Author: SengkangBabies

I am a Blogging Daddy of four. Our kids are roaming Singapore to bring you FUN, This blog is use to capture our kids' growing up phases, and we want you to leave our blog with a smile :)

POSB National School Savings Campaign is back

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Boon Yee’s piggy bank.

Times have changed, our school going kids know what they want and they sometimes negotiate with parents about rewards for behaving well or obtaining good exam results (just like MBO or KPI)!

Children might not treasure toys or gifts which come free. Sometimes, they forget parents have to work hard to bring in the money.

POSB’s National Savings survey results indicate that Singaporean still believe savings is still important and virtuous.

(source POSB Survey)

We sometimes remind kids to buy less sweets and ice cream (and pencils from bookshop), and that their savings will grow faster. Every savings start from a coin, a dollar note.

We encourage our own kids to save for their wishlist (be it toys, balls or books). If they really want something, they must save for it. As a form of motivation, we sometimes match their savings dollar for dollar.

Besides sharing positive values of savings, we also hope to impress on kids the importance of thrift.
Teaching kids to save money

I am happy to find out that POSB will be bringing the National School Savings Campaign back at a national level. Remember this squirrel? POSB’s mascot Smiley is trying to encourage more school-going kids to save.

(image credit POSB)

To quote from POSB :
POSB National School Savings Campaign will be a 10-month long initiative by POSB, supported by MOE. Together with Smiley the Squirrel, parents can pledge their support for this campaign here.

A main element of the campaign is the savings stamp card as a tool to save. Each primary school student can get their POSB National School Savings stamp card from any POSB/DBS branch, SingPost outlet and at Pacific or Popular bookstores in schools from 02 February 2015 onwards. Stamps will be sold at Pacific or Popular school bookstores and at SingPost outlets.

The student will then deposit the stamp card into any POSB/DBS Quick Cheque Deposit location upon completion (20 x $0.50 stamps). The bank will then credit the full value of the stamp card ($10) and a $1 bonus (the bonus interest is limited to one stamp card per child, per month and only valid for POSBkids account holders).


(image credit POSB)

Digress a bit, our POSB runs over the year. The next time our children see Smiley, they will remember POSB’s National Savings Campaign.

Get on board this campaign today!
Sign up here for an ePOSBkids account if your child doesn’t have one.

Abseiling – what was I thinking?

Climbing up the narrow stairway at Climb Asia, doubts and nervousness taunted my mind. As I peep down from the 15m platform (about 5 or 6 storey tall), I psyche my legs not to go jelly. It would be so embarrassing if I give up now (How would I face my kids etc )

Gripping tightly to the safely lines, you try not to maneuver too much in the tight confined platform. While waiting for my turn, I keep asking myself questions.

-How did I end up in this predicament?
-Why did I volunteer to abseil?
-What was I trying to prove?
-The WHATs, the WHYS the IFs kept trying to discourage me from taking the plunge.

Abseiling (or Rock climbing) is never second-nature to me. I keep repeating the instructor’s instruction to double-confirm I am not doing anything haphazard funny.

The first step (leap of faith) is always the hardest to overcome, imagine your whole body leaning out of the platform!

For abseiling beginners me, the second most difficult task is SMILING for the photographers (plural intended)! Dangling in between nowhere, with all my muscles tensed up, I need to show a V-sign and smile.

Walau (dialect expression of exasperation), I just want to quickly make my descend!

Video Gopro : My legs still get a little bit wobbly when I playback this video. I am proud that I have accepted DBS’s challenge and embraced the new experience

From a parenting perspective, I have always encouraged kids to test their own limits, and emphasize how Sports can train and develop our determination and character.

I have a fear of height, but if I can convince the kids that I can overcome my height phobia, I hope they will have the confidence and courage to face their own challenges. On the other hand, if I fail to conquer my own mental block, kids might grow up with height phobia stigma too.

Some say the best way to teach is leading by example. I hope my abseiling experience has managed to inspire (SPARK) our kids.

Thank you DBS Spark for the invitation, I can now proudly tell the kids that Daddy had Unlock one more level (games speak) 🙂

And this is how it all started. I had volunteered myself with one of DBS Spark‘s initiatives. Boon Wee was supposed to join me but he went for basketball instead.

It would be cool to attempt abseiling together with my boys again. On second thoughts….

(image credit DBS Instagram)

Abseiling might be my Fear Factor, but interested participants can checkout more thrills from Climb Asia (Facebook).

Click for other stunts performed by Daddy Andy before (here, here and roller coasters). I will do anything to Inspire my kids!