The Toothbrush Battle

Posted by: Sharmila Rajah Post(s) by this blogger

This is one battle that I seem to be losing. I simply cannot get Shamindra to open his mouth to brush his teeth. He says ‘done’ even before I can get the toothbrush in.

I try to distract him and while he’s playing with something else, I go in for the ‘clean-up’. It’s no easy task mind you. We’ve tried singing songs, making funny faces but nothing really works.

We allow him to brush, which he sometimes does. Shamindra simply does not like the idea of opening his mouth. We praise him and encourage him when he does, which is very rare.

Any suggestions how we could move closer to winning this battle?
What are your practical tips and tried-and-tested methods?

The Crucial Debate

Posted by: Sharmila Rajah Post(s) by this blogger

We’ve been discussing this for some time. After all Ayanna will be 5 next month and it’s about time we decided. The debate – Private vs. International school.

The latter has won the debate. After debating both pros and cons and narrowing down the schools that fit our budget and education preference, we’ve chosen an International school. Ayanna begins this September her foray into the next level of education.

We chose International over Private for several reasons –

- As preparation for a  future that may involve studying abroad
- An all-encompassing education curriculum that places equal emphasis on academics, the social and cultural development of a child through a diverse range of activities and extra-curriculum such as sports, music, art and drama.
- An education that uses English as its medium
- A class environment (smaller sized classes) that encourages and promotes interaction, critical and analytical thinking

We hope we have made the right decision towards providing Ayanna with an all-rounded education by choosing International schooling over other options.

What have you decided for your own child? Is your child already experiencing International or private education – if yes, what has the experience been like so far?