Rat

I haven't blogged much this week because the kids have been in school. It's ironic. I'm supposed to be more free because the kids are in school but I'm not. We started on Monday. I use "We" as the collective pronoun of choice because it was indeed a WE effort. As parents, we were allowed 3 days to settle the kids. So, on Monday, it was Packrat and I. On Tuesday, it was Ee-Por and I. On Wednesday it was Ah Ma and I. So, yes, we started school on Monday.

I had the usual fears. That they would fall, that they would catch germs...I physically dragged Evan away from this boy who had snot all over his face. I now know why it is important to dress one's kids' presentably. This boy, with snot all over his face, also had dried food stains all over his face and his t-shirt didn't look any better. Immediately, I wondered why he was allowed out of the house looking like that. My subsequent thought was to smack my own wrists because I was judging a fellow mom.

Anyway, thankfully, there wasn't too much histrionics from my kids. They fussed when they were in an enclosed space i.e. their classroom. They fussed when they weren't allowed to go out to the playground. Generally, they fussed when they didn't get their own way. Some of the time, the teachers gave in, but some of the time, the teachers stood firm, depending. In my book, that's a good thing. They also fussed when I left the room. They wanted me beside them, holding their hands while they sang, danced, did craft everything. The only time they let me go and were happy to wander off on their own was when it was tricycle time. Who needs Mommy when there are wheels?

Watching them, I really need not worry about them. Most of the tricycles were too big for them. There were some that were trishaw like, allowing for passengers. The twins immediately took a liking to those ones and were unfazed that they did not really know whoever was taking them round. Of course, we could look at it through paranoid Mommy eyes and be concerned that they trusted anyone who had a toy they liked. But for this, I much prefer looking at it as the glass being half full.

Anyway, today being the fourth day, I could no longer be there with them. I think that hurt me more than it hurt them. I was nervous and fearful that they would cry. I did everything the books told me to do, look them in the eye and tell them that I loved them and I was going to come back for them. At that point, they were distracted enough for me to leave and their very capable teacher gestured for me to go. So I did and then felt like a total rat after that because I didn't say good bye properly. I was ridden with guilt. What if they turned around and discovered I wasn't there? Would I have scarred them for life? Would they be upset and nervous for the 3 hours that I had left them?

I was ready to cry after that. And when I returned to pick them up, I realised I was the only one. The twins had a merry ol' time without me around, rolling dough, playing on the swings, eating chicken rice for lunch... The only time they cried, like I said was when they wanted something and they weren't given it or when they had something snatched from them. All the same reasons why they cry at home.

I now pray that tomorrow, they wouldn't be the wiser about me taking them to school and disappearing for a few glorious hours. I just don't want today to be the equivalent of beginner's luck.
























Getting ready to go to school, school bags and all. Watching Dora the Explorer helped because Dora always had a backpack. So the twins have learnt to associate going to school with being able to wear the backpacks on their backs, even though they lose their balance from having more weight concentrated on their backs all of a sudden.




















This is disgruntled circle time where they'd rather run free. Baby J's two favourite friends are Ko, the one facing the camera in a purple polo shirt and Shin, the pseudo Sumo boy in the back. Funny though because Ko is quite a thug and got a big kick out of taking what Baby J was holding on to. Rude and bad behaviour but funny at the same time because it was the first time we'd seen Baby J cowed by anyone. In Packrat's words, the bully has met her match. Of course, when the Bully becomes to the Bullied, there are loud wails and tears to follow.
























Little Sumo Shin and Pretty Miyu are the twins' best friends because they indulge the twins in their need to be peddled around. And Miyu is the quintessential big sister. Ever so often, she would turn around and actually check on her 'passengers' and make sure they were ok. Sumo Shin was just a speed demon, racing up and down which gave me a heart attack but sent the twins into gales of chuckles.

So if they go on doing well and crying less, it will be good. Once Mommy gets over feeling like a rat dumping them there in the mornings so that she can go get some work done.


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