Speaking Mandarin

I'm just glad that the boys are attempting to speak more mandarin at home these days. Small fry more so than the big one. They aren't fully conversational yet, but I'm really proud of the effort that they are making.

Some of the phrases they are using these days include:
妈妈是我的 女孩子（女朋友）
我要妈妈帮我穿裤子。
我爱妈妈。
 我过马路要上（举）手。

They have some random substitution of words and I think that's really fine. At least they are trying to express themselves and I think that's wonderful. 
On another note, I did the unimaginable today! I actually became a kiasu parent and queued up just to get a place for Kieran in the P1 Chinese enrichment class at Tien Hsia. As Kieran will be in the afternoon session next year, we can't put him in a weekday afternoon class at Tien Hsia anymore. Also, Tien Hsia does not auto-reserve places for current K2 students for their P1 classes next year. It is a whole new registration process for the P1 classes. I knew that the P1 classes are popular (more so for the weekend class), so I we knew that we had to register him on the 1st day of registration to "chope" a Sunday afternoon class for him. To my surprise, when I arrived at Kovan at 835am, there was already a line outside the closed doors of the school (registration opens at 9am)! Gosh! There are way more kiasu parents than me!! Actually, I'm kinda embarrassed to think that I'd be one of the parents to be in line for an enrichment class! (The things I'd do for my children!)

However, I have to justify though. I never did put the boys in Chinese class with the intention of them getting ahead academically. The reason they cannot speak Mandarin is really because there is no environment for them to do so at home. My only reason for the classes is really just to give them an environment where they can be exposed to Mandarin. Also, I'm hoping that by having this exposure outside of school, it will help him along better in school. Kieran is already complaining that he doesn't want to attend his Chinese Speech and Drama in his kindy cos "it's boring". When asked why it is boring, he says that he doesn't understand and he doesn't talk in the class. And here I'm wondering why is it that he doesn't talk in a speech and drama class? I think it's a vicious cycle that he doesn't understand, so he doesn't talk and he doesn't talk/ask, he doesn't understand further. So I really do hope that the Tien Hsia lessons will help lesson this issue. Besides, they really do love Tien Hsia's classes (and the teachers there absolutely do not speak anything other than mandarin to them). So a double bonus! And *read above*, the environment at Tien Hsia has really made them want to attempt to speak it, so I think it is a correct choice. 

Our take on so-called enrichment classes is really on a needs basis. Just like we send them to swimming classes not for them to be able to compete in swim meets, but really as a survival skill (read: not to drown). We felt that it was important that they could swim/ float, especially with our new place coming.

With a few more months to the end of the year, we are starting to gear ourselves up to enter the crazy primary school rat race. And a timely reminder to myself from a book I found yesterday? 

Don't sweat the small stuff!