K : Why are u angry with daddy sometimes?
Mom : Because sometimes people do silly things, including your daddy.
K : Like what silly things?
Mom : It is the same as when you do a silly thing, then mommy gets upset with you.
K : What silly thing did daddy do?
K : Like what?
Mom : Adults do silly things but it can be different from the silly things children do.
K : Like what? Like what?
K : Is it like when I dig my nose and eat my booger…Is it like that?
Kyle and I had this conversation yesterday evening before bedtime about how often he should bunk with hb and I.
Kyle : It will be ‘Kyle’s room, Mommy’s room, Mommy’s room, Kyle’s room, Mommy’s room, Mommy’s room’
Mom : No, it is better when it is ‘Kyle’s room, Kyle’s room, Mommy’s room, Kyle’s room, Kyle’s room, Mommy’s room.
Kyle : I think this one is better, ‘Mommy’s room, Mommy’s room, Mommy’s room, Kyle’s room’
Hb entered the room and added;
Dad : This will be the best – Kyle’s room, Kyle’s room, Kyle’s room, Kyle’s room, Kyle’s room, Kyle’s room, Kyle’s room
Kyle : No…..no!! I love my daddy and mommy, so I want to be with you!!!
Now I am wondering if I am supposed to feel so thrilled that my kid adores his parents so much…
Kyle : I don't want to grow up so fast
Mom : Yeah, I don't want you to grow up so fast either
Kyle : Because when I am a big boy, I am not cute anymore
Mom : Aww…you will still be cute in my eyes
Kyle : Will you still love me when I am not cute anymore?
Mom : But of course, will love you always 
These days, he is extremely sticky and soppy.
While having our usual chat before bedtime, K asked me this question about where I used to work.
K : Did you have a boss?
Mum : Yes, I did.
K : What is a boss?
Mum : Someone that manages you. The boss also makes sure that I do my work well.
K : When I have a boss next time, I will tip toe around him and not let him know when I leave.
(Haha… quite crafty for a little one.)
Mum : Ah…that depends on whether you get a boss that is always watching you. Last time I had a female boss that was always making sure that I worked long hours. But mummy also had another male boss in my last job was quite different. He did not mind as long as I did my job well.
K : Is working long?
Mum : Yes, about 9am to 7-8pm. Almost 11 hours every day.
K : Will you be working at 3.30?
Mum : Yes
K : If the boss watches you, and you leave early, will they tell the police to catch you?
Mum : Haha…of course not. The boss might nag at you the next day or scold you for leaving early, depends on what type of boss you have.
K : Working is not fun. And I don't want you to work mummy because I will miss you.
Awww…..
And he sure got the first statement right!
Lights off.
Having our usual chat in his room before sleeping.
K : Why are some children not sweet to their mummy?
Mum : Sweet?
K : Like me (he kisses my arm), I am always sweet to you
I realised he meant 'affectionate'.
Mum : Maybe sometimes the mummy and the child do not spend enough time with one another. Everyone is busy with their own things and they forget how to be sweet (affectionate) to one another.
You know children are growing up when they start asking questions that have answers ~ John J. Plomp
We were having Spaghetti Marinara for lunch at a cafe and I took a paper napkin and told K that we have to use it to make sure he does not stain his shirt while eating…
Mum : "Let's use this as a bib, so that you don't stain your shirt with the spaghetti sauce"
Kyle : "It's not a bib, it is a paper napkin.
Mum : "Ok, it's a paper napkin bib."
Kyle : "It's a paper napkin, not a bib, mummy. Only babies wear bibs and I am not a baby. I am a big boy."
Ok…he is really growing up too fast.
"I like peaches, I think it is nice."
"But the ones that you bought this morning (any day before the day itself is 'this morning') is sour."
"Sour is not tasty, mummy, is there a lemon inside?"
How much of Singlish do I speak? I can confidentally rate myself a 5/10 for the use of Singlish in my speech. Apart from the occasional "Aiya" and "Wah lau eh" (this word only comes out when I get very frustrated by the driver in front of me when I am at the wheel), the "lah-s", "mehs", "one" are rarely used in my daily speech. However, I have the ability to switch to colloquial English peppered with Singlish terms whenever there is a need for, as I feel that this makes me alot more approachable to certain people that I come into contact with.
I don't speak perfect Queen's English, or English with an accent. My spoken English is simply local English with an effort to watch my tenses (which tends to go a little haywire when I get excited). Nevertheless, despite the lack of spoken Singlish at home, the boy speaks rather Singlish-ly.
"I am very sharp one," and the other term he uses goes like this, "Why ah?"
I still can't figure out where he learned to always add the word "one" at the end of his sentence. I have been gently trying to correct his English, "There is no need to say 'One', Kyle," but he has been rather quick to point out my error as well.
"That's a big one," as I pointed out a fairly large tomato at the supermarket.
His question to me then was, "Why is there a 'One'?"
I had to break into a long explanation why the word "One" could be used in this case.
As for the other term, "Why ah?" I noticed that my helper tends to pepper the end of all her questions with an 'Ah'. So I told him not to speak like my helper, whose pronounciation of the word 'bag' tend to sound like 'bug."
Unfortunately, I tend to let 'Ah' slip into my sentences whenever I get frustrated with him. "Why do you have to do that ah?" And his response to me will be, "You just said "Ah" Mummy." He will then give me a 'I caught you not speaking properly' look' :} And that will usually break the tension and leave me feeling a little embarassed.
As for attempts to banish Singlish totally? I don't think it will be possible, since he is exposed to Singlish on a daily basis, being in a regular kindergarten with classmates who tend to speak Singlish at home. However, there will be an effort to remind him to speak proper English, yet giving him some flexibility to adopt some Singlish terms in his speech.
The best consolation I can think of is this: Especially If you have heard how most primary school kids speak these days…I am certain it will be a breeze to assimilate in primary school when you are able to speak the same 'language' as most of your peers.
His first official visit to his school this morning. We were there to collect his uniform and settle some administrative matters in preparation for him to start school next Monday.
The verdict? He loves the playground, asked me "Where are the other children?" Inside the school, he inquisitively looked around, really keen to visit his new classroom and asked, "Why cannot be in school today?"
I am glad that he is so excited to go to school, although I have some concerns about his fussiness when it comes to his preference for specific types of food. I mentioned that he will have to eat his lunch in school and shared with him about the wide variety of food that the school will serve for lunch.
Mum : There will be porridge, rice with vegetables and meat, noodles and lots of other things.
K : No pizza? No fishball noodles?
Mum : No, but there will be lots of other types of delicious food.
K : Must ask teacher to help me remove the stalk because I don't like stalk (he only eats the leaves when it comes to vegetables).
Before I could add a comment…
K : But teacher will say eat the whole thing. So I will put the vegetables in my mouth and remove the stalk.
It's heartening to hear that he has already made plans on how to manage things by himself if he doesn't get the help he expects…looks like he's on his way to becoming one independent preschooler.
One of the best things we can do on a dull monday morning is to spend some time with nature.
Although K did not quite enjoy his walk this time round. When I asked him why he did not like it here, his reply to me was, “Some parks are fun, and some parks are not fun. This park is not fun because there are no turtles.”
Even a 3 year old has expectations when it comes to visiting parks. Should have brought him to the main entrance at Napier Road instead. Looks like we will be back exploring another part of the gardens in the next few days…
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