good. He has always been commended for his english from time to time, and his quest for information has also been noticed as well.

It was a surprise then that Jakjak's homeroom teacher asked to meet with mum. Well, maybe not that surprising, but the reason was not quite what we expected. The teacher asked for help to motivate the young one. In math. Like what we had thought, he has trouble staying in focus. We know that by heart because that's how he is at home. He has too many thoughts running through his head that he doesn't know what to do first.

In our world, motivation is not simply giving him a goal. He is way too passive to really give it much thought. He just puts his main attention someplace else. It's not motivation that he needs, it's attention. Attention that we have been giving him since he was born. Undivided attention that he needs but he can't give back in return. Fair enough, although we spoiled him like this I guess.

To give him that much attention though, requires patience. To allow him to learn while having that attention requires even more patience. But he learns. And he learns quite well like this. But to give him this much attention requires the patience of a slug. Patience that usually runs thin in a world that moves as fast as mobile phones change models. Patience that dad needs to learn and earn to progress Jakjak further.