Parenting hacks. Is there such a thing?
After 4 kids, I can only say we managed, day by day. From infant to toddlers to Primary school and teenagers. Try not to think too far ahead because we sometimes cannot even see beyond the week :p
Brawling, wailing, falling sick and total meltdown. Peace at home does not always exist and is considered a luxury 🙂
The best advice we can give to new parents is take it easy, chill. No matter what we do, some folks would still like to judge (let them, strangers’ words hold no meaning for us)
Do not get us wrong, we were always worried with our No 1, but with more experience, we learn to let go, and enjoy the moments. (an excuse to indicate we relax our standards for subsequent kids :p )
If the utensils are filling up and if the laundry are piling up, take a deep breath, eat an ice cream and chill for 2 minutes.
Handle one thing at a time. Somehow, everything will work out, ALWAYs.
Give the kids some credit, they are always more resilient and resourceful (and crafty) than we adults would belief. We tend to believe that there are helpless little bundles, and proceed to cuddle and spoon feed them all the way.
Some challenges and falls will make them grow faster, and hopefully more resilient.
I would like to believe that my kids are generally ok. They are mischievous, they often rebel and they still make us parents suffer headache and heart pain. But we know all these are growing up phases, and kids might not even comprehend their actions yet.
It is not bochap (nonchalant), but we parents need to learn to let go. If we pursue every minute details and micro-manage, we only end up stressing ourselves.
Sometimes, we need to balance between Control (parents’ sanity) and Freedom (to let the child grow and be more independent). Just like fishing or flying a kite, tension and release (repeat).
Easier said than done, as kids always Game our “parenting tricks”, and we sometimes suspect their mission is to drive parents up the wall!
Mommy Mengchoo is a full-time homemaker. Sounds nice, but she actually works 7 x 24, with no off-in-lieu nor bonus!
Besides her official title as “Mum”, Mengchoo moonlights as a cook, a helper, a teacher, driver, and Google.
Kids will always take turn to interrogate ask :
-Mommy, where is my bag?
-Mommy, how do I do this?
-Can you teach me modelling (not cat walk but the Maths concept)
-Mommy, why cockroach can fly?
–Mommy, why you are not working, like Daddy?
Of course, we will always encourage the kids to Google for answer first. The idea is to be self reliant, and along the way pickup positive traits like “Initiative and Resourcefulness”.
Fortunately, poor Mommy has Taobao and Korean dramas to de-stress.
Fellow Dads can try to be a stay-at-home-Dad for 3D2N to experience and APPRECIATE our MRS multi-tasking skills! I struggled when Mrs went Bangkok…. (read my old SAHD blog post)
Sometimes, I feel so guilty when I request to make love ♥.
Looking at her sleeping like a baby (and sometimes snoring), slumber dreamland is the only time for her to recover and recharge, her own “me time”. She would be so tired at the end of the day, and sleep is the only thing on her mind, not crazy Sex. When she is awake, her thoughts are 99.5% about the kids’ welfare (as do most Moms).
But the family would not be stable without your loving care (includes discipline and nagging too). The kids might not appreciate our intention now, but I strongly believe their characters have a good foundation (I hope) .
(Kids, you can read about how I tackle your Mummy here)
We captured the kids childhood through our blog and photos.
We are just like any families out there.
There will be squabbles and disagreements between family members.
Although our Facebook and Instagram only show Fun Loving photos, that does not mean everything is chirpy at home.
True is, 家家有本难念的经 (literally every home has a hard-to-decipher Scripture), every home will have to manage their own harmony and challenges.
We are still family at the end of the day and must Love and support each other.
If you ask me and Mrs 10 years ago what we expect from Family life.
We will tell you we would love to have a few kids.
Her wish is to be a home-maker.
.. but having four kids was never in the plan.
If you ask us whether we would like to have multiple kids again, me and Mrs will give a resounding YES 🙂
Back to the first question, are there Parenting hacks?
Yes, but not all might be applicable.The most effective “parenting hacks” is the one when a couple Works as a Team.
