Yesterday morning after I took my daughter to Kindergarten, I was busy answering my emails when O toddled to my desk. He often does this when he sees me on my laptop, and most of the time (if I don’t have any deadlines to meet), I indulge him by going to the Thomas the Tank Engine or Bob the Builder sites. If his big sister is around, she play games while he watches, and fun seems to be had by all.

Anyway, for some reason, I was in You Tube, and somehow, we found the video “Manamana” as you see pictured above. Its a vintage Sesame Street/Muppets clip (wasn’t I just talking about this?) from the 70’s, and involves a very catchy tune “sung” by the two pink creatures (birds?) and the caveman-esque chap with the shades. It is absolutely delightful!

Well, O LOVED it, and just kept on cracking up when the caveman would pop up saying “manamana”. For what seemed like ages, we watched the clip over and over again, which eventually prompted me to sign up at the site and get more into memory lane by searching for more clips from the childhood, of which I found a couple of gems - “Eleven O’Clock!” and the clown who takes his makeup off. Hurrah!

When N got home from school, O just had to show her “anama!”, which she LOVED as well.
They watched it again first thing this morning, and now N wants them to sing it at out family Christmas party on Christmas Eve. Guess who’ll have to be one of the pink furry creatures?

To see the video, click HERE.

[tags]Muppets, manamana, Sesame Street,childhood[/tags]

Yes, we enjoyed Dynasty, V (remember the mice-eating aliens?), Taste the Blood of Dracula, and of course ALL the Disney classics, but we were also passionate about books, going through practically all the books in our Grandfather’s home library by the time we hit our teens. The public library and bookstores were also our favourite haunts, where we could spend entire afternoons happily choosing one or two.

And now that I think about it, we were extremely imaginative and creative kids who have grown into adults who now dont even watch much television at all. In fact, these days its either my kids or my husband who monopolize our televisions, and I don’t mind one bit.

Ok, I’ll watch Martha if it happens to be on after I drop my daughter at Kindergarten and am done with the gym or morning errands, and if the latest episode of Desperate Housewives is on, its definitely Mummy’s turn tonight - but, having said that, I actually can’t sit for long periods watching the tube. My bottom aches and I’d rather be making homemade ice cream or scrapbooking in my typical Supermom drive.

My husband, on the other hand, grew up in less of a “granola” environment (the exact opposite actually) in an all-boys boarding school in England. Television was only allowed on weekends for a very limited time, and at home on holidays it was equally regulated. Not that today he’s become a coach potato, but lets just say that if he can, he’ll watch the entire DVD collection of Las Vegas or Stargate in a few days. And don’t tell anyone, but he doesn’t like reading much either.

[tags]Dynasty, television, reading, childhood[/tags]

Now that I’ve let the shameful cat out of the bag that my kids love the tube (not the London Underground, although they’ll probably go for that too), I can now blog more freely about this overly-demonised activity (or inactivity rather).

When I was young, my Mother never stopped my sister and I from watching television. There were no house rules as to which programs we could see (obviously porn and the disturbingly violent were not in the picture, but we didnt want to see them anyway), and there were no “tv” time limits or specifics to regulate it at all.

In fact, when I was around two and Sesame Street first came out, my Mom proudly told me that I’d watch it every day, at eleven o’clock sharp, while I ate my brown rice and fried chicken with a Japanese sesame topping she made from scratch (we were into the micobiotic diet thing and she practiced trancendental meditation if you get my drift).

Years later, my sister and I would get home after grade school and head straight for the television, where we’d watch cartoons from Superfriends to Smurfs while having our after-school snack. Not that we were couch potatoes by a mile. In fact, while the television was a device open to us to our hearts content, we nearly always preferred to play with each other - whether it was our elaborate imaginary games under the big dining room table, in the sunken living room (it was the late seventies!!), or in our room, where we would lay out all our play houses and entertain ourselves for hours with a game we called “village”.

[tags]Seventies television, childhood, television, Sesame Street[/tags]

I’ll probably get throttled for saying this, but now with the backing of the esteemed American Academy of Pediatrics, I can finally admit that I let my kids watch copious amounts of tv, and that I believe that if the right programmes are chosen, it actually does them good. Of course it doesnt beat an afternoon of playing make-believe in the backyard, but you know what I mean.

I’m talking about Barney, Sesame Street, Blues Clues, Dora, and the like, which teach a lot of good stuff they wouldnt learn at home (especially if they don’t go to school yet)- and not some of the awful stuff tweens and teens get on Nickelodeon and Disney. My 4 year-old unfortunately is amused by the likes of Zach and Cody and High School Musical, which I don’t really mind too much. Its Sponge Bob’s less-than-respectable language and shows like “All That” which have kids pouring down coffee and white sugar down their throats while they act absolutely horrifying - are what makes me shudder.

So back to this startling piece of news, which I share with you here:

Study Finds Positive Effects of Educational TV on Preschoolers

SEATTLE, November 6: A new study published today in the November issue of Pediatrics, the official journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics, has found that educational television programs can be beneficial to toddlers and preschoolers in broadening their knowledge, affecting their racial attitudes and enhancing their creativity.

The report looked at 12 studies conducted between 1973 and 2000 focused specifically on television content viewed by children under the age of 6 and its impact on learning, racial preference, aggression, pro-social behavior, self-regulation and imagination.

The research found that there is evidence to suggest that educational television programs, such as Sesame Street and Mister Rogers, can aid in the acquisition of general knowledge plus improve overall cognitive knowledge among young children. There is also evidence in the literature that children’s imaginative play can be positively affected by television content. Furthermore, educational television programming that emphasizes diversity can improve children’s racial attitudes.

“The bottom line is that content is key—high-quality educational programming can have a positive effect on children under age 6,” said Dr. Dimitri Christakis, a pediatrician at Children’s Hospital and Regional Medical Center in Seattle. “However, much more research is needed. It was disappointing that there are so few rigorous controlled trials of something that is so important and so prevalent.”

However, there was also evidence that television viewing can increase a child’s display of aggression.

“This is a good start, but more research is needed on the impact of television viewing and content on infants and young children,” added Christakis. “Especially as the infant video and cable television markets are exploding, we should be carefully monitoring whether or not these products meet their claims to improve a child’s intelligence, language acquisition and pro-social behaviors. At this point, we should continue to be cautious about the amount and type of television we let our kids watch.”

[tags]Television, Kids, Preschoolers[/tags]

After breakfast the kids would fill their napkins with bread from the breakfast buffet and feed the many carp ponds around the resort with Lola. O knew exactly whom he liked to feed best and after giving a few crumbs to the what we called the “teens” (read: smaller), he’d toddle away shouting “big ones!! big ones!!” to the pond with the biggest carp, who reminded us very much of pirhanas, being able to polish of an entire loaf in seconds.

Just so you dont think we wiled away our holiday without letting the children experience the Thai culture, let me assure you that we also visited the mummified monk and the Wats around it, where N lit incense and shook the fortune sticks. We also stopped off at the Big Buddha, where large mermaid statues jutted from the sea, and both kids were fascinated at the top of the shrine where we had to walk around the area, ring the large bells in line with the Buddhist tradition.

We also made it to Samui’s national park, where the daring N went on elephant safari with her daddy, riding on its head, and later riding a baby one bareback at the elephant show. O was a little less daring, saing “no, no no” matter-of-factly when I asked him if he wanted to ride the elephant as well.

N made great friends with some expat kids who came to the hotel one afternoon, spent hours on the beach, got 2 tattoos (temporary of course!) and was saying “Kap Kun Ka” like a native! O had his first experience using water wings and was in total ecstasy feeling independent in the water for the first time ever. It was wonderful for both the Grandparents and the kids to spend quality time together, and my husband and I got to sneak off on several occassions to sample some of the great restaurants on the island.

Tanned and happy, it was a wonderful holiday, not without its hitches, but with kids, it was a good as it gets!

[tags]Thailand, Koh Samui, Travel with Kids[/tags]

We arrived Koh Samui and were happily greeted by Lola and Poppa Joe (my Mother and step-dad who had moved to the island last April). My four-year old N was thrilled (as she adores her Grandma) as was the little O, who unfortunately by now had a fever which spiked to a ghastly 39 degrees.

We checked into the Banana Fan Sea Resort in Chaweng beach, which was the main beach and tourist area of the island, which suited us well, as it was also the most child-friendly. Our “hut” for the next two weeks was wonderful, right on the beach with our own little terrace, and a tiny garden enclosed by a wooden gate - perfect for deterring my darlings from running straight to the beach. Aside from a pool area which stocked a good supply of water games equipment, and a little tykes playground on the beach, the hotel had a kids menu, crayons, and fantastic themed buffets nightly where the kids ate free. Add a very reasonable and friendly baby-sitting service and we were set up. It was perfect!!

As luck would have it, we had also arrived right on time for Loy Krathong, one of the biggest and most beautiful festivals in Thailand. On this night of the full moon, pretty little rafts made from banana tree trunks are filled with flowers, candles, incense and banana leaves are set afloat in rivers all over the country. There are contests and fireworks and
in our case, after a traditional show , we all set the rafts afloat in the hotel pool, which you can imagine, thrilled the children to no end. My girl N was actually the last person on the poolside, arranging the floats that had drifted to the edge of the pool and pushing them away again.

The days that preceeded were lazy and in true holiday-mode, except for my little boy’s awful cold, that is. After a few days of a seemingly relentless fever, Lola and I took him to the impressive Bangkok Hospital, where a very good doctor said that his cold had progressed to an ear infection and ordered him to take some antibiotics. Barely two days later O was back to his normal self, and our remaining days at the Banana Hotel (as N called it) were filled with swimming, eating roasted corn and mangoes from the vendor on the beach and when it rained, shopping at Tescos for toys and art supplies, and eating at Svensens ice cream.

[tags]Thailand, holiday, Loy Krathong, Travel with Kids[/tags]

Upon arrival in Bangkok, my husband whisked us all away to a night of luxury at the Oriental hotel, which really is Asia’s best and most historic hotel. Having stayed there earlier this year for our anniversary, you can imagine how different things were this time around with our offspring.

Within half an hour, the beautiful room overlooking the swimming pool and river beyond was quickly becoming a disaster zone. The lovely fruit basket which lay on the table was now in disarray, banana bits dotting the carpet, a half eaten rambutan under the desk, the fresh orange juice on the silk sofa and so on. The toys they had brought (and Dad had brought from his trip to Singapore) were all over the place, and at bathtime, my son promptly smashed the celadon container with bath salts into a million pieces.

Our poor butler (every room has one at the Oriental, and you can reach him through a buttton by the bed), who probably wished he were assigned to a different room,had to come in several times to help limit the damages. Luckily, he came with a basket full of DVDs after a few visits, which got the rug rats calm for a bit. We then took them for a quick ride on one of the hotel’s charming boats on the river, which my daughter loved, but keenly observed ” Mom, why is the river so brown? I dont think I should swim in it“.

Expecting the chaos and overwhelming sense of oh-my-god-why-did-we-take-them-on-holiday? , my fabulous husband had already slyly planned something for us that evening, a plan which involved a babysitter and the most amazing restaurant in the city.

So that evening, we left the kids with a very sweet hotel babysitter (whose name was “UH”), room service and dvd, and had the most wonderful evening at Cirocco’s, which I have to say is the MOST incredible restaurant I have been to in my life. On the 63rd floor of the State Tower (Bangkok’s second tallest building), the restaurant has some FANtastic views of the city, not to mention delicious food AND a jazz band entertaining you as you literally feast in the stars.

With some time left before the babysitter’s departure, we quickly sneaked a nightcap at the hotel’s Bamboo Bar, another favourite haunt of ours. We got back to the room just in time, the kids in bed but awake, all kisses and smiles (apparently the babysitter was a good one, thank goodness!) Such a wonderful evening, and a wonderful way to start a holiday, dont you think?

[tags]Bangkok travel with kids,Oriental hotel with kids,Cirocco[/tags]

Before I blog more about our Thailand family holiday, I just had to share this funny email I received, written by children - don’t you just love the honesty of kids???

Why God Made Moms

(Answers given by 2nd grade school children to the following questions!!)

Why did God make mothers?

1. She’s the only one who knows where the scotch tape is.
2. Mostly to clean the house.
3. To help us out of there when we were getting born.

How did God make mothers?

1. He used dirt, just like for the rest of us.
2. Magic plus super powers and a lot of stirring.
3. God made my Mom just the same like he made me. He just used bigger parts.

What ingredients are mothers made of?

1. God makes mothers out of clouds and angel hair and everything nice in
the world and one dab of mean.
2. They had to get their start from men’s bones. Then they mostly use string, I think.

Why did God give you your mother & not some other mom?

1. We’re related.
2. God knew she likes me a lot more than other people’s moms like me.

What kind of little girl was your mom?

1. My mom has always been my mom and none of that other stuff.
2. I don’t know because I wasn’t there, but my guess would be pretty bossy.
3. They say she used to be nice.

What did mom need to know about dad before she married him?

1. His last name.
2. She had to know his background. Like is he a crook? Does he get drunk on beer?
3. Does he make at least $800 a year? Did he say NO to drugs and YES to chores?

Why did your mom marry your dad?

1. My dad makes the best spaghetti in the world. And my Mom eats a lot.
2. She got too old to do anything else with him.
3. My grandma says that Mom didn’t have her thinking cap on. ( My Mom said that)

Who’s the boss at your house?

1. Mom doesn’t want to be boss, but she has to because dad’s such a goofball.
2. Mom. You can tell by room inspection. She sees the stuff under the bed.
3. I guess Mom is, but only because she has a lot more to do than dad.

What’s the difference between moms & dads?

1. Moms work at work and work at home & dads just go to work at work.
2. Moms know how to talk to teachers without scaring them.
3. Dads are taller & stronger, but moms have all the real power ’cause
that’s who you got to ask if you want to sleep over at your friend’s.
4. Moms have magic, they make you feel better without medicine.

What does your mom do in her spare time?

1. Mothers don’t do spare time.
2. To hear her tell it, she pays bills all day long.

What would it take to make your mom perfect?

1. On the inside she’s already perfect. Outside, I think some kind of plastic surgery.
2. Diet. You know, her hair. I’d diet, maybe blue.

If you could change one thing about your Mom, what would it be?

1. She has this weird thing about me keeping my room clean. I’d get rid of that.
2. I’d make my Mom smarter. Then she would know it was my sister who did it and not me.
3. I would like for her to get rid of those invisible eyes on the back of her head.

[tags]Moms,God, Kids answers[/tags]

The daring parents we are, we’ve now taken our two kids to Thailand for a family holiday. As my husband had some work to attend to in the region, we decided to meet up in Bangkok and fly down to Koh Samui for a two week holiday.

And even more daring, I think, is that I flew solo with a 21-month-old and 4 year-old to Bangkok. To make things worse, my 21-month-old came down with a raging fever that very morning we were leaving, promptly vomiting on me (twice) in the car on the way to the airport. A very important lesson in travel with kids (and perhaps the single most important thing to do) - bring more than 2 sets of extra clothes (this means for Mom as well)!! The longer the journey and the younger the child, add an extra shirt or two, or be doomed to buying something hideously ill-fitting or overpriced at the duty free when you touch down.

After a frenzied call to Dr.J, who assured me that the show must go on and that a cold with fever is no big deal, we arrived at the airport, got through airport security, made it through to the plane, and finally arrived in Bangkok. The plane journey turned out to be pretty painless actually, my little girl was thrilled with her window seat, headset and kid’s meal saying “Mom, this is the best ever!, can I always have food like this?”, and amazingly, my little boy slept most of the way through.

Upon arrival, the flight attendant informed me that our stroller would NOT be available until the baggage carousel (grrrr), which was a real nightmare if you have ever been to the new airport in Bangkok and know how many miles you have to walk until you reach the baggage claim.

After a seemingly endless number of those flat escalator thingies (sorry I just cant remember what they’re called), going through immigration (I think the Thai police pitied us with my son screaming in line and opened a desk just for us to stop upsetting the other travellers) and getting our bags (which came out last, of course), it was the most wonderful feeling of all seeing my husband at the greeting area while my kids screamed Dada! and with a sigh of relief, I handed the stroller over to him.

[tags]Travel with children,Kids travel,Asia,Thailand,Koh Samui,Air travel with kids[/tags]

Moving into more inspirational topics, I recently received an email from one of my Mom groups, urging me to look at this short video. It was called “Animal School” from a website called Raising Small Souls.

I watched it and teared. It was truly a beautiful video about a child’s individuality. I urge you to watch it, whether you are a parent or not as I think it applies to us all. As a parent, I am always looking for ways to learn how to be the best parent I can be, and so I eagerly signed up for the website’s newsletter whose message seemed to be more than the usual developmental stuff you see on Baby Center (not that I dont think thats useful too, it is, but its not enough), but it touches on parenting on an emotional level too.

“Raising Small Souls” was created by a mom-of-three, Ellen Braun, and her husband who is a doctor amd principal at a vocational school for at-risk teenagers. Her ideas and notes on parenting accumulated throughout the years and this site, filled with all kinds of useful parenting advice, was born. Another nice thing I noticed was the personal touch her site had, which is not common on the web these days. After I registered for the newsletter, I got an email from Ellen, welcoming me, and saying:

“When you have a free moment, feel free to tell me about your child or children, and the most pressing parenting question on your mind. I will do my best to address your question in an upcoming issue of RaisingSmallSouls’ newsletter.”

She then apologized in advance if she wasnt able to respond right away, which is not surprising, but the whole thought was very nice, I thought. Parenting is a very personal and emotional job, and I await her newsletters with much anticipation.

As Ellen says:

“If I help just one family raise happier and emotionally healthier children, then this site has accomplished its goal,I hope that family is yours.”

How wonderful is that?

[tags]parenting advice, emotional parenting,parenting tips, raising small souls[/tags]