In control

As a mummy I want to be in control of my child. Not that I want to reign over her and unslave her but I see the need for me to impose certain boundaries until she is grown.

I am sticky with TV time. With the many studies showing the detrimental effects TV have on kids I absolutely see no benefits for them to watch TV as a young baby. So we made it a rule. No TV before 2 years old. And with a lot ( i really mean a lot) of effort, we did not expose Hannah to TV for the first two years of her life. (at least not when she is at home and within our control). And as she passed two years of age, I believe she can watch but in a controlled environment. Means: Either daddy or mummy must be watching with her. To discuss what is seen on the screen so that there is interaction even though the eyes are glued on the screen. Means: there will be teaching at appropriate junctures. Means: Limited time. if 15 minutes is the given time, it has to be turned off when 15 minutes is up regardless of who is still in the middle of his sentence or which character is still dancing away.

I am sticky with manners. If she does not show respect even to the domestic helper, we make sure she is disciplined. She hits us, she gets it. She shows defiance, she gets it. She disobeys, she gets it. Yes, she is young and she is a child. But that does not mean she gets her way even when it is wrong. Yes we are strict and some may say overly strict and not flexible but I think parents who spare the rod and spoil the child will face a greater task as the child grows older.

I am sticky with reading. I understand that we should not force the child to read. we don't. But when she was few months old, she loves books. We read to her all the time. That was her favourite pasttime. Ours too. It has since become a bedtime routine. I must admit as she grows bigger there are more distraction...but I am glad we are still able to share a book each night. Being teachers we see the importance of her reading. The passion of it will make language learning easier for her. Also, reading is a good habit to cultivate as it calms her down for bedtime. And most of all, the time spent quietly on mummy or daddy's lap is magical.

Ok, time to feed Hannon. to be continued.