Musings of a rookie stay@home mum

So I finally did what I think is the best thing for my kid and my family. Most, even my superiors, were supportive of the decision. A few people (female) said they were envious of my wonderful fortune to be able to stop work and stay home full time. Others (and this blog is named in their honour!) were envious that I would now be so 'free' and would be leading a tai-tai life. And I just know what they will say when they know about this blog: 'wah, so free ah?'

Hey, I'm no tai-tai, ok? First, I'm not married to a rich man. That's the end of the story, actually...

I have no maid, I mind the house, mind the son, wait in the hot sun at his school gate, etc. Despite reminding people of this, I suspect some of them still have visions of me lounging in front of the telly all day or going for regular high teas or something.

Another reaction to the idea of me leaving the working world was 'what a waste!' I'm not sure what people meant by that. What a waste of your wonderful talent? (ahem, ahem) What a waste of your years of education? What a waste of human resource in human-resource-scarce Singapore? (Look, I know I'm not indispensable) What a waste of your time -- you are going to be whiling away your time doing nothing of great significance? Aren't you going to contribute to society? Even my grandma said I shouldn't stop working.

I don't really know what it is I'm wasting and I'm sure I'm still contributing. One doesn't have to be in the workplace to contribute. Besides, someone has to do all the things that have to be done for the family and home. Should I go back to work in order to create jobs for maids, before-and-after-school-care centres, school bus drivers, food court operators, etc?

All this said, it's one of the BESTEST decisions I've ever made. No regrets. Though I would truly love to have lots of money without working. How, ah?

Comments

Ivan Chew said…

"Having lots of money without working"... I believe the solution is to Dream On! LOL. But seriously, I think it's not so much about working or not, but making productive use of your time. Parenting is productive, in my view.

11:50 pm

True train school

‘Having eyes, but not seeing beauty; having ears, but not hearing music; having minds, but not perceiving truth; having hearts that are never moved and therefore never set on fire. These are the things to fear, said the headmaster.’ How would you like to have such a headmaster? I finally re-read (read it first as a teenager) Totto-chan, The Little Girl at the Window , a ‘school story’ by Tetsuko Kuroyanagi, translated by Dorothy Britton. Totto-chan is the name Tesuko Kuroyanagi called herself, and the book is about her life during her school days at Tomoe Gakuen. Totto-chan was expelled from her first elementary school because of her ‘disruptive’ behaviour, which included constantly opening and closing her desk top (because she was so thrilled by it), ‘vandalising’ her desk (because there wasn’t enough space on the piece of paper to draw) and standing by the classroom window waiting for street musicians to pass by or talking to swallows. Her mother, although probably alarmed about the ...

No wonder

According to a poll of about 300 people, reported in yesterday's Sunday Times, (how come nobody ever asks me these things?) , the Seven Wonders of Singapore are (in order of merit): 1. The Esplanade (a whopping 82 votes) 2. Changi Airport (53 votes) 3. Sentosa 4. The Merlion 5. The Singapore River 6. Food 7. Mount Faber and LKY (tie - 10 votes each) Some 'offbeat choices' which didn't make it to the top 7: aunties selling tissue paper at coffee shops, Singlish, kiasuism, 4D-Toto outlets and Newater (said someone of Newater: 'We are probably the only country with branded recycled sewage.' Well said, ha ha.). Maybe it's a personal bias but I feel that a 'Wonder' must also have strong historical and cultural/social value (so I'm rather miffed that Angkor Wat didn't make it to the 7 Wonders of the World; in fact it was never in the running for the top 7). Therefore, these choices are a little too modern for me. The Esplanade, for example, is a...

He like dat say one meh?

Apparently, that 'English as it is broken' book has been topping the charts at our local bookstores. Actually, I'm not too interested in that book but this other one may be worth getting my hands on. The article about it, as published in Saturday's (1 Sept) ST: In the world of international diplomacy, the best-chosen words or phrases can leave an audience laughing, bewildered or simply lost in translation, an insider has revealed. Undiplomatic Activities, a yet-to-be-launched book by Mr Richard Woolcott, who ran Australia's foreign service for four years, points to the pitfalls of translating thoughts into different languages. Take the Australian diplomat in France who tried to tell his audience that as he looked back on his career, it was divided in two parts, with dull postings before life in Paris. 'When I look at my backside, I find it is divided into two parts,' Mr Woolcott quoted the diplomat as telling his highly amused audience. Ex-Australian prime m...

my ajumma notes

Search This Blog