Kids can teach: Understanding

It has been an extremely busy two months, from organising the two monkeys’ joint birthday party to Chinese New Year preparation to home upgrading. So it’s quite understandable that tempers can get a little short. Couple that with the fact that it’s soon the first anniversary of my dear grandmummy’s passing, yeah, you get the idea. Rather emotional too.

It’s times like these that I realise, my kids can teach. Just the other day, they taught me about understanding. Though young, their ability to empathise with another can be amazing. And it certainly took me by surprise.

Our home upgrading started last Thursday. A week before that, we were already packing and sealing everything, every cupboard, every furniture. We moved everything that we thought we might need to last about two weeks into one single room - that would be where we would camp out while the upgrading was underway. The other room was the temporary storeroom. The final room and the kitchen were to be out of bounds because of the upgrading. 

The two monkeys observed what was happening. Of course, at their age, they don’t quite understand what upgrading or renovation means, but they knew something major was happening.

On the day the upgrading started, we had to be out of our home by 8am. That day was also the day we had to bring AA for his regular specialist check up. That, plus the wait at the pharmacy, plus lunch meant that we spend a few hours at the hospital. By the time we reached my mummy’s to camp out before heading back to our home in the evening, we, including the adults, were all exhausted. AA had already fallen asleep.

This is where EV surprised me. Upon reaching her grandmummy’s home, after greeting her grandmother, without a word, she took out her Lego, and started playing quietly on the floor.

Just like that, she entertained herself for the next thirty minutes. 

And then AA woke up, and unlike his usual grumpy self, he went to play Lego with his sister. I told them, mummy is very tired, and wants to go lie down for a while. Can you both please play together and let mummy rest.

The thing with this pair of siblings is this: very often, they can play well together at the beginning, but sometimes, after a while, some squabbles would occur, and adults might have to step in.

Not this time. The two of them played together so well, so peacefully. I was able to get a short power nap that really helped to energise me.

I guess at times, I underestimate my kids’ power to empathise. I was prepared to be the mediator should any squabble happen. I even kept the room door open just in case. 

But I was so wrong. My kids showed me that though they may see the world through different eyes, they do have an ability to understand, that’s way more powerful than I realised.

Thanks, darlings for teaching me that.

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