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Showing posts with label kids talk. Show all posts
Showing posts with label kids talk. Show all posts

Friday, 5 February 2016

Financial management for kids

I can't believe it's been 1.5 years since my last post. Baby R is turning 2 soon, and he's been such a joy to have around the house. This post is not about baby R, but what prompted me to write again is the need to jot down my thoughts on the very important life lesson of financial management.

It really is never too young to start teaching concepts of delayed gratification, savings and being prudent. Let me first start with this very light moment which we all found rather hilarious...
One Saturday morning we asked the kids if they would like to go out for breakfast with us (hubs and I normally like to eat out on weekends).
H: Then we'll have to spend money. Why can't we just eat at home?
L: OK kor you eat at home then, I'm going out with mommy & daddy!
Two kids raised in the same home, two very different perspective. H, always the prudent one; L on the other hand, can often time be demanding. We thought the above exchange was rather funny, nothing more.

But hilarious no more when I witnessed first hand the way kids these days spend money when I was given the opportunity to chaperon a bunch of kids in a school field trip recently. The kids were spending at the souvenir shop like there's no tomorrow, ravaging the shelves and filling their baskets with all kinds of toys, novelties, knick knacks, etc. I must say it was really a culture shock for me. How much money do these kids have with them? Do they really need all those stuff? They were mostly 7 to 8 year-olds and the way they were allowed to freely spend made me extremely worried. These kids are going to grow up not appreciating the value of hard earned money. I can appreciate that parents may want to shower their kids with what they want (we love our kids and we can afford to spend on them so what's wrong with that?!!), but aren't we just seeding a whole generation of entitled kids?

I remember a friend once complained to me that his teenage son demanded for a car to go to college, not just any car mind you, but an expensive sports car. We may put the blame on the kid for being materialistic, but frankly, my friend ought to take the blame too. If this boy has been given everything he wanted all his life without having to work hard for it, what can you expect? It is easy to indulge the younger kids as their demands aren't as "costly" (yet), but we are just setting ourselves up for larger and larger demands as they grow older.

I'm so glad H is still grounded. I say 'still', since he's in an environment whereby he sees his peers spending freely ever so often, and hope it stays this way. Quite often I find myself reminding my kids about how hard it is to earn a dollar, about needs vs. wants, about having to save for a rainy day, etc. I just pray and hope that they will remain grounded and not succumb to peer pressure.

Wednesday, 11 September 2013

birthdays

Now that the kids are older, they are starting to understand what birthdays are. L's 3rd birthday is coming up soon and she knows exactly what she wants.

"I want a butterfly and garden and ballerina party with a pink and purple and red butterfly cake..."

Then when H said he wanted a funfair party for his 6th birthday next year (yes, he's already planning in advance), L said she also wanted a funfair party PLUS a Barney party.

Me: You can have that next year L
L: No, I want 3 parties - butterfly, barney and funfair!
Me: You can't have 3 parties, that is too many. You can only have 1
L: 3 is not many, 5 is many. I didn't say I want 5, I say I only want 3!

Gosh!!

Last night before going to bed...

H: I know what I'm going to get for mei mei's birthday
Me: Oh that's sweet dear, what are you going to get for mei mei?
H: A soldier set
Me: Are you sure? Mei mei is a girl, I don't think she likes soldier. Are you sure it's not for you?
H: Sometimes mei mei behaves like a boy what!!!

Monday, 12 August 2013

toddler talk

My little toddler L is growing up too fast. She's turning 3 in a month's time, how time flies! I really miss those baby talk, now she's like a little lawyer in the making, always twisting and turning her words...

1. I'm not running, I'm skipping
L was running near the fish tank and daddy was afraid she'll bump into it and hurt herself...

Daddy: L, no running near the aquarium. Remember what daddy said!
L: I'm not running daddy, I'm just skipping!

2. When I say x, it means y
During breakfast one morning L said she wanted milo milk (i.e. milo + milk) so I made her milo milk. After more than 10 minutes, she still hasn't touched it...

Me: L, why aren't you drinking your milo milk
L: I don't want milo milk, I want fresh milk
Me: But you told mummy you wanted milo milk when I asked you
L: Mummy, when I say milo milk I mean fresh milk, fresh milk means milo milk

3. I like cold I don't like warm
Whenever L asks for fresh milk, aunty will warm it up for her cos she doesn't want her to take it cold from the fridge

Nanny: There you go L, your fresh milk
L: It's warm, I don't like warm I want cold!

And she'll refuse to drink it. So after many failed attempts, aunty gave her cold milk one morning

Nanny: Here you go, your fresh milk
L: It's cold
Nanny: You like it cold right?
L: No, I don't like it cold, I want it warm

4. It's not me it's baby
Whenever L does something wrong and we reprimand her for it, she'll blame it on her baby (her make believe baby in the form of her pillow)

Me: L, stop spinning the chair
L: It wasn't me it's baby!

Me: L, didn't mummy say not to bite your tit-tit (bottle teat) anymore? I'm not going to buy new ones you know?!
L: It wasn't me
Me: If it wasn't you then who can it be?
L: It was baby!

Me: L, why are you making such a mess (throwing kor-kor's monopoly money all over the floor)
L: It wasn't me, baby did it!

Monday, 20 May 2013

chatterbox L

My baby girl is certainly not a baby when it comes to talking. She can easily out talk a 4 year old, and has no problem holding conversations with adults. These days, she's even full of excuses...

1. Accusing her brother
Aunty Ann was telling us to keep the tissue box out of L's reach as she's fond up pulling tissues out of the box. L overheard Aunty and said, "Yah, better put it high up on the shelf else kor-kor will play with the tissue!"

2. Feigning ignorance
I told L numerous times not to bite her bottle teat else she'll have to use the cup. Teats are expensive and I'm not about to replace them every time she bites a hole in them. While drinking from her milk bottle she suddenly cried out, "Someone bit a hole on my tit-tit!"
Me: I wonder who did!
L: It wasn't me, someone did!

3. Faking urgency
Poppy was taking a nap and L wanted Poppy to get up and play. After several failed attempts to wake Poppy, she shouted, "I need to go shee-shee!". Poppy jumped up immediately to take her to the toilet. L: I know how to wake Poppy up now!"

Monday, 8 April 2013

don't be a hermit crab

Grandma Poppy wanted to follow us out last Saturday but as usual Grandpa Kongky wanted to stay home. On the way out, I told the kids Poppy may not come with us cos Kongky doesn't like to go out, he likes to stay at home...

H: Why?
L:  Maybe Kongky is an old man. <I'm not sure why she associates old man with wanting to stay at home... hahaha>
H: Maybe he's a hermit crab!

We dropped by Poppy's house on the way out...

H told Kongky: Don't be a hermit crab Kongky!

And just in case Kongky didn't understand him...

H: A hermit crab is someone who doesn't like to go out and likes to stay at home.

Kids!!! And so, both Poppy and Kongky went out with us :-)

Wednesday, 26 December 2012

The things L says

My little baby is really getting chattier by the day. Everyone who meets her for the first time would guess that she's at least 3 years old (some even asks if she's 4, which is rather far fetched considering her small petite frame) as she's really articulate for a 2 year old.

The other day at the restaurant, L was happily hitting the plate with her chopsticks. She was making so much noise I told her to stop.
Me: L, please stop. This is not a drum
L: I know but I'm pretending that it is a drum

Then we went for dessert and she ordered soya jelly. Looks really yummy...
Me: Can you share with mummy some?
L: No, I have sore throat, later you also get sore throat (which is not true cos she doesn't have sore throat)

Her favourite phrase now to her brother whenever he disturbs her or when they fight
L (to her brother): You ar, very naughty boy!
L (to me): Mommy can you please put kor kor in the dustbin and let the cat take him?

Thursday, 1 November 2012

kids say the darnest things (take 4)

Last night I was a little late getting home. The first thing I did as soon as I got back was to rush H to bed
Me: H, time to go to bed. Mommy will make you your milo milk, then you have to drink quickly, go upstairs, brush your teeth and change, then I'll read you ONE book cos it's late already
H: It's your fault mommy
Me: Huh?
H: One book only so it's your fault because you are late
I established this rule earlier on the number of bedtime stories he gets based on what time he goes to bed (to stop him from dilly dallying) so he wasn't happy that he was only getting one book cos I was the one being late

Arrived early in school today so took H to the nearby mamak for breakfast
H: Mommy, the N-A-A-N B-I-A-S-A  is free <reading off the menu board on the wall>
Curious, I looked at the board. It turns out that one of the numbers fell off so it showed
Naan Biasa  .00


Sunday, 28 October 2012

kids say the darnest things (take 3)

On the way to po-po's house, the kiddie CD was playing in my car
L: I don't want this, I want Gangnam Style

L got a balloon in her party pack
Me: Do you want me to blow the balloon for you?
L: Yes
Me: Big or small?
L: <Thought for a while> Small
Me: Small? Not Big?
L: Small won't burst, big will burst

After showering and changing L into her PJs
Me: Now you smell nice...
L: Later you ask daddy if mei mei is pretty ok?

I was lying next to L and hugging her jum-jum (bolster).
L: <Snatching it back> It's mine
Me: <Pretending to be sad> Then mommy doesn't have a jum-jum
L: Maybe kor-kor can share with you
Me: Kor-kor share you won't share?
L: My jum-jum is smelly

Friday, 19 October 2012

kids say the darnest things (take 2)

Showing L the little black dress she got for her birthday
Me: Do you want to wear this pretty dress?
L: No, it's black black. So scary <L is now in her pink phase now so everything has to be pink>

I've always suspected L thinks that the word together means 2 persons together cos when she says the word it sounds like two-gather. On the way to po-po's house...
L: Mommy and me go two-gether to po-po's house. Later we take H and come back three-gather

During bedtime
H: Why does daddy always come back so late?
Me: Because he has to work
H: So that we can buy toys?


H the Little Paranoid

H is a little kia-see (direct translation from hokkien = scared to die). He gets paranoid over the slightest things. Definitely didn't take after me :-)

Case 1: The Deadly Aedes
H was asking me one morning early this week about why mosquitoes bite. So while explaining to him about the difference between male and female mosquitoes, etc, I thought it'd be a good idea to show him some photos of mosquitoes. So me and my big mouth, I pointed to one of the pictures and said "oh if you see this mosquito with black and white stripes you better stay away cos this is an aedes mosquito. it will make you sick if it bites you."

H: Will you die?
Me: No you won't die. You just need to go to the hospital
H: I saw lots of aedes mosquitoes in <school's> playground *with a very concerned look on his face*
Me: Next time you tell your teachers ok. Ask her to put mosquito repellent for the children

That night...
H: Mommy is there any mosquito in my room?
Me: No
H: How do you know? I'm scared if there's aedes in the room
Me: I've an idea, I'll apply some mosquito repellent on you ok. Then the mozzie won't come near you
H: The mozzie doesn't like repellent?
Me: Yup

And every night since, H insists that I apply mosquito repellent on him (and he never forgets, not even one night).

Case 2: Zombie Eyes
Me: It's late already dear. Quick go to sleep. Mommy's also tired and I wanna sleep already otherwise I'll get zombie eyes
H: What's zombie eyes?
Me: It means your eyes will bulge out and become red and you have dark circles under your eyes *I made a scary face which I immediately regretted*
H: Will I get zombie eyes? *looking very concerned*
Me: Nope if you sleep now you won't
H: No zombie eyes? *still looking concerned*
Me: Nope

The next morning...
H: Mommy do I have zombie eyes?

Case 3: Bleed to Death
H gets extremely hyper when it approaches bedtime and he'll run from room to room including into the bathrooms. To stop him from endangering himself (cos there're glass screens in the shower area), I told him the article I read in the newspaper about how a little boy ran into a glass door, shattered it, got a big cut on a major artery and bled to death. *Another mistake on my part for telling him something so gruesome*

The other day I got a cut on my big toe by accidently kicking the bottom of the aluminium toilet door. It was just a small cut but blood was gushing out non stop. H was flabbergasted.

H: Are you gonna die mommy?
Me: No, I just need tissue, can you get me some tissue and a plaster please?
H: The blood will all come out then you will have no more blood and you will die

I wonder who H takes after... *ahem ahem*... hehehe :p

Tuesday, 16 October 2012

kids say the darnest things

My kids never cease to make me laugh with some of the things they say. They're just so cute and sometimes I wonder where they learn how to say some of those things they say.

Nanny trying to wake L up on a rainy morning, and L refusing to wake up
L: The bird is not singing yet
Nanny: It's raining so the bird won't come out
L: The dog is not barking yet

L playing with my access cards in the car on the way to po-po's house
L: Where's the other card <she dropped it behind her>
Me: Oh don't lose mommy's cards <while feeling around her seat>. There it is, please hold it properly
L: What's the card doing in mei mei's pi gu (buttocks)? Silly card...

I have this problem with H as the weekly library book he gets from school keeps going missing. I swear the book goes into his bag every monday morning, but somehow it's always not in the dedicated box for book returns
Me: Do you know where you have to return the library book?
H: In the communication box. The communication book and library book go into the box
Me: Ok, you have to remember to put both books into the box then. <Gesturing with my hands> In goes the communication book and then in goes the library book
H: It's not my fault if kakak doesn't put the book in my bag
That's not true cos I know kakak always puts his book in his bag. Reminder to self: must teach him about taking responsibility

To make H go to bed early, I came up with a rule for bedtime stories
Me: This is mommy's new rule. If you get ready by 8pm, you get 3 books; 8:30pm 2 books; 9pm 1 book; 9:30pm no book
H: Daddy won't get any books cos he always comes back so late

H is always reluctant to participate in class so sometimes I have to tell him that mommy's paid and it's expensive so he has to participate. On the way to school one day...
H: Did you pay for my school?
Me: Yes, so that you can learn.
H: Do adults have to go to school?
Me: No, only little children go to school, adults go to work
H: Do you have to pay to go to work?