Obsessed with Dandelion

There is no flower that attracts both Chenya and Ryan like the common Dandelion. After the harsh winter this year which ended sometime in February and when spring kicked in, there were so many little white tiny fluffy star burst like flower popping up everywhere – the dandelion.

Both Chenya and Ryan were having a blast, picking them up and blowing them into the wind. 

 

I enjoyed watching them having simple fun like this and being back to the nature, running wild in the park (although it would have been much better if they were in a real natural park somewhere with clear blue skies with little air pollution, unlike the severe ones that we get in Beijing).

 

The laughter, the squeals (especially from Chenya) and the screams from Ryan as the light tiny white dandelion seeds float in the air, being carried by the wind, landing we know not where, but with a possibility of a new beginning and starting the next life cycle was something precious and memorable to me.

I can’t really recall whether I had such fun when I was younger but from the look of both my children, I can sense the true, deep and uninhibited joy of simply blowing the dandelion flowers and chasing after the seed all over the place.

 

We just went through some hot and humid summer here in Beijing, reportedly one of the hottest that most Beijingers would attest to. Autumn has arrived and the weather is slowly cooling down a little and we can see more clear blue skies in the recent weeks as compared to the hot polluted summer days.

Days are shorter now as compared to summer and soon the sun would set by 4:30 in the evening, as winter arrives. Honestly speaking, I am looking forward to the winter although it can be very cold and harsh at times, but I am looking forward to snowfall and another round of snowball fights with my son and this year, I am sure Chenya would be able to join in as well.

 

For now, with this post, I just hope and wish (if I could) remind my children when they do grow up, that the best fun and laughter and true joy sometimes comes from the simplest of things in life, such as a tiny white dandelion.

So, if you are ever depressed and frustrated anytime in the future, try picking up a dandelion and blow it into the wind, sit back and watch them float without care nor worries, wherever the wind takes them, knowing that a new beginning for them has just started.

Who Made Me

The 20 minutes ride to the Summer Camp the last couple of days have turned out to be a rather interesting daddy and son's discussion and conversation bonding. As usual, he will not stop asking questions and talked from the moment he got into the car and will only stop when he got down from the car.

That 20 minutes or so can be rather long when the questions from an inquisitive and curious 5 year old mind comes fast and furious, sometimes too fast and too furious. Topics discussed can be so diverse and wide and a walking encyclopedia could have problem responding appropriately, especially to a five year old.

This morning conversation somehow started with Ryan telling me that he can feel his bone and asked me if I could feel the same. "Of course!" I said.

"Why? Why can you feel your bone? Is it very near to the skin?" he continued.

"Yes" I replied.

"What about blood? Is it very near to the skin too?" his relentless questioning continued.

"Yes. Blood is near to the skin too." I replied. "Blood is all over your body." I replied smartly.

"Why? Why is blood all over the body?" his questioning intensified. 

"Because blood will bring oxygen to every part of your body, your brain, your heart, your hands, your feet ..."

"What is oxygen?" he asked.

"It's the air you breathe in." I replied.

"But why? Why do blood need to bring air to other parts of the body?" he asked.

Baffled and searching my CPU for an appropriate answer, I took a short cut which ultimately led to my doom, so to speak. "Because we are made that way." I replied, thinking that that would help me get out from having to scientifically explained the complex workings of the human body and organs in the most simplistic manner that a five year old would understand. 

He paused for awhile and I thought that that was it. However, little did I realised that the next question is EVEN TOUGHER to answer.

"Daddy. Who made me?" he asked.

I have just dug a deeper hole. How do I explain to a five year old that mommy and daddy made him in a manner that would not lead to more embarrassing questions, which a five year old might not truly or totally comprehend. Isn't sex education a little too early for him at this age? My mind was racing for an answer. The best answer that I could give would be "Daddy and mommy made you" which is true but then again, I can already anticipate the next question from him which would likely be "How daddy and mommy made me?" How do I explain that?

Being smart as I am, or so I thought I was, I took another simple way out, without considering the consequences. 

"GOD made you." I replied and immediately I knew I was in trouble.

"Who is GOD? Where is GOD? Daddy...who is GOD? How did GOD make me?" the barrage of questions kept on coming.

My CPU was now overloaded and at the brink of a crash as I tried to figure out how on earth am I going to get myself out from the bottomless pit that I have just dug.

And then, I was saved by a miracle. That very moment, the car pull up to the school and we have ARRIVED! Phew!

"OK. Time to go. Quick! Quick or we will be late!" I shooed him down.

So, how would you answer his "Who Made Me?" question?

My dear son, in due time, you would know and when the time is right, you would understand the complexity and the beauty of human creation. Yes, daddy and mommy did made you (and you will find out how by then) but GOD did most of the work and you, like all other children of all races, cultures, social status and skin colors are wonderful and amazing miracles and gifts from HIM, unique in every way.

I TALK because I want to LEARN

Ryan is TALKATIVE and when I said talkative, I meant really talk and talk and talk and talk and talk.......

There are times when he can really get to your nerves when he kept on repeatedly asking the same question again and again, especially when you are tired and needed to focus on getting something done.

He talked and asked questions for an entire 25 minutes this morning in the car, while on the way to attend his summer camp. And it all started the moment we came out from the car park with him saying "Zoewe (our toy poodle) is small but FAT" after he heard me telling the driver to pick us up tomorrow to sent Zoewe for her grooming since her birthday is coming up on Saturday.

And that one statement turned into a conversation on why Zoewe is not big, what is a poodle, why is a poodle not big, is a cat big, what about a tiger, how about a dinosaur, how about T-Rex, how will a T-Rex fight, can a T-Rex bite, can a T-Rex step on it's enemies, what about that dinosaur with a big head and horn, why is it called a triceratops, where is the third horn, is a bird big, can a big bird catch me with it's claws, why cannot, what is a big bird, why is eagle is big bird, what other bird is big, can a vulture catch me and it goes on and on and on ....

By the time, he arrived at his school, I said "You talked non stop" and he replied "Yes. I talked no stop from house to school." proudly.

What he said following that struck me.

"I talked non stop and ask because I want to know ma. I want to know because I want to learn ma. That is why I talk non stop lo!"

Now, how can you beat that? What he said is absolutely true. On one hand, I want to encourage him to learn. The only way to really learn is to be curious about things in his life. Curiosity will lead to questions and more questions for the truth. And yet, here I am, often times telling him to keep quiet because he `talks' too much.

I am led again to be reminded by what Jeff (his class teacher) said "Do not curb their curiosity. Instead nurture it because it is their nature."

So, my dear son. I am sorry if I ever tell you to talk less. Keep talking and asking and keeps on learning as long as you live. Remember this when you grow up that ASKING is a GREAT WAY TO LEARNING! (But do give me a break every now and then will you...at least to catch my breath and think of the answers.....)