Ferrying my child isn't pampering, it's bonding & priceless
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Feb 17, 2011 - ST Forum
I AM one of the motorists who ferry my children to and from school ('Illegal parking causing traffic headache' by Ms Sylvia Tan; Monday).
I drive my child to and from school as she would have to wake up far earlier and spend a considerably longer time travelling to school if she were to take a school bus.
During our journey home from school, she lets me know how her day in school has been. I share her joy when she's had a good day in school and offer advice when she faces challenges. These moments are priceless.
I disagree that parents pamper their children by driving them to and from school and I am surprised that parents like me should be faulted for undertaking the responsibility of taking their children to school safely.
There are other ways to toughen up our children. Compromising on their safety is not one of them.
I hope the authorities and other motorists would understand the predicament of parents and the school management, and appreciate that they are trying their best to manage the situation, given the space constraints.
Traffic conditions may be challenging at times but a little patience goes a long way.
Should one demand that convenience and ease of driving should take priority over the safety and well-being of our children?
Michelle Tan (Ms)
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Ferrying and giving little pocket money and a dumbphone is not pampering.But ferrying and giving many pocket money and an iphone is pampering.
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spoilt.
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this country really jialat.
nothing better to talk about?
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how about parking at the nearest legal carpark from school and spend more time bonding walking from the carpark to the school?
at the same time, you can teach your kids "your inconvenience is my convenicence"
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whatever happened to the school buses and letting the child mix with other children, therefore learning social skills?
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Originally posted by the Bear:
whatever happened to the school buses and letting the child mix with other children, therefore learning social skills?
We need to have more sociopaths in SG -
the parents are sociopaths enough...
anyway, i see the parents having to drop off their precious snowflake of a child directly at the school gate.. god forbid that the child walks about 50 metres to the gate because the child may be tired or the sun may be too hot or the big bad wolf may come and eat their precious little snowflake of a child
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It is pampering if your child is already in primary 4 to 6. I can understand if the child is in lower primary ie from one to three. But once you are in upper class in primary school, he or she should be independent to go and return from school, either in school bus or take public transport. Parents, please grow up yourself. I have seen even parents sending their children to secondary schools, JCs, polytechnics.
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i've seen sec school students who did not know how to take public transport...
hell! i've seen some who have never taken public transport!
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Well, it's ppl like these which cause the younger generation to become more "cannot take hardship"...
abit abit wanna call parents, whine, complain liaox...
If u dun believe, look ard AA, Speakers, SAF forum nor...
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How do you know what happens in the car?
Scenario 1: The whole journey, the kid is playing with his PSP from home till school , never uttering a word to the parent.
Scenario 2: The whole journey, the parent is nagging about the kid's grade, kid's hygiene, kid's friends, kid's tuition. The kid just sits there and stares into space.
Scenario 3: The kid goes: Mum, for the last time, can't I take the public transport instead of you fetching me? I'm so old already. Very malu lah in front of my classmates.
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Sending your kids to school is not unreasonable.
However, if it gets in the way of letting them becoming more independent, then it's wrong.
I also don't understand why some parents can't let their own kids carry their own schoolbags or drop them off a slightly further distance from the schoolgate to prevent a clusterf**k.
I remember back when I was in primary school, my principal set down a rule that ALL kids must carry their own schoolbags and not make their parents carry them.
And he would enforce it as best as he could.
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the article is totally lost on the mother, there's nothing wrong in fetching the kids, the problem is the traffic...
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a little off track but the total defence day or wat, i think the sch oni selling sweet potato porridge during recess (later i heard from an auntie at my block), so the maids and loving mothers brought nasi lemak, char beehoon and fried chicken wings to their kids during recess
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Originally posted by FireIce:
a little off track but the total defence day or wat, i think the sch oni selling sweet potato porridge during recess (later i heard from an auntie at my block), so the maids and loving mothers brought nasi lemak, char beehoon and fried chicken wings to their kids during recess
can have abalone porridge.
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actually what's wrong with this parent? lol. Benefit of the doubt, she could be a busy working mother who has to juggle between home and workplace. And seriously, time in the car is probably for them the best place to communicate with both of them in the same place.
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could be distracting and cause accident if the kids show her a red card and she get a heart attack.
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Originally posted by Rock^Star:
actually what's wrong with this parent? lol. Benefit of the doubt, she could be a busy working mother who has to juggle between home and workplace. And seriously, time in the car is probably for them the best place to communicate with both of them in the same place.
The problem is not so much about the parent sending the kids in the car.
The problem is when parents inconsiderately park anyhow so that their precious little kids would not have to walk so far.
It is also a problem when the parent can't even give the kids freedom to take public transport when they're old enough.
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I think the act of sending kids to school is actually ok, especially if the children study at a school that is quite a distance away from home, or if there is no direct public transport to the school.
What i find ridiculous are parents who still send their kids to school, when they just live down the street, maybe 1 or 2 bus stops away from the school. these are the inconsiderate people who contribute unneedlessly to the traffic jam at peak hours.
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sch bus nw oso bery asspensive, so parents rather send themselves. the prob is they wanna send rite to the gate, causing jams
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I thought bonding is possible when you have time to listen to your child and talk with your child?
I thought good communication is when you can maintain eye contact?
Now, driving and maintaining zero eye contact with kids playing in the seats (probably not talking) is bonding?
So public transport cannot bond? I can understand school bus are for students and no parents allowed.
But taxis, MRT, LRT and SMRT/SBS buses cannot bond?
Jialat...
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Originally posted by fudgester:
The problem is not so much about the parent sending the kids in the car.
The problem is when parents inconsiderately park anyhow so that their precious little kids would not have to walk so far.
It is also a problem when the parent can't even give the kids freedom to take public transport when they're old enough.
Yeh agreed on the part where they shouldn't park their cars inconsiderately but then it's human nature unless the school liase with the police to do something about it, albeit to a limited extent. So often, singaporeans drop by the roadside to buy papers or just to da pao some hawker food. That causes congestion especially during peak hours?
And on the issue of kids being given freedom to take public transport, that is subjective from family to family. Many families are affluent enough to afford cars and their way of love is to fetch the kids. Every family has a different language of love. Can't fault that.
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Originally posted by Rock^Star:
Yeh agreed on the part where they shouldn't park their cars inconsiderately but then it's human nature unless the school liase with the police to do something about it, albeit to a limited extent. So often, singaporeans drop by the roadside to buy papers or just to da pao some hawker food. That causes congestion especially during peak hours?
And on the issue of kids being given freedom to take public transport, that is subjective from family to family. Many families are affluent enough to afford cars and their way of love is to fetch the kids. Every family has a different language of love. Can't fault that.
love is doing the right thing...
not pampering the child until they don't even know how to take public transport.. that's destroying the child
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Originally posted by Nelstar:
I thought bonding is possible when you have time to listen to your child and talk with your child?
I thought good communication is when you can maintain eye contact?
Now, driving and maintaining zero eye contact with kids playing in the seats (probably not talking) is bonding?
So public transport cannot bond? I can understand school bus are for students and no parents allowed.
But taxis, MRT, LRT and SMRT/SBS buses cannot bond?
Jialat...
dude, some people work very long hours and whenever they're home, the kid's in a horizontal bed position. Many bring work home to do. Driving and bonding with the kid, I don't see how healthy eye contact and conversation cannot be maintained while driving safely unless one's driving sucks.
Hmm...and public transport? Well if they have a car, who wants to squeeze in crowded SBS buses and MRTs? lol.Give them a break la :) who are we to tell other families what's bonding and what's not.