It's Tough being a Parent!

It's really tough being a parent nowadays. There's parent-to-parent competition to compare our kids, what enrichments they attend, which school they go to, even how fast they start to walk, the manners they show and anything that one can compare. There's school-to-parent stress that we have to manage, helping our kids keep up with their school work and revisions, making sure they do not slack in their studies, and giving them tuition and enrichment to make sure that they catch up at the right pace. There's children-to-parent requirements, with our kids asking for entertainment, travel plans, weekend plans etc and if it's not to their preferences, they'll make noise and request for programs catering to their needs instead of ours. Every week, we face the same issues and it's a never ending story.

For the past 1 week, I've spent 2 hours every night brushing up Hao's language skills and making him do assessments after assessments, trying to increase his language vocabulary so that he can confidently take his exams mid october. I am not a KS parent. I do not need my kids to be scoring full marks in their school work, nor need them to be the top ranking student in school. I've never agree with how the education system changed over the years, recognizing marks and students academically more than anything else. However, this year when Hao started formal school, I realise that it's not a choice at all. It's a vicious cycle to us all. He is required to pick up a lot of things in a short time frame and forcing him to absorb a lot of knowledge in a short time. If he doesn't absorb as fast as the others, he will at the losing end. Without a choice, I have to constantly coach him, let he be consistent in his learning and we realised that he doesn't have any more time for play. He complains once in a while but most times, he'll be diligently doing his work in the study room while listening to the laughter from his younger brothers playing with hubby. I know it's hard for him but there's nothing I can do at this time when the exams are only 3 weeks away.

I guess being a kid is also tough nowadays!