"Where is Po-Po?"
DD1 loves to watch Sid The Science Kid on PBS. Sid has a cool grandma who picks him up from preschool and teaches him wonderful things. I am glad that this animated series incorporate a senior citizen character to show kids that some old people are cool to hang out with.
My mother-in-law passed away in 2004 before DD1 was born.
My mother does not speak English and we converse mainly in Cantonese and Mandarin. Whenever she calls, DD1 would greet her and my mother would ask simple questions like "What is your name?", "How old are you?", and "Did you sleep well?". I have been teaching Mandarin to DD1 so that she can communicate with my mother. All praise be to Allah SWT she is able to answer those questions clearly now.
One day, out of the blue, DD1 asked me, "Mama, where is Po-Po?" I was quite surprised that she posed that question, so I told her Po-Po is in Singapore. She then asked me why Po-Po is not here (in the US). I told her that Po-Po lives in Singapore while we live in the US. At this point she seems satisfied with the answer. Several times she asked me when we are going to Singapore to visit Po-Po. Then she would say that when she visits her Po-Po in Singapore, she would bring me and DD2 along.
I guess when she watches Sid hangs out with his grandma, she assumes that she should be able to do that too. I believe that young children should have lots of opportunity to be around senior folks. This allows them to understand the concept of respecting the elderly and how to take care of them. I believe it also gives them a better grasp of the concept of life cycle.
Allah SWT willing when the kids are older, I hope to bring them to volunteer at the nearby retirement or nursing home. This way they will be able to develop compassion and learn to be patient with senior folks.
My mother-in-law passed away in 2004 before DD1 was born.
My mother does not speak English and we converse mainly in Cantonese and Mandarin. Whenever she calls, DD1 would greet her and my mother would ask simple questions like "What is your name?", "How old are you?", and "Did you sleep well?". I have been teaching Mandarin to DD1 so that she can communicate with my mother. All praise be to Allah SWT she is able to answer those questions clearly now.
One day, out of the blue, DD1 asked me, "Mama, where is Po-Po?" I was quite surprised that she posed that question, so I told her Po-Po is in Singapore. She then asked me why Po-Po is not here (in the US). I told her that Po-Po lives in Singapore while we live in the US. At this point she seems satisfied with the answer. Several times she asked me when we are going to Singapore to visit Po-Po. Then she would say that when she visits her Po-Po in Singapore, she would bring me and DD2 along.
I guess when she watches Sid hangs out with his grandma, she assumes that she should be able to do that too. I believe that young children should have lots of opportunity to be around senior folks. This allows them to understand the concept of respecting the elderly and how to take care of them. I believe it also gives them a better grasp of the concept of life cycle.
Allah SWT willing when the kids are older, I hope to bring them to volunteer at the nearby retirement or nursing home. This way they will be able to develop compassion and learn to be patient with senior folks.
Labels: personal
posted by Jiru at
7:02 AM
