Our only Chinese neighbour has got a girl of JS’s age, about a month older than JS. (The rest of the neighbours are none Chinese and they don’t have kids as young as mine). JS and this girl tags along quite well and became best friend though they speak different languages (It’s like chicken and duck talk, my girl can’t speak mandarin but can understand a little and her playmate couldn’t speak english).
The girl goes to a different school and previously when her grandparents were not around, she stays back at childcare and didn’t come back home till late evening everyday. Her parents are full time working parents. During that time JS miss playing with her. Now that the grandparents are here, this girl got to come home early after school, and each evening JS would want to go over to play or the girl would come over to our house.
Someday I would dropped JS at the neighbour’s house and let her play there and I would go pick her up after I finished cooking dinner, she got to be there for about 1 hour, sometimes the girl would come over and she can stay for as long as 2 hours and refuse to go home. JS also refuse to come home sometime.
The other day after JS got home, she was too exhausted from the play and also because she didn’t drink enough water, by the time she got home, she was so sweaty and her face as red like a tomato. She lost her appetite for dinner and she vomitted. Now I’ve banned her from going over to play, because she didn’t know her limits.
I know for sure if my MIL knows about me leaving JS at the neighbour house without my pressence, sure she will make a lot of noise. In fact she’s quite against the thought of letting JS go mingle at neighbour’s house. She thinks that by doing so, later when JS’s older she will always wants to go out to play with friends and dont want to stay home.
I don’t want to deprive JS from minggling with kids around her age. I don’t want her to be a loner, cold & distant and unfriendly. We dont have any other kids in the house that she can learn to socialize with. I have very young cousins of JS’s age but we hardly see each other. I think by letting her mix around is very important.
When we were staying in the apartment, during the time when I was working from home, I made it a point to bring JS out in the evening to the apartment compound to play with the other children which were always under the maid’s or the grannie’s care. I actually pitied JS that her surrounding is all old matured adults, the pro is that she can be matured faster but with all the adult’s attention and doting, it can make her self-centered. She has got no chance to experience the fun playing together with cousins. Trying to make up for that by letting her play with the neighbour.
Posted by dragonmummy 
