Being a parent.

I did feel like a proud parent yesterday. It was Fatiha's kindy school Open day, where all the parents were invited to see the teachers and got the report card. Urggh, it was the most unexpected thing that should come into the picture, where parents have rights to know the kid's behaviour, achievement and so on. Twenty years ago, if you were the product of TABIKA KEMAS, parents only show up during the first day of registration and the last of GRADUATION DAY. No session for parents to discuss this and that. All that matters was the kid attended the session and return to the home, safe and sound.

Two weeks ago, she was down with chicken pox as where they were having Penilaian Pertengahan Tahun, some sort of exam. She was incubated at home as the teachers would not be responsible for any jangkitan to the other kids. Eversince I enrolled her two months behind the schedule where she had to catch up with a lot of things, I assumed the exam was only to tell the parents that the teachers are doing their jobs and their kid did learn something. When I went to see her teacher, Ms. Dilla, it was a totally different thing. then I realised how much these people stressed on a good paper achievement where the marks for every subject taken defined how well your kids doing in school, i mean, pre-school. All this while, I have the assumption that pre-school is only when you send your kid for an early exposure, and not to compete with other kids. But the marks, the report card suddenly made my competitiveness streak begun to strike, i felt like I was in my mother's shoes. I was like her. Aiyo, suddenly all the A's for the subjects did matters to me now. I was becoming so paranoid . As if I want my kid to be the top of the class, just like what I was twenty years ago. I could not help it, but poor Ms.Dilla was telling me that Fatiha was one of the best behaved student in the class and the quickest to absorb that so many thing. I saw some potential. hahahahah

Okla, she did good enough for this one, with her two months left behind to catch up the lessons plus her ponteng days and some chicken pox scar, she managed to get the 5th place out of 20 head count in the class. Then I knew how much she loves counting from 1 to 100, and her liking to be the walking "DOA" reminder to every body in the house. Rupa-rupanya it was apart from the penilaian. Ahahhahah. We ended up buying new colour pencils for her as she was lacking in Art Lesson and we practised colouring the whole Sunday afternoon. guess that when you become a parent with that "achievement-inclined go-getter" history background, it runs well deep in the blood. Again, I am trying to have my common sense back which I am promising my self for not putting too much pressure on my kid's scholastic achievement. Period