I'm Not Bragging

There has been some discussion among a group of online mummy friends about this topic, so I decided to write a post on my own thoughts & feelings about it. It seems that some of these poor mummies were criticized &/or questioned why they were doing so much learning stuff with their kids, wouldn't the kid feel stressed, wouldn't the kid be bored in school, were they bragging when they posted on FB about the kid's accomplishments.

I am quite fortunate that no one has made such remarks to me yet, maybe because what I do is not very academic, maybe because I am lucky that all my friends & acquaintances see the merits in what I do, or they can't be bothered anyway, maybe because they know my character and wisely decide not to make negative comments.

Anyway, just for the record, I want to make it clear that I am in no way bragging when I post about what Jiale has learnt. I no longer meet up regularly with other mummies who have children of the same age as Jiale, and Jiale doesn't go to daily school, so I have zero idea how his peers are doing. When I posted that Jiale could read/spell a few words, who knows, maybe his peers are already reading/spelling dozens of words! I do not know whether Jiale is smarter than his peers, I only know he is smarter than he was yesterday. I do not know whether Jiale is learning a lot very fast, I only know he is learning what he did not know yesterday. I compare him to himself, and I am not afraid to admit I am very proud of what he has achieved!

To play safe, I also want to inform everyone that I do not welcome disparaging or discouraging comments about what I do with my children. Another wise mummy said she would not listen to anyone else but herself when it came to her children, and I fully agree. Amidst all the advice and recommendations and shared experiences from others, ultimately it is the parents who must decide. Negative comments will only upset me, and I will most likely upset the person too - not because I want to 'take revenge', just that I will argue back and disagree in order to put across my point. I am not a doormat and will not allow people to walk all over me. I reserve the right not to publish your comment (on blog) and to delete your comment (on FB), unless it is to publish for the sake of argument.

OK, dunno why I got so agitated. Nobody stepped on my toes. I guess I am just upset there are people in the world who would pour cold water on someone else's enthusiasm when it is none of their business in the first place. I post on FB to share my happiness/unhappiness with people who care/are interested/don't mind reading for leisure. Anyone who doesn't want to read can just get lost go away.

Feel much better after ranting :p