2015 Week Two

It's 11.30 in the night. Sitting alone at the dining table, I attempt to self reflect while winding down for the day.

We're barely into week two of 2015, translating equally into the second week of Primary Two, and I'm ashamed to say that I have already blown off my temper at S. Why do P2s have to learn into the thousands?!! Did I learn that in lower primary as well? I can't recall obviously.

In fact, recollections of my time in primary school is vague at most. Bits and pieces of happenings around but nothing about the syllabus. However, I can recall that I enjoyed lessons (at least for primary school) and that I definately didn't have as much homework as him.
It's frustrating to compare, and I know that the comparison is irrelevant now, but the mental strain of the current syllabus for an eight year old somehow seems too much for not only him, but myself too, to take.

After work and a quick shower and dinner, we immediately start on his homework (2 pages of Maths and English each) and a little preparation for spelling on Wednesday. A glass of milk later and its 10pm. My boy crawls into bed, eyes red and sleepy, and he's flat out asleep within the next ten minutes. He gets his bare minimum of eight hours sleep before waking up bleary eyed the next day for school.

And this cycle goes on for him for the whole school week. On the luckier days that he doesn't have homework, I get to take a break as well. (Provided that he has learnt his spelling.) I get to unwind and have some me-time before the night gets too late. These times are like catching a breeze during the hot summer days - a brief respite in the neverending heat.

Come weekends, we don't try to pile the usual enrichment classes onto him. Instead, we enrol him for non-academic classes of swimming and art lessons, leisure and life skills instead of focusing on the academics. He has also expressed his interest in wushu or taekwondo and we may register him for a class if we find a suitable one.

So, in the blink of an eye, the weekend ends and the cycle continues on until the school holidays arrive for a much needed breather.
A working mom's life is tough.
A student's life is tougher.