Is it just me, or do kids seem to have more Holidays now? Okay, thinking back to my own school days, I guess we had just as many. But they just seem to come so often now, it feels as if they’ve just gone back to school and then their off again.
Jay went back to school on the 2nd of January, and it’s now the 13th of March and he’s got a week holiday. To make it worse, he was sick for a total of 7 school days, meaning he was home for 11 days in a row. I guess that made it seem like he had an extra week of holidays in the middle of term.
One thing that is different from when I was a kid, and maybe this is just the Singapore system, is that he has homework to do while he’s off. To do it, he has to log in to a website and go through the material there. At the moment, I’m in two minds. Part of me remembers the thrill of school holidays and the time away from having to learning, and wants him to enjoy his time of leisure in the same way my brothers and I did. The other part of me, the part that is Jay’s father (and guide in this life), wants him to excel in his studies and do the work.
And so we have the conundrum that I feel caring parents of the world share. We want our kids to grow up happy and enjoying their childhood. But we also see the reality that we need (must?) encourage them to continue their education and development, even when their peers are out enjoying themselves and having fun.
So what course have I chosen? I’ll let you know when (if?) I decide. It’s only the first day of holidays, and so far I have reminded him several times to do his homework, but admittedly have not pushed too hard. I can see, for I’m not delusional, that by the end of the week, I’ll be pushing harder and forcing him to do it. But for now, I’ll let him have fun and continue the nudges in the right direction, and try not to ruin his fun time too much.