Want to have a daughter?

Amongst a lot of my friends, there is this desire to have a girl. So that they can buy pretty clips and cute clothes, have someone to talk to when they are old etc etc.

I've usually nodded my head, thinking that it makes sense. But as S grows older I'm realizing there's more to it than just the clothes and clips. Here's a quick snapshot of what you have to deal with.

1. Just this morning S was watching me get ready. She pointed at my tummy and in a matter of fact tone told me, "mama, you're tummy is so big. Mine is so small". I can't believe I am being called fat by my 2 year old!

2. S is after all my cosmetics. Every morning there is a tussle over a lipstick or nail polish. And everyday S moans, "Please mama, I am a big girl now". And when I turn a deaf ear, she runs away with my stuff and appears a few minutes later with her face smeared with the item of the day. I have already lost a lovely clinique lipstick and she almost ruined my ysl concealer. Being mum to a girl can be an expensive affair.

3. Talking of expenses, there is money that is spent on a girl that could be saved if there was a boy. Only girls like collecting shoes. S is fond of flip flops. Every time we go on holiday she picks up a pair. I spend a fortune on her hair accessories. Plus, as a girl, she has her daddy twisted around her little finger and can get him to buy her stuff that he really shouldn't like last weekend's 4 fish!

4. I have to worry about wearing my fav sandals. I blogged about her reaction a few posts ago. Sigh.

5. When I don't get my pedicure done, she is quick to point out, "mummy, you don't have beautiful"? Or, like once she told me that my nail colour wasn't nice. WTF?

There's more but maybe next time. Mothers of little boys, you have it easier don't you?

Why is the boat not moving?

Is the battery finished, mama? The boat is not moving.

Yes!

Between us

What do you say to a child when she says,
"Mama, my nipples are so small" and pinches them with her little fingers for effect.

You stare and wait for the next line.

"Yours is so big", she said staring at my chest.

As a mother your first instinct is to console.........

"Yours will become big too!"

I only hope she doesn't go and repeat that somewhere.......!

I like your shoes

That was what S said when she spotted me in my black sandals with a beautiful strip of sparkling diamonds. I was all dressed in a black dress which had a string of sparkling stones adorning the neckline. The shoes really matched the outfit. Apparently S thought so too!

It would have been alright if the admiration had been contained just to those few complimentary words. But it went a little beyond that. It soon got translated to -
"I want your shoes". With a little indulgent smile I shook my head. But she was persistent. Since I had 5 mins before I had to head out Iet S try on my sparkly shoes. She looked really cute in the heels, constantly trying to maintain her balance.

It wod have been too much to expect if it had ended there. S refused to return my shoes to me! She told me to wear my day wear white sandals which were totally inappropriate. And she knew it was too because she said it with a sly smile. Any amount of cajoling didn't work. In the end I had to literally snatch them off her feet and feel like a heel for doing so. She threw a big tantrum and DD had to intervene and console her with the promise that he would buy her another pair in the morning.

When she woke up in the morning, she said, "I want to buy new shoes" and pointing at my sparkly pair she added, "and I want it just like this one"!

At least you can't fault her taste :)

My first parent teacher conference

I was a little bit anxious before I went to S's school this morning. This was the first formal parent teacher meeting that was scheduled and was just meant to provide me with an update on how S is settling in school now that she's completed 6 weeks.

I was worried that her teacher would tell me that S was not doing well or there was something she needed to improve upon. Also, I was secretly hopeful that her teacher would tell me that S was a child prodigy and she was already ahead of her class. As to be expected, it was neither of the two. Everything is fine. Just fine.

S is settling in well. She is making friends with the kids, even older children. Apparently, she's quite popular with the older kids as she likes to observe what they're doing but doesn't trouble them. Her teacher said S is always busy during school and keen to do her activities. She's rarely idle or waiting to be told what to do.
Whenever we ask S what she did at school, she always says 'cutting and pasting' and 'sewing'. Her teacher clarified this morning that she does other activities as well and maybe she doesn't mention it because she doesn't know what to call them. That's a relief.

Her Chinese teacher was very happy with her. She said that S says Goodbye and Good Morning in chinese very happily and repeats all the words that she's taught. Where other children need encouragement to try to speak a different language, S always responds. Her teacher was very satisfied with that.

Her class teacher also mentioned that S participates in the group activities. When they ask the group questions, S will put up her hand in response even though she's relatively new to class. And when the teacher asks her to elaborate she gives a shy smile but doesn't always answer. She's the youngest in her class and has been there for less than 2 months so it's quite good that she's actively engaging during the group sessions.

I have to say thanks to Choxbox for introducing the montessori philosophy to me through her blog. I'm really glad that I've sent S to a montessori school. She's enjoying it and I really buy in to their education philosophy.

All in all, everything's just dandy.