We are planning to move Little Edison into his own toddler bed after the CNY. Is he ready for the change? The next question is where to put the bed. Should I put it in my room or in his own room? Will he be afraid to sleep alone? Will he fall off the bed in the middle of the night? All these questions are floating around in my head.

We have dismantled his crib one year ago. Now, he sleeps on a mattress on the floor (next to my bed). I lay two single-size mattresses side-by-side for him. He has a large area to roll-about but occasionally I still find him sleeping on the floor! Once in a while, he wakes up at night and he wants me to sleep next to him.

We were searching for a nice toddler bed in Ikea Tampines last month. Little Edison was delighted to see those cutesy toddler beds with colorful fun bed sheets at Ikea. Among all the designs, he was smitten by this set – a pink bed with pink bed sheet, pink heart-shape mirror, red bedside table with a matching red cabinet. Obviously, it is not meant for the boys!

We will continue our search for a toddler bed after the New Year…

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Little Edison with his adopted pets, lots of them!

What? Why? These are the two words that he likes to ask recently. While both words can be tough, the dreaded “why” is more vexing as it often requires a more thoughtful response than “what”.

I bet he wants an explanation from us or perhaps he doesn’t know any other words to express his curiosity about something. Whatever it is, I try my best to give him the most accurate answers each time (to satisfy his curiosity).

Just yesterday, when we were on our way home, he popped this question “Mama, Hello Kitty eats what?” I was speechless; I thought Hello Kitty doesn’t have a mouth. How can she eat?

Anyone has an answer?

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Today, we are entering the forth week of school. I’m pleased to announce that Little Edison is making good progress and he has stopped crying since last week. Well done, my boy! Yay!

The three hour program at his pre-nursery class looks something like this:-

8:00am – Arrival time at school

8:15am – Circle time where the children queue up and walk to the toilet hand-in hand. The teachers will assist the younger children.

8:30am – Teacher-directed activity in English or Chinese

9:00am – Small group learning (not sure what it is?)

9:30am – Outdoor play (tricycles, sand or water play)

10:00am – Breakfast

10:30am – Music and movement (Tues/Thurs) and gym-play (Mon/Wed/Fri)

11:00am – Dismissal

In pre-nursery, I don’t expect him to learn much in terms of academics. Their play-based curriculum focuses on physical, language and socio-emotional development. I want him to attain independence, develop a positive self-esteem, learn to interact with others, learn to follow instructions and get a ‘feel’ of discipline at school.

I wish to be able to pick him up from school everyday, but I can’t due to my work. This is what I heard from my PIL after school – he will carry his school bag and water bottle, remains seated until his name is called by his teacher. When he is called, he will walk out of his classroom happily.

At this moment, I still can’t conclude that he likes going to school. Every time I ask him whether he likes to go to school, his answer is still “no need”. But he has sort-of accepted the fact that he needs to go to school no matter he likes it or not. We keep reminding him that he has grown up and all grown up kids need to go to school.

Reality is cruel, sometimes. But I’m sure the day will come when he truly enjoys going to school.

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Is our little boy going to be the next Tiger Woods? Hehe!

Little Edison is an expert with his toy golf set. This junior golfer continually amazed me with his great eye-hand coordination and a strong passion for golf. He practices everyday!

This toy golf set is a great outdoor play for the little ones. Available at Kiddy Palace for just ~$10. Comes with a hard plastic rolling bag with wheels, three gold clubs, four colorful balls and a cup. It’s a great buy!

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Heartbroken is the best word to describe how I felt this morning when I send Little Edison to school. I’ve expected that he will cry the moment he stepped into his classroom after the long weekend.

Last night, I asked him if he wants to go to school on Monday morning. Instead of “don’t want”, he replied me with a “no need”. I was surprised. I think he wants to tell me that he can stay at home, rather than going to school.

As I woke him up this morning, I didn’t mention the word “school” or “cry”. My helper fed him and cleaned him. The moment he saw my helper taking his uniform from the wardrobe, he started to wail and said “Mummy, don’t want!” My poor boy, being away from home must have been a terrifying experience for him.

I assured him that he will be alright at school. I carried him to my car and I drove off to school.

When we reached his classroom, he clung onto my body tightly, refused to let go and cried desperately. His teacher, Ms Wong, quickly carried him away from me. I had to leave the classroom immediately. It was a terrible heartbreaking moment for both of us, but I knew I had to leave; otherwise it will be even worst for him.

I took a peek at the corner of the window. Ms Wong was pacifying him and he stopped crying after 3 minutes or so. Then, he walked around the classroom, carrying his water bottle, looking sad and lost. I nearly burst out in tears when I saw it. When all the students are settled down, the teacher will start the activities and he will be fine, I consoled myself.

I drove to my office with my mind full of uncertainties. I wasn’t sure if I’ve made the right decision to send him to school at this age. I wasn’t sure if he can take care of himself at school. I totally forgot about the Bartley-Tampines viaduct that was opened yesterday. I drove into the wrong lane and I nearly went up the viaduct all the way to Tampines! Luckily, I managed to change lane at the last minute. Gosh, it’s very bad to drive with poor concentration.

Argh, anyway. I’m waiting patiently for the day when he tells me that he enjoys going to school. This day will definitely come soon.

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