A conversation with my 8 year old daughter

This evening my eight year old daughter and I had a conversation while driving to meet a friend. I asked her about her conversation with her mum she had earlier where she fully expressed herself and how she felt about learning and schooling. I asked her about her learning experience and what she felt about school (she is being home-schooled). She clearly expressed how she felt about on one part she wished she could experience what school is like and on the other how she is currently enjoying her home school learning process. I could understand where she was coming from and what she would like to have. I understand that these thoughts were the cumulated of her interaction with with her friends who are attending public school.

I told her that we were proud of her ability to express herself. She was trying to understand why we were proud – and the questions started coming – why dad? I explained that the level of social maturity of an individual lies in his or her ability to communicate. This is one of the things that I have told here that what this ability separates the adults from the kids. She felt satisfied.

I then asked her what she felt about school – her answer, almost before thinking she replied “why schools cannot make learning more fun?” I asked why she said that. Her reply was that her friends (at least some of them) hated school and are bogged down by homework. She then went on to talk more in depth.

I now sitting here trying to understand and appreciate that our daughter is growing up and beginning to have thoughts of her own and we will need to respect that. Sometimes, we get so involved in too many things and impose too many of our values to our children that we have little of no time to listen or reflect on what our children say.

I guess, this little conversation was a reminder that I need to sit up and spend more time to listen more – our children are going up so fast and we may not know what went past us only to regret we miss them.

KayVee

It has been over 2 weeks since the dreadful Boxing Day tsunami disaster which has claimed more than 100,000 lives happened. I am still trying to understand and comprehend the scale of this destruction. With almost every international news channel reporting all angles of the story, it is a challenge not to take this as just a story and watch the news with emotional attachment. After watching and following news for over two week, it is becoming “just another story”. We need to continually be able to see the stories with our hearts.

In Malaysia, there are 67 confirmed deaths so far. Yet the mild destruction of costal villages in Northern Malaysia pales in comparison with our neighboring Acheh in Indonesia. Yet, a life is still a life – no matter what the situation was. Every death brings along grief, pain and loss. This is what I feel as I watch the news and reports that flash daily on the computer and television. I feel strongly for the people who lost their loved ones.

I read about parents who had to let go of one or more children to save another. A mother let go of her elder son to save her younger son. While her elder son was pleading to his mother not to let him go, she made that painful decision. As a father, I cannot image being in a position to make such a decision – I love all my children. I can only imagine the pain that these people felt.

Our family have made the donations, gave what we could to the different organizations to be handed over to organizations to be send to the needy.

What I can and will do is to pray and continually send my thoughts to the people who are suffering.

“May their suffering be lighten as time passes,

May mythoughts give them strength to find inner strength to move forward in life.

May these strengths give rise to wisdom that compassion will grow.

To see the value of the life.

May all beings be well”

Sabbe satta sukhi hotu!

KayVee

Welcome 2005.....

Its 0213 January 2005. Should I be sending new years wishes via SMS? Should I send out new year greetings as I have done for the past years? This is one of those days I wonder what these mean especially when we have been constantly reminded and updated on the scale of the earthquake/tsunami. Every time, I listen to the news, I am constantly reminded of the disaster the tsunami had caused. I have decided not to mass email or SMS messages.

This afternoon (Dec 31^st) I attended a funeral. The funeral was a reminder the of the realities of life. With the reports of the distruction caused by the tsunami, the funeral felt as if we were paying our last respect to one of the victims of the tsunami.

With this thought and feeling, I fund it difficult to wish my dear friends any of my friends a happy new year. Instead, I have however, this message for you all:

“ ............................................... “

(A time to reflect, find inner peace and move forward)

Regards,

Kayvee