218 sats \ 3 replies \ @justanumber 23 Jan \ on: My tips to cope with parenthood meta
I wish I had time to respond to this fully but sitting here typing isn't going to pay my bills, sadly. I stumbled across your Burnt out father post a few days ago (no idea how) and it broke my heart and I wanted to write something then.
I just want to say that you don't have to force learning onto your child. You don't have "make sure" they learn something. They learn soooo much through play. Just relax with them, play with them, read with them, build things, make things with them, make some playdough (recipes online) and keep it in the fridge, embrace the mess, just have fun and don't overthink it, accept that your life will never be the same again.
I don't know how to find a nice way of saying this but putting your kids in a cage like that makes me feel so sad for them. Like they're not part of the family or house, or not worthy and have to be kept separate 😰
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Thank you for holding space for me in your mind! Will check that book out
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Hi, mate.
So I’m ENFP and we are physical hugs people. Your words felt like a virtual hug across the miles. I hope you could give me a comforting hug in real life too haha
For better or for worse, I hail from Singapore, an academically competitive country. First graders in elementary school are expected to read, write and count when they report to school on the first day. It’s crazy 🤪. I recognise the benefits of spontaneous, unsupervised play. Because my son is half-Japanese, he spends the school holidays in Singapore attending preschool in Japan. But I don’t think he finds it torturing. He rides the tricycle, goes on strawberry and chestnut picking outings, and plays catching. No formal teaching. He doesn’t even learn the hiragana alphabet!
But it’s okay. As long as he is carefree.
I think I am decidedly more chill than other Singapore parents. I haven’t sent my son for enrichment classes yet. Yes that’s what people do - send their preschool kids for tuition. I think it’s f***ed up. I am determined to delay tuition for as long as I can.
About the playpen, it’s aimed to keep my baby girl safe since my wife and I will be busy doing the thousand and one chores before we can call it a night. Don’t worry about her. These days, because she knows how to walk, she has been advocating for herself, crying and screaming until I let her out of the playpen and a spunky grin spreads across her face. Indeed, we are born to be free. Haha
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