I had a wonderful chat with Kak Tenah yesterday. She pointed out something that made me look back and say , "Yeah la, Aishah is not as naughty as I make her out to be". I figured that it is unfair of me not to highlight how wonderful this little bundle of heaven that this daughter of mine has been. Well, I am not kidding when I said that she is a mess-maker supremo and a bullet train personified, but if you see her, spend at least 10 minutes with her, you will give her mom a good pinch for complaining so much.
Let me just share with you how I start my day with divine sunshine on my face. She usually wakes up earlier than I. What she would normally do is sit next to me on my bed, and put her face so close to mine with a wide smile plastered on her face, waiting for me to open my eyes. Upon feeling that something is breathing down my being, I would open my eyes and see the apple of my eye, in between my eyes, so close I'd get 'em crossed. Without fail, she would greet me with,
"Mommie, it's daytime, wake up!" , to which I will say,
"Alaaa, 5 minutes".
She must have been a boarding school warden in her previous life ( figuratively lah, I don't believe in reincarnations, thank you), she would pull my blankie and literally peel open my eyelids and tell me to "Kemas, kemas, kemas...!" while lifting up heavy down pillows konon-konon nak straighten up the place.
On lazy days, she would just lift my arm and put her head on my armpit and nuzzle close and say all the right things to me and we'd just spend tender moments in bed till about 11 am before she'd send me running to the kitchen to make her makan.
She a handy help in the kitchen too. She's actually my little commis chef who would get me my onions, garlic and what nots. Yesterday we made Fried Po Chai Noodles, and she was in charged of things. While I was bordering hypertensive keeping her off the stove, she was actually quite kitchen-savvy. She liked her cooking so much, we had to make a second batch.
She speaks to her grandmother almost everyday. On days that she's been especially messy, she'd report to her nani what a headache she's been. When I hear that, I would normally tear up and punish myself for apprehending her. But at least she knows what she's not supposed to do.
I would get a taste of my own medicine when I spill things. She would come to me and nag nag nag nag nag ....
"Why Ma spill the water?",
"Why Ma make mess?",
"See, the floor is dirty",
"Apaaaa la Ma niiiiiiiiihhh...Tsk... Tsk... Tsk.."
Being the absent-minded klutz around the house, I'd always bump into things. At the sound of my "adoi" and "alamak", Aishah would come to the rescue with our standard emergency procedure, "Aishah blow, Aishah kiss, thaaaaaaat's better."Dah baik dah...When my sister discovered that she had a breastlump and freaked out not knowing what lump it was,Aishah was in tears because Ucu won't let her go inside the room to see if everything was okay. I still remember her words,
"Ucu is sick, Aishah wants to see. Aishah nak sayang Ucu"
It amazes me how much compassion she has, for such a young kid. Ntah2 nak jadi tuan loktol tak? Amin... A clown doctor maybe, since she tickles my funny bone all the time with her antics, it is so hard to stay upset.
During our lessons and play time, she pays attention to instructions and would quickly try things out herself. And then some. Bila dah try sendiri tu paham2 je lah bersepahnya macam mana. I read somewhere that if you can get a toddler to focus for a full 5 minutes, that would be super. She can sit still a little under 5 minutes before she speeds off to another activity, I just let her be.
Aishah is also very gracious host. She would be very busy when guests come over. She gives a brief tour of her domain, her toys etc. She loves to serve food and drinks to our guests. I think she likes being able to do grown up things, to be independent, have a sense of purpose and responsibility.
Abah is a bit concerned that she has not learned to read. I am already so ecstatic that she recognises some words already, no need to pressure lah. She can count to 20 and can do kindy math like 1 plus 1 etc. Tak payah lah tahu banyak-banyak sangat, or she'd get bored in school later. Like Kak Tenah ajar, let her explore the world around her, which I think is a wholesome approach. I call it, freestyla !
I am convinced Aishah is by nature exceptional in her own ways. I just hope to be able to provide her with the right kind of enrichment just so that she will breeze through life. God willing. I am glad that she has shown very high EQ, her complex thought processes are outstanding that she outsmarts me to get her way. Her IQ is not yet Stephen Hawking's material la, tapi I think she will get by okay.
Most importantly, I want Aishah to be able to love properly, and know that she is loved by her family. I want love to be a non-issue, not something she will have to seek attention to get validated. I want her to feel at home at home. InsyaAllah.
As much as I would like to collect good memories with my own mother, I'd like to give good memories to my darling Safiyya Aishah Anwar, my "kakak big girl". That special way you touch my cheeks and say, "Sayyyang, Ma" and your noisy wet kisses are gems in my heart. I love you, boot boot....
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