He exclaims really loudly, "I like this motorcycle…and this other one also," when we are at the multi-storey carpark, then breaks into a mini discourse on what colour of motorcycle he plans to buy, how it has to have 2 big exhausts and that he will be sending me to places as his pillion rider.

He has decided to end his strike on eating 'pork chop' and ask for it recently to my pleasant surprise. He enjoyed every bit of it and he told the helper, "Today's pork is nice, make sure you cut it thin like that next time." This was not an attempt to imitate what I have said before, as I have never commented on this particular dish that my helper prepares. Goes on to ask his dad to measure his height as he claims that he has grown taller as he "eat well today". I am not complaining though, I do hope that the strike ends soon for the many other nutritional food items on his 'I don't like' list.

He loves pretend play and he is always prefers that I follow his pretend script. He is the doctor, and I am the patient named 'mouse." He tells me I have to crouch down like a mouse and speak in a squeaky voice, anything less is not becoming of a mouse. Then advises that I have "to be careful when I climb the tree next time", tells me which bones I have broken from the x-ray, passes me the medication and that I have to come back to see him in 2 weeks. 

"Mummy, play with me," are the words I hear a few times a day as he tends to want my undivided attention most of the time. Keeping up with him requires lots of patience and energy and I am amazed by the amount of energy he has. After a long day, he does not sleep till it is like almost 1030pm. Just when I thought he is tucked comfortably in his bed, while I am winding down in front of the computer for some 'me-time'…

"Mummy….Mummy!" He calls from his room

"Ok! What do you want?"

"I need my blanket."

"Here is is."

"Keep it at the side, so I can pull it when I want it."

"It is on the side of the bed, pull here."

"Pull where."

"Here…you better sleep now ok."

Before I can settle down on the chair…

"Mummy!"

"Yes, what do you want again."

"I can't find Mickey"

"Hang on, there he is, under the blanket."

"Ok, thanks Mummy…"

"Sleep now please, it is late."

"Ok. I will sleep well."

"Goodnight, 晚安"

"早安, hahaha."

" It's 晚安…sleep now!"

"晚安…"

As I walk out his room, I hear "晚安! 晚安! 早安…hahaha"

He trails off, and he sings to himself for another 15 minutes before he drifts off to sleep.

This is already a huge improvement from 2-3 weeks ago when I find myself being called to his room at least 4 – 5 times, after he has been tucked into bed.

Three is such a wonderful but challenging age. He is imaginative, expressive, so enthusiastic about learning new things, yet at the same time, have no qualms about testing his limits to the maximum and finding ways not to do the things that he has been told to do. If two's have been terrible, I think the words to describe three is talkative, tyrannical, turbulent, tiring but still…terrific. What can I say, I am just a mom who is a sucker for punishment. 

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Don't be fooled by that mischievious glint in his eyes. Beneath that cheeky looking face lies a sensitive little heart.

K has a nick coined by dh; B.L.X, which is the acronym for 波離心 in han yu pin yin. Whenever he is disciplined for his mis-behaviour, he cries like it is the end of the world and it seems like we are such cruel parents. I always felt that he used his tears as a weapon to inflict guilt and make us go a bit easy on the discipline.

Since he has only joined his pre-school for about a month, I did not have to participate in the parents-teacher meeting and got a call from his teacher instead. Our conversation went like this :

Mrs Phua  : 

Mrs Ng, Kyle has adjusted very well to school.

He is a very sociable boy, extremely helpful as well, always offers to help the teachers in class.

(I was grinning from ear to ear when I heard this, but braced myself for what will come next. Preschool teachers are trained to manage the parents by first, sharing the good points of the child and then dishing out the not so nice things).

Mrs Phua : 

You know being sociable, he tends to like to talk to his friends, likes to sits close to his friends and sometimes disturbs them (I expected this, since our Sunday School experience). But you know, some children don't like that (hmm…okay, he is a tad bit irritating). He tends to snatch toys when he wants to play with it, and the girl will be screaming at the top of her lungs (not a gentleman yet, I guess, besides boys are a minority in his class). So we will put him in the quiet corner for a few minutes  However he does cry very easily when we do that, and he will always cry and say, "I will not do that again." Also he is quite active and tends to get very excited, so we will put him in the quiet corner to calm him down before starting the activity (already a frequent visitor of the quiet corner in just under a month?).

Me :

So after being at the quiet corner so often, is his behaviour improving?

Mrs Phua :

Uh uh…yes a little bit (this means that there hasn't been much change of behaviour). Don't worry we will continue to guide him and one more thing, he is also a very vocal child.

Me :

You know since he is an only child, he gets very little social exposure except those times when he is in school. I will really need your help to guide him in his social skills.

When I shared this with dh, his comments were "Mister BLX strikes again!" and when I shared this with Nana, she laughed out loud. I don't know where was the hilarity in it, maybe grand-parents really do see things quite differently. I have to see the positiveness of the feedback and remind myself that I have a real sensitive child despite his obstinate and strong-willed personality. As for his lack of social skills, I am not majorly concerned over it, as I think it will improve over time as he learns and develops empathy, as well as given more opportunities for interaction, guidance and role-playing at home.

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It has been a busy week.

I took almost a week to get used to the new routine of sending K to school in the late morning, driving home for lunch to spend some me-time for about 2 hours and then going back to pick him up from school in the afternoon. While K seems to have taken to the idea of school like a duck to water, and he has not shed a single tear at all. 

His adjustment to school is a progression, however there seems to be some regression in other areas. Specifically, when it comes to his home routine.  He will refuse to take his afternoon nap (which has been shifted to an hour later than usual due to school), and will get clingy and battle with me for at least half an hour before settling down to sleep. Instead of continuing with my usual method of discipline which did not work, I decided to indulge him a little and soothed him to sleep.

Attending pre-nursery is still a huge change to routine, even though he might not display his discomfort with it in public. Maybe I have been in too much of a hurry and placed too much value in seeing him display signs of independence. All at the cost of ignoring his essential emotional needs.

I suppose he will let go when he is ready. And I will need to remind myself to stop trying to rush him through childhood.

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