Happiness is... pushing beyond limits

Just the other day, we were at a family gathering and Ariel was playing with toys on the floor when she suddenly toppled backwards. She probably lost her balance and thus she hit her head lightly on the floor. That said, you must understand she fell from a sitting position.

It was then my mum who witnessed the incident hollered a booming "Arrggghhh! Aiyo!!" that my baby, who wasn't crying beforehand, started to weep. Was it the fall? Was it the scream? I think it might be both but probably more of the latter. Anyway, it was just for a couple of minutes and she was perfectly fine after that.

You know, through experiences like this, the hubby and I came to realise that our method of looking after a child differs somewhat greatly from our parents. In their eyes, you gotta shelter a child, ensure her safety, don't let her knock her head, don't let her cry too much, don't let her prick her fingers, don't let her get bruised, and no matter what, do everything you possibly can to keep her out of harm's way.

Perhaps I used to think that way too. Until at a time, I realised it was just overprotecting my children and deterring them from exploring how the world works.

A cut finger? It will heal.
A bloody lip? Put some sugar.
A bruised arm? No big deal.
A scraped knee? Maybe a Hello Kitty handiplast to cheer you up.

Wait, it's not that I do not care about their safety, I am always at the sideline to safeguard and defend them. From the so-called big harm. Like getting a serious bang on their head, risking getting burnt or falling from great heights. For the small harm, which inevitably lies everywhere around us, I think it's okay to let my children get into such situations once in a while because that is the best way they will learn through it all.

When you fall, you have to learn to pick yourself up. Yes, I don't think there is a minimum age to start instilling this and the way I see it, babies nowadays are bold enough to take big steps, strong enough to survive mistakes and wise enough to learn from them.

So, I hope for my kids to know no bounds, to persevere, to say "I can do it" when the whole world tells them to give up, to redefine the world impossible. A dream, perhaps? Well, if so, just let me dream on and for all you know, it might just come true one day.

For the month of November, happiness is about pushing beyond limits, even if it is just a little.

Ariel goes on the merry-go-round and hangs on so tightly to the pole while giving me her biggest grin. For the record, yes I was right there beside her, running alongside while letting her enjoy the experience of riding alone.

My father-in-law exclaimed when he saw how high Angel went up on the swing. Well, then the hubby came and we let the baby go on the swing too, not her first time. She didn't go as high, of course, but high enough to make her giggle and bounce up and down. The swing had no backing and she might fall backwards if she didn't grip firmly. Then again, we were always behind her and even if we could not react fast enough, the rubbering flooring is there to cushion the fall, right?

I took Angel and Ariel to a Mum and Child Zumba class and was so glad that I did. The big sister enjoyed most of the class, to my surprise, and the little sister was such a good girl to sit through half of it and for the latter half, she wanted a piece of the action too and so we did it with her slung across my chest.

The arcade is one of our favourite hangouts and I used to love playing this whack-a-mole game with Angel. As she grows more independent, I figured out I should just cheer by the side while she tries to break the high score time and again. Can you imagine the beam on her face when I said "Great job! You just won TEN tickets, my dear!"?

For the hubby, he rocks at the basketball game and I honestly wonder how he could possess the energy and power to aim (does he even need to aim?) and shoot non-stop at an insane speed for that few minutes. Guess how many tickets he won from a single game of this? 20? 30? Neh. He won 56.

As for me, well, November is one of the best time of the year for me to crack my brains, challenge my creativity and test my determination. Yes, at my girl's birthday party.

Did I have a fixed plan? No. Was I sure I could do it? No. Did I use a lot of brain cells? Well, pretty much what is left in me after I became a mum. Did I get any hiccups halfway? Why, yes, especially the sewing part. Would I have thrown in the towel? Never. I would rather go without sleep or find other ways to make things work and have an awesome party.

So you see, that party was not just solely for my girl. It was a way for me to get that sense of achievement and satisfaction too when I saw all the happy little faces around me. Maybe, just maybe, I was destined to be a party planner but never got the chance to doing it. Thankfully I have my kids' birthdays to celebrate!

As part of Angel's birthday celebration, we went to Wild Wild Wet in Pasir Ris and had a splashing good time there. You know, one thing about Angel is that the older she grows, the more scared of water slides she becomes. Nowadays, she would whine, kick up a fuss or just freak out when we tell her to go down the slide. I didn't really give her the choice that day and I was glad she mastered the courage to go down Ular Lah, first raft slide in Southeast Asia, with me and also go on the Professor's Playground swirling slides with the daddy, zooming down in superman style.

As for the little one, well, she also made it down the swirling slides with me not once, twice but at least seven times. Thankfully there was no lifeguard to stop us from sliding together or judging she was too small to try. Seeing her big smiles and hearing her sweet laughter, I'm guessing she kinda loved the thrills.

Last but not least, we also had an all-girls holiday for the first time. Yes, going to Malaysia is still considered a trip out of Singapore, right? You know, when I received the invite to Legoland Hotel, I was thrilled beyond words and even knowing that the hubby would be out of town didn't really dampen that spirit. It was such a golden opportunity for us, something that the hubby did not comprehend and in fact, he discouraged me from going.

I was a little sad to hear that but I totally understood he was worried for our safety, especially since Ariel is still so small and needy. However, I was resolute that I could make things work and so I did. I persuaded my mum to go with me so we could tell the hubby and everyone else not to worry. Yes, I'm stubborn that way, for good or for bad.



Somehow, we still managed to visit not one, but two theme parks, including the newly opened Water Park. I was initially half hesitant to bring both kids into the water on my own (my mum preferred to stay dry), especially when one of them still couldn't swim, walk or even stand. But, you know what, I am just so glad we did because it was probably one of the happiest days of my life. Family outings rock but so do all girls excursions! More on Legoland Hotel to come soon.

To more happiness ahead of us in the last month of 2013!

******

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What are you HAPPY for this month? 

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