Talk is Gold

I'm at one of my usual hangouts while waiting for the First Daughter to finish her morning ballet class. Long John Silver's is definitely not as crowded as McDonald's on a weekend morning and I come here for its huge bread. Furthermore, Wi-fi access in ALL McDonald's restaurants are temporarily down so it does not really have an edge over LJS now! I checked with one of the managers in McDonald's yesterday at Funan and she said that they are currently upgrading their network and it will last until June.

Anyway, back to my story. I'm sitting near the entrance and to my left are a mother and her son, enjoying their breakfast. And throughout their entire breakfast, there was something missing…yep…they did not say a single word…OK, maybe I'm exaggerating…they did say SOME words but mostly mono-syllabic ones and even then it was only after they had finished eating. And after they had finished eating…guess what…the boy, oh I say he's about pre-teen, whipped out his PS2 started banging away at its pad. His mom gave a cursory interest and then whipped out her Handphone to SMS! I mean, c'mon, they are just sitting face to face…and no real conversation was going on. I'm not one to judge people and I try not to jump the Ladder of Inference but sometimes one can't just help it. Anyway, I try to draw lessons from events that occur around me and I remind myself of the following:-

I. Spending quality time with your kids beats spending quantity. I mean, what's the use of facing your kids for like 2-3 hours but you are not interacting with them?

2. I will NOT give my daughters any handheld gaming devices to shut them up. These 'quick fixes' are only for the short term. And these things dull the mind. And knowing how kids are fascinated with technology and all the bells and whistles it provides, they will get hooked on them! In any case, I take cognizance to the fact that everything must be done in moderation.

3. Keeping your kids meaningfully engaged and occupied is a challenge. But it is something we as parents must always strive to do. I always ask myself why we do the things that we do with the kids. Is it to raise their confidence, is it to train their discipline or is it to raise their social confidence? Keep asking these questions and more and one will find that spending time with the kids more enjoyable and something to look forward to.