Couple of weeks back I got a phone call from of friend of mine. He needed a baby sitter to just look after his kids while he and his wife go to work during the day. Not really to baby sit per say because there is a maid around, but just to be around in case of any emergency. Try getting me to change a baby's diapers and I'll show you the exact definition of the word "pandemonium".
I'd be lying if I said I wasn't nervous during the first day on duty. After all, who wouldn't be if you have baby sitting credentials like me as described below, which are:
1. Absolutely NO experience in baby sitting;
2. generally bad with kids (last time a friend of mine once said, "when a kid sees you, the look on your face would automatically spell out the word 'scary'.";
3. no training whatsoever in childcare; BUT, a big BUT
4. able to carry a child.
On my first day, I was clueless of what to do. I really mean clueless - don't know where to start, don't know if the kids will accept me, most importantly - if the kids started crying, what am I supposed to do???????????
Putting everything else aside, I came in the morning, saw the kids and gave them a big happy smile! Then the only thing I could do thereafter was to see what reaction I get from the kids. Thankfully, the 2 year old girl smiled back and called me 'gor gor' (it's chinese for addressing someone older if you are a child). The 8 month old baby looked at me with eyes wide open and probably didn't know how to react probably not seeing a stranger like me before. But at least they didn't go running under the bed for their lives afraid of the Bogeyman. :D For my standards, I think I did really well for a start.
After a very long time, I now need to be a kid myself to be at the same wavelength with these two little ones. It was surprisingly not as easy at it seems trying to be in tune with the mind of kids, the innonence of the young ones, the carefree-ness.
I played puzzles with the girl, watched Barney with her (hey, I can even sing the songs off my head now!), tickle the baby boy and see him giggle, make-believe cooking. You'd be surprised how much of a gratifying feeling it can be when you find yourself giggling and having plain fun with the kids.
Eventually, after all the laughing and play time, they usually head for the bed to 'oi oi' (it's a pun for sleeping, mimicking the sound of a pig). Then I suddenly find the house as quiet as a library. Guess having kids around does add colour to a home.
Now, here comes the tricky part. When the little boy wakes up he needs to be carried otherwise he starts to cry. On the first day, when he woke up, he'd look left and right, and if doesn't see the maid he'd start to cry. There were times when the maid left him in the play-pen while she had to do some cooking or house cleaning, and he kept crying out for her. I could only watch in absolute cluelessness wondering why he was crying. I tried playing with him, making funny faces, none of which worked. After about a good half hour of trying, the maid tells me he needs to be carried when he wakes up.
Nevermind that, but that short experience showed me something, something I don't think I will forget in a long while. It was a rare demonstration of love and affection. While the little boy kept crying, his 2 year old sister would come to me, tug at my shirt and ask me, "gor gor, why is 'di di' (it's a chinese word for younger brother) crying?" and then she'll walk to him and try patting him on the back to calm him down.
When you are in tight spot and close to losing ideas on what to do to straighten things out, you sometimes find a helping hand from the least unexpected sources - like my case, it was assistance from a pair of tiny hands of a 2 year old. I don't think anyone taught her how to do that, but I guess natural instincts of an older sister just tells to do that.............
~Path of Time~ by Micky Foo is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 Unported License
I'd be lying if I said I wasn't nervous during the first day on duty. After all, who wouldn't be if you have baby sitting credentials like me as described below, which are:
1. Absolutely NO experience in baby sitting;
2. generally bad with kids (last time a friend of mine once said, "when a kid sees you, the look on your face would automatically spell out the word 'scary'.";
3. no training whatsoever in childcare; BUT, a big BUT
4. able to carry a child.
On my first day, I was clueless of what to do. I really mean clueless - don't know where to start, don't know if the kids will accept me, most importantly - if the kids started crying, what am I supposed to do???????????
Putting everything else aside, I came in the morning, saw the kids and gave them a big happy smile! Then the only thing I could do thereafter was to see what reaction I get from the kids. Thankfully, the 2 year old girl smiled back and called me 'gor gor' (it's chinese for addressing someone older if you are a child). The 8 month old baby looked at me with eyes wide open and probably didn't know how to react probably not seeing a stranger like me before. But at least they didn't go running under the bed for their lives afraid of the Bogeyman. :D For my standards, I think I did really well for a start.
After a very long time, I now need to be a kid myself to be at the same wavelength with these two little ones. It was surprisingly not as easy at it seems trying to be in tune with the mind of kids, the innonence of the young ones, the carefree-ness.
I played puzzles with the girl, watched Barney with her (hey, I can even sing the songs off my head now!), tickle the baby boy and see him giggle, make-believe cooking. You'd be surprised how much of a gratifying feeling it can be when you find yourself giggling and having plain fun with the kids.
Eventually, after all the laughing and play time, they usually head for the bed to 'oi oi' (it's a pun for sleeping, mimicking the sound of a pig). Then I suddenly find the house as quiet as a library. Guess having kids around does add colour to a home.
Now, here comes the tricky part. When the little boy wakes up he needs to be carried otherwise he starts to cry. On the first day, when he woke up, he'd look left and right, and if doesn't see the maid he'd start to cry. There were times when the maid left him in the play-pen while she had to do some cooking or house cleaning, and he kept crying out for her. I could only watch in absolute cluelessness wondering why he was crying. I tried playing with him, making funny faces, none of which worked. After about a good half hour of trying, the maid tells me he needs to be carried when he wakes up.
Nevermind that, but that short experience showed me something, something I don't think I will forget in a long while. It was a rare demonstration of love and affection. While the little boy kept crying, his 2 year old sister would come to me, tug at my shirt and ask me, "gor gor, why is 'di di' (it's a chinese word for younger brother) crying?" and then she'll walk to him and try patting him on the back to calm him down.
When you are in tight spot and close to losing ideas on what to do to straighten things out, you sometimes find a helping hand from the least unexpected sources - like my case, it was assistance from a pair of tiny hands of a 2 year old. I don't think anyone taught her how to do that, but I guess natural instincts of an older sister just tells to do that.............
~Path of Time~ by Micky Foo is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 Unported License
u sure she called you gor gor ah?? or M----Y M---E gor gor...hahahaha
ReplyDeleteeven blog post has to go through censorship board. The board unanimously decided that the author (that's me) should not include the full term..... therefore the writer had to follow orders and only use 'gor gor' :D :P
ReplyDeleteHence, they have the function to bypass authorisation and you allow us to do it. LOL!
ReplyDeleteA touching action by the 2-year old.