Because We Only Have One Life

I got mad at my youngest son,  Arman the other day because he was throwing a tantrum that I simply couldn't handle it. Every parent would be familiar with the stressful situation when your kids want to play and scatter everything on the floor while being too sleepy at the same time. They will be super moody and grumpy like a whiny little brat who wants something yet hates everything. I scolded him by pinching him on his back. He cried for a while and then went to sleep not long after I put him in his cot. What I didn't notice is that, my action was being observed by my second son, Zarif who seemed like he was busy with his lego project at the moment. Seeing me sitting down and leaving a sigh, he then finally talked to me: " Mama, kalau mama rasa marah lagi, mama tarik nafas dalam-dalam, lepas tu hembus. Lepas tu buat lagi. Mesti rasa marah mama tu hilang lepas tu. " (translated: "Mama, if you ever feel angry again, just take a deep breath and exhale. Then, you ...

There's a famous African proverb that goes like, " It takes an entire village to raise a child "; meaning to say that, every individual in the circle of community has to play a significant role in order to ensure a good upbringing of the young generation. Then, what does it take to raise children? The answer is, I would say, a supermom, or dad (or both, perhaps?). Who is a Supermom?   1) A Supermom is Not Superhuman She is not defined by any supernatural ability. She doesn't necessarily have to conquer any villain that troubles the family, but she will definitely protect them by all means. She may not be able to fly to her kids in a blink of an eye, but she's the first reachable person who will always stand by their side. Kryptonite doesn't make her weak, but sadness and loneliness surely do. 2) A Supermom is Not Perfect She may not be perfect,  but her imperfection is what makes her strong. She hides her pain and sorrow so that she can be the backbone of t...

(This is a blog I've posted on my friendster blog , April 30, 2010. I really love this post because it's exactly how I felt at the moment. So, enjoy guys.. :) ) When I was expecting my second child, I thought our life would be getting tougher... Financially, we definitely needed to construct new budgets: unnecessary trips and some items in the wish list had to be canceled out. Physically, as a working mother from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. with bundles of housework await, I barely had time for myself to chill out. Mentally, knowing that I would suffer the same pain I'd encountered before had given me an emotional breakdown... almost everyday. One good point was that raising our eldest son (now is 3 years old) can be considered easy: an obeyer of a single instruction, never give any tantrum in any unexpected condition, and is in his own world when he's occupied with something. Though, there were some moments when I realized that he might not be ready to have a baby brot...