Nurturing Ambition

Quote of the Day:

When you ask a child what he wants to be when he grows up, you get a myriad of answers, ranging from being a doctor or a fireman or a chef. These desired childhood occupations are a result of the child's exposure to the different occupations and reflect his or her interests at the time of questioning. However no child really knows what he or she wants; nor are children expected to make difficult decisions at an early age.

Our role as parents is therefore to provide as much exposure for our children so that they can have a greater understanding of what interests them, pursuing avenues that bring them greater satisfaction and therefore greater meaning in what they do. We then need to nurture our children's ambitions, guiding them and encouraging them when things don't seem to go right. But ultimately we need to allow our children the freedom to make their own decisions. For if we have been guiding and nurturing them from an early age, we can be confident that they will make the best choices.

We may yet be parents to the next Napoleon, the next Salvador Dali, or the next Jamie Oliver!

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Malacca with the Kids: March 2015

Malacca has always been our go-to place for a short getaway. Most of the time, it's been without the kids. We love soaking in the ambience of Jonker Street and strolling by the river. Of course, the food never fails to draw us back to this laidback town with its sleepy atmosphere. The facade of Malacca has, however, changed over the years. Imposing mega malls loom over two-storey shophouses. I would probably have not brought the boys along as the streets are narrow and traffic seemingly never ebbing, but when I googled "Malacca for Kids" this time round, there were quite a few options for the kids to enjoy. Of course, the main reason why we decided to go was because we were attending my dearest cousin's wedding dinner. This brings back memories of how my cousins and I used to hang around at Chinese restaurants. We would be so thrilled to be on an actual stage... And our choice of accommodation was largely influenced by the water play area wh...

Setting Up a Finnish School in the Home

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The Father I Will Never Be

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The Insecurities of a Homeschooling Dad

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