Reception or No Reception

Finally, I have my own blog! As a first-timer, I kind of expected to find myself virtiously slacked. Didn't think though that excitement of this kind can actually render my mind blank and ultimately disappointed.

Well...my pumpkin is napping. It's a daily after-school routine which she needs as she wakes up as early as 615am every day. She attended pre-school when she was a little over 2 years at Salt Lake City, Calcutta. I thought my husband and I made her simple life complex.

At a very young age, she had to learn the discipline of getting up early--to bathe; eat breakfast as in f-a-s-t; and while yawning in between, putting on her uniform just as quickly. It was difficult to hear her cry as she entered the school gate. As a mother I felt sorry for her to go through such an early life training while other kids are still tucked in bed. (The educational system was not like this in the 70's!) Since times have changed, my husband and I agreed on early childhood education in the hope of equipping her with tools to survive both statutory and obligatory education later on. 

She's now in Senior KG here in Manama. Thanks to Shemrock, India, my child learned to write early. Right now she's learning firmer strokes among many other things. Her handwriting improved impressively. Above all, she looks forward to going to school every day. The once feeling of obligation has now turned into a feeling of excitement for her.

In retrospect, I grew up in an extended family surrounded by cousins of practically the same age. Some were older and some younger but the gap was not that big. There was no need for reception class at age 2 or 3 at our time. If socialization is one of the factors in joining early childhood education, we need not go too far as we had all resources ready at our disposal--pretend games of animated heroes like Voltes V, Mazinger Z ; patintero, sipa (kick) or sepak takraw; tumbang preso (tin target [translation mine]) (a few Filipino traditional games). A little backstory there.

Fast forward to where I am now, I can't help but wonder, is the necessity of sending a young child to early education based on the child's need or a need created by business-minded people? Or is it the gap so massive created by the then and now that parents of today have to catch up? 

Time to wake her up!