Mumster

I think I am morphing into a mumster - the monster who is wearing the name tage that reads mother. The worst part of it all, was how much I hated to be a mother like that. Some of the mumster behaviour includes:

A compulsory writing time for Maoster - he hates writing with a passion and he is very particular with his writing - all the stroke needs to be executed precisely - the line must not be too long etc. When he begin to write and he realised it is not "perfect" to him, he will start throwing his hands in the air and says, OH NO I DUNNO HOW TO DO IT! I wish sometimes he would be less "perfect" and just go with the flow. He only writes the things he have confidence in and now his most hated letter is "y" because he gets the stroke wrongly and he will have to redo it and that's why if I get him to write his name- i get a big M and he will say I DUNNO! I wish I could say that I am the most patient mother, but alas not. Everytime he says I am tired, I dunno, I can feel my blood boiling.... wait, it starts when I say okay writing time and he will run to his bed and lie down and say I am so so so tired today mummy!

Piano practice at least 3 times a week ( executed by Aung) - I have no musical cells or talent. My pitch is wrong, my notes reading is at level 0. Maoster, after having gone for lessons for almost a year and a half- still can't recognise the notes!!! The teacher says we have to practice with him at home ( which we never did for the last 1.5 years) and I think we are really wasting our money if we do not practice. With my gentle Aung executing this project, I really hope Maoster wouldn't have new tricks up his sleeves or my Aung will really fall for it. But, this is really not my area of expertise - so I am only a kan chiong onlooker ( and I think I look really stupid as one).

Phonics class started for Maoster this year. I hope he could read better. I am not too worried about his reading initially and was still rather happy he could read some words and stuff and then suddenly, I realised that his peers are recognising more words and could spell. (There was a reading assessment done and I got another friend kid to do it and apparantly he could read all the words !) Okay, someone pushed the panic button!

Name in chinese writing has started too - I am suppose to teach him how to write his chinese name and my mom is complaining that why did I choose such a difficult name for him! My mom will call me and say, can you teach your son how to write his chinese name because the teacher is going to ask him to write soon!

I hate being such a mother - I mean where are the oh, children developed differently? Where are the, let the child enjoy his childhood? Where is the taking the road less travelled? Where is the exploration of a child's creativity and passion? When has it been replaced by Why aren't you writing? Why you don't like to write? Why are you not wearing your clothes by yourself?

I look deep inside me and I truly understand that a good mother nurtures and develops and knows each child is different and is talented in all their ways. Then, I went to work and the latest intake of students showed me their result slips and I gasped in fright. F9, E8, D7......... and I want to believe in the beauty of their capability beyond the academics - but that doesn't stop me from thinking oh my goodness, Mao better study hard!

I am torn being free spirited and being constrained by all these woes.

On the first day of Maoster K1 class, he came home and told me that he finished his writing in school and he need not bring back his worksheet home. He happily told me that it was so easy and that his friend did it wrongly and had to bring back home to do it. The teacher asked mummy to go home and coach that kid, so my mom overheard. I asked Maoster, so you can do it and need not bring it home? ( he usually is the kid who brings back homework cos the teacher says, your son is day dreaming yet again in class - he likes to talk to himself and role play). He told me excitedly that, "No mummy, it was so easy, so I finished it so fast you know?"
My first reactions was like, "WOW! You are so clever ah - better than your friend ah! Well done lor maoster, see your friend got to finish it at home!"
After the whole excitement sank in, I was thinking, gosh, I am a mumster! Where is the empathy? Where is the humility? Where is the cheering for your friend?

Gurps, HELP! I am a MUMSTER! REWARD GIVEN FOR NABBING THE MUMSTER IN THE BUNSTER! SOS! Are you feeling like this too?