Rockstarism #337 – of “Raising Emotionally Healthy Children”

#337

Rockstar’s school recently hosted a talk by child psychologist Dr Louise Porter who has a wealth of 30 years experience, and coming home from the packed auditorium, I’m greeted with:

Rockstar: How was it, how was it?

I show him the book.

Hurried blurry snap right before they started

Rockstar: Very good! <gives enthusiastic thumbs up>

Me: <mildly surprised> Ok, you look happy.

Rockstar: You have to learn these things. Otherwise how are you going to raise us properly.

Me: You mean there’s more to it than how many times to walk and feed you?

Rockstar: <IGNORES> 

Me: <not giving up> …Putting out fresh drinking water for you each day……

Rockstar: <Snorts><pointedly turns back to Youtube>

Me: Oh, oh, what if this book tells me to cut your Youtube?

Rockstar: <not looking up> It won’t say that. 

Me: What makes you so sure? <opening book> You don’t think it says right here, “No Youtube for kids”? 

Rockstar: <laughs> No. It won’t say that because I finished all my work first.

Me: Huh. You’re no fun.

Rockstar: <nodding> No, not really.

Miss, who’s been listening:  

Miss: Miss right here! <reaches for book>

I hand it to her and she opens it. Upside down, of course.

Miss: What this?  

Me: It’s a book about how to raise emotionally healthy children.

Rockstar: <finally looking up> So what’s it say? How’m I doing? 

Me: You can read some of it for yourself if you want, what’s your reading level nowadays, anyway…

(But even as I say it I remember Rockstar tends to be heavily skewed towards non-fiction readings; simply from a mild lack of interest in anything fiction that is not say, Star Wars related… So I rather expect he would appear to read at two different levels simply depending whether a fiction or nonfiction book is placed in front of him, i.e. my comment about reading level is off… We’re in the process of looking for something a bit more challenging because he’s kind of started to outgrow all the I Wonder Whys so I’d love any suggestions – we’re currently kinda stuck between too-complicated and just-getting-a-bit-too-simple…)

Rockstar: Maybe I will.. Then we can see if we’re all doing it right… <turns back to Youtube>

ps: Not sure that was what the good doctor had in mind, but certainly it was a very informative and interesting talk last night… Will write more eventually, just it takes a bit of digesting…

And another thing that occurred to me – there are not a few of these courses that span several weeks or a crash course weekend etc and obviously you have to pay for them… Last night’s seminar was completely free of charge for parents via Rockstar’s school, which I thought was a pretty good perk – I mean, I bought the book, but during the seminar they freely do tell you what’s in it anyway, there was no “If you want more then buy the book”… Even when at the end they mentioned there are full courses you can sign up for, it’s more along the lines of, “If you find it hard to put in practice because some of the ideas are so new, there’s more training available” rather than ending say, on a cliffhanger and saying something like, “Sign up to find out the rest…” I mention, because there is often such an aggressive push to sell things, in Hong Kong…

Also, usually there’s a lot more said about school fees increases etc but not so much about some of the better freebies like the free trainings and seminars… I hear of other schools that charge a lot more in fees and might still charge for some of these seminars… Just saying… 

Anyway here’s these two doing their best Brain Freeze faces. They are having frozen yoghurt (it’s usually yoghurt or sherbet, less often ice cream) though yes Rockstar has an Oreo and strawberry chocolate topping (which he didn’t finish) in his… The Miss had cornflakes (which she did finish) in hers.