#162
***Updated 4 days later far below:
For weeks, Rockstar’s been a) asking whether I know if it’s his turn at Show n Tell, and b) assuring me it never is.
This is my son who can pretend to be asleep at drop-off and “sleepwalk” into school with his eyes closed so he “can’t recognize people and can’t say ‘good afternoon’ to them.” (Wow. Why did I not try that with Compliance? But the ‘Good Afternoon’ Rockstar Defiance was because driving up to the school I kept trying to get him to wish school staff on his way in. Sheesh.) So you can understand when I get suspicious as to whether he’ll tell me when it’s his turn to bring something to school. Hence spare starfish with his name on it that’s been in his bag since Room Service left it in our room at Angsana Bintan.
- Driving school bus (at Snoopy’s World) the Rockstar way
(Turns out, when it’s his turn he comes home with a sticker. It’s possible if his teacher did not point it out at pickup time in front of him he might still have tried claiming that is not his chest the sticker is stuck to. The Rockstar has strong feelings about his parents pushing him to do well, he has to decide it’s a good idea on his own.)
Kings: Oh, it’s your turn tomorrow! What are you going to say?
Rockstar: What I heard from you guys loh.
Me: Also what (8yr old friends’ son he likes) told you about starfish re-growing their arms right?
Rockstar: Sigh. Oh-kaaaay.
Kings: Can we hear what you’re going to say?
Rockstar: Haven’t thought about what to say.
Next day before school:
Me: You sure you don’t need to run thru what you’re going to say?
Rockstar: When it’s time, I’ll think about it.
Me: <thinking it was weeks ago when I told him about starfish and we have had no conversations after – there are apparently kids in school who practice their violin for at Show n Tell…Maybe I should at least make sure he can say something> Wanna watch YouTube videos of starfish eating and stuff?
Rockstar: Oh! Sure!
After a few minutes’ footage of starfish in people’s tanks drifting about occasionally waving limbs at each other, Rockstar discovers Finding Nemo clips and watches those for the rest of the morning. It’s possible if I nixed the Nemo, I would get serious ‘tude, but I will never know for sure. He has never demanded Nemo until today, Show n Tell day. Sometimes he just goes out of his way to make sure we are not pushing him into anything. Can you say anal.
Me: Uh… You still don’t want to tell me what you’re going to say?
Rockstar: I’ll tell you what I said after school.
I hesitate, then put a note in his teacher-communication diary that he has a starfish in his bag (because it’s his first Show n Tell in his new class and I still have no idea if he is going to say ANYTHING, but at the same time I don’t want the school to think I am just DYING for my child to do Show n Tell.)
At pickup:
Me: How was school darling?
Rockstar: It was great.
<expectant pause>
Me: What did you say at Show n tell?
Rockstar: I forgot.
Me: You FORGOT?
Rockstar: I think I talked about trains.
Me: What do you mean “trains”??
Rockstar: Trains, I have trains at home. And at Wisekids (Playroom).
Me: But you brought a STARFISH to school!!
Twinkle, Twinkle, That's His Starfish
Rockstar: <patiently> We have trains in school, Mum.
Me: Are you telling me you’ve been carrying that starfish around in your bag for ages and then you went to school, picked up a train and talked about THAT?
Rockstar: Oh. Yeah. (So I) talked about starfish and trains. <Change subject> Is that Japanese?
Me: What Japanese, you know those signs (in shop windows in Sheung Wan where we went to pick Kings) are all in Chinese…….. What could you possibly have to say about starfish AND trains?
Rockstar: <brightly> I ate all my snack today!
At which point it occurs to me to check the parent-teacher diary in his bag, where his teacher has left a note that he did quite well for the Show n Tell. I read the note out, and the Rockstar looks pleased. I decide not to pursue it. Except…
Me: Um… So did anyone play the violin in your group?
Rockstar: <like I’m nuts> Nooooo-OOooo. (Classmate) brought a fish.
Anyway it was Friday, so after school Kings brought us out to New Town Plaza’s Snoopy’s World, which is a big outdoor Snoopy-themed playground full of 90% local kids (Canto-everywhere), and we also spy a few local school uniforms. We saw a grand total of one mixed-race child that day.
- Tried to exclude as many kids as I could from this frame… It was starting to drizzle so that made it a little easier…
It’s one of the most pleasant-though-crowded playgrounds we’ve been at, just little things like when a girl tinier than Rockstar (so I’m guessing younger too, Rockstar is in the lowest 3% in terms of height for boys his age <fret>) is a little slow going up the stairs in front of our son, her local dad asks her to speed up a bit or move aside to let Rockstar go first, in Cantonese.
Later, over Ramen in the mall, Rockstar starts chirping, “Starfish can push one of their stomachs out to eat and when they finish they slide it back in and if you cut one arm off it grows back or the arm becomes a whole new starfish – “ then abruptly remembers (I guess) that he wasn’t telling, and clams up despite our best efforts. He goes back to a running commentary of mixing the different sauces that came with the noodles.
New Town Plaza mall decor (it's a humongous mall btw)
We may never know what he said about trains. (Or whether he was just yanking our chains because he knew we were worried he wouldn’t say anything in his new class…)
Me: Think you want to be one of those kids playing a violin?
Rockstar: Nah… I like the trumpet.
Me: Where in the world did you ever come across anyone playing a trumpet, in school? On tv??
Rockstar: <ignoring question> I want to learn to play a trumpet, Mum, Daddy. <authoritatively> So you need to get me a trumpet.
Me: <thinking Is He Serious?>Well… your birthday’s coming up, and Christmas (because the two are so close together we’ve got him birthday stuff much earlier before) you want a trumpet and lessons for your birthday? (this is me calling his bluff)
Rockstar: Yes. Trumpet.
Me: And you know what that is.
Rockstar: Yeah. You blow in one end <makes halfway convincing trumpet-playing action>
Kings: WHERE are your parents going to get you a trumpet?!
Rockstar: <patiently> Trumpet shop, Daddy. You buy trumpets from a trumpet shop.
Y-eah, we’re shelving this one. Trains, trumpets… He’s probably just being funny because I asked about the violin. We’ll see how he feels after more ABC Music & Me at school…
***4 days later:
1) Rockstar: Mum. The other day I didn’t really talk about trains. I was just kidding you.
2) To date, the Rockstar has not asked to watch any more Nemo clips. But he asked for more starfish clips when we got home.
Hi Aileen, now you got me very curious about what Rockstar did for his Show and Tell. Do you think that it is possible to camouflage a listening device bug as a collar pin the next time he does another Show and Tell? Else I think his kindy should video tape the Show and Tell as I think many parents would be interested to see how their children performed.
Haha I really didn’t think of all that, I think they have this kind of stuff in school quite often.. Rockstar came home once saying one of his classmates told him colorful frogs are poisonous..
Maybe a note to his teacher in his little book the next day asking whether he did do the show and tell about [the particular toy/ topic/ subject/ picture/ whatever that Rockstar had planned on] next time?
Glad you had fun at Snoopy’s World as it can be a nightmare, especially at the weekends and during the holidays as the place gets crammed with kids and many inconsiderate parents/ adults pushing prams and pushchairs blindly. I was once there with a litle toddler and she nearly got run over and knocked into by many stupid people and their pushchairs. It’s a kiddie play area so you have to move slowly and be aware of tiny people but far too many adults there only thought of themselves. I was so mad and I wasn’t even the parent!
I didn’t want to get too anal, I think it’s just part of their regular class work n was just happy to hear he didn’t clam up in new class.. Hk is just way crowded, we kinda try not to go to big playgrounds on weekends, we were there fri afternoon with a drizzle so I think by Hk standards probably way not as crowded as usual (our tolerance for crowds is substantially lower than many locals’ I believe..)