開學篇 (第一篇: 課外活動篇) Back to School, Part One, Extracurricular Activities

I can't believe the summer is almost over. It's time to think about the kids going back to school. Back-to-School means that my life will be "back to normal" and becomes more structured, dictated by my kids' after-school schedules. Now that the kids are older, they have a clear sense of what they like and what they don't like, so they choose the after-school activities that they want to participate in. My 10 year-old daughter will continue with her dance classes and Girl Scout. She had bridged over to be a Girl Scout Cadette in June. My 8 year-old son will do AYSO soccer (www.ayso.org) this fall and Little League Baseball in the spring. He will also do Cub Scouting. He will be a Bear Cub Scout this year. With both kids in Scouting, we will be selling lots of Boy Scout popcorn and Girl Scout cookies this upcoming school year.

I am making both kids do violin. I let them choose between piano or violin and they both chose violin. I think they chose violin because they perceived that playing violin is EASIER than playing piano. Neither of my kids have inherited the musical discipline (or talent) from their father, so they will never achieve the kind of success that many Asian kids have exhibited in music performance. But I want my kids to be exposed to playing music, reading music, and learning about music theory. Mostly, I want them to appreciate music and musical performance. When they go to a concert, whether pop or classic, they will realize how hard those musicians have to work to get to where they are today. Unfortunately for me, getting them to practice violin is like pulling teeth, so they'll likely end their violin career the day I don't feel like nagging them about practicing their violins.

時間也過得真快,八月中,快開學了。 開學後,我的生活也就能變得比較規律,可是會更忙碌。 我覺得除了要開車載小孩上下課之外,還要載小孩參加不同的課外活動行程。 當然還得弄便當及督導小孩的功課。 其實也沒什麼,有就學年齡小孩的父母都能瞭解我們現階段在做的事,也很清楚現階段該做些什麼事。

我十歲的女兒將要繼續她的舞蹈課程以及女童子軍(www.girlscouts.org) 的活動。 我八歲的兒子會以秋季足球(www.ayso.org)及春季少少棒(www.littleleague.org) 為主,外加男童子軍(www.scouting.org)。

為了能讓我的小孩文武雙全(可能嗎?!?!),我強迫他們一定要學一樣樂器。 他倆都選擇小提琴。 我想他們大概是認為學小提琴比學鋼琴簡單。 其實要好好學任何樂器都很難。 除了要有興趣之外,還要有恆心、毅力、及耐心。 我的小孩是比不上在美國的許多亞裔青年,各各都能夠拉或彈一手好琴。 除非我逼他們練琴,他們是不會自動自發的去練琴的。 想當年我媽也逼我練琴,逼到最後母女的感情也搞壞了,琴也越練越糟。 我覺得那時是我的心態問題,也正是青少年反抗期, 只要是我媽說的話我都會討厭。 最後我媽發現她真的是在浪費錢才在我十一年級的時候終止我的學琴生涯。 現在回想起來當然是我不對,可是我的那一段學琴經驗真的是一趟不愉快的人生旅程。 三十年後的今天,人生的輪迴,我又要來逼我的小孩學琴,感覺好像不太對。 也因為我的過去,讓我對我的小孩學琴這件事想了好久。

我的老公很會拉小提琴。 從小沒人逼他學琴。 後來是因為我公婆無法開車載他去學琴而沒能繼續學琴。 跟我差好大喔! 他的想法是要讓小孩有學琴的經驗,讓他們對音樂有基本的瞭解。 因為練過琴才能體會音樂人的才華及辛苦。 學琴的出發點有了, 下一個步驟就是要如何激發(motivate)小孩的練琴意願,少讓我用“逼”的方式強迫他們練琴。 基本上沒什麼好方法,就是我得花時間陪小孩子拉琴。 不是練琴,而是陪小孩子一起拉琴。 想當年自己練琴的辛苦,原來就是用要來培育下一代!

TGIF! 終於是星期五!

I stayed up most of the night yesterday because I had to wake up my husband at 4am so he can edit my daughter's video that she filmed with her brother the night before. I was afraid I would overslept, so I ended up staying up all night. We couldn't find the connector that will allow us to download video from our video camera to the computer so we were not able to edit my daughter's 2-minute video commercial of the cereal she made for her Fairy Tale project. We all know we shouldn't leave things to the last minute because whatever can go wrong will. My husband will probably go to Fry's on Saturday to get that connector so we can edit the cereal video over the weekend. I ended up going to bed at 5:30am and whole day today I was tired.

My daughter happily brought her newly-created cereal (and the cereal box) to school so she can share the cereal with her friends. She had a substitute teacher today, so no one got to do their fairy tale presentation today. We are going to teach her how to edit a video on Sunday because on Saturday, she's going to an overnight campout organized by an upper grade Girl Scout Troop in our school district.

Since I was so tired all morning, I didn't want to drive around too much. I decided to wait after all their lessons are done in the afternoon before going shopping again. By then, my husband would be home and he can do all the driving. My daughter has her Hip Hop dance class at 4:45pm and my son has his violin class at 5pm. My husband usually picks up my daughter after her dance class at 5:45pm and I would stay with my son until he finishes his violin lesson. Today, our plans was to meet back at home and then go together to shop for my daughter's camping things.

There were several things on my daughter's camping packing list that we didn't have at home. She had to get a mesh bag (a bit like a laundry bag) to function as a dunk bag for her mess kit. She has plastic plate, bowl, fork, spoon, and knife, but she doesn't have a plastic cup with a lid. So before dinner, we all went to Target first and found a Coleman's Dunk Mesh Bag. On the shelf, it said $2.49, but when I was paying, the register said $4.49! That's too expensive for a mesh bag. I decided to go to the Dollar Tree because I know they have laundry bags for $1. Then we went to Marukai's M store to find a plastic cup with a lid and handle. I did find a pink one for $1.68 and it's actually made in Japan. But the lid has a strong plastic small, I hope it'll go away after I wash it.

Before I dropped everyone at the Korean BBQ (where we went for dinner), I had to make a pit stop at a market and bought a potato and an onion. My daughter will need them for the
Friendship Soup that she and her friends will make at the camp tomorrow. My final stop was the Dollar Tree. My goal was to find a mess dunk bag for $1. I saw several laundry bags for $1, but they were either too big or has a zipper. I looked around and saw these tidy totes that were the perfect size and it came in 4 bags per pack. I couldn't believe my luck. I am not sure if it'll stand the test of soaking in water, but even if it doesn't fare well in water, I think it'll survive my daughter's camping trip. I think this is a great deal, compared to Coleman's Dunk Mesh Bag! After I paid for it, I quickly went back to the Korean BBQ restaurant to join the family dinner with my in-laws. Although there were 2 more things on the camping list (a bungee cord and a Thermarest) that we didn't buy, but my in-law have them, so we can pick them up later at my in-law's house. I can finally relax and enjoy my dinner.

明天我女兒又要去露營。是高年級的女童子軍主辦的活動。雖然只有一天一夜,需要帶去的東西還真不少。我和我老公是住休閒度假旅館型的夫妻, 根本對露營是一竅不通的, 所以我家也不可能有任何露營要用的東西。但是就算我不喜歡露營, 我也要我的小孩子有瞭解露營的機會。參加美國童子軍就有這種機會, 因為露營是美國童子軍的重要活動之一, 也是美國人旅遊的方式的一種。在美國生活就要會露營, 因為這種休閒方法可以讓小孩看到更多的大自然景觀, 讓他們更能體會到環境保育的重要了。

昨晚沒睡好,所以我一整天的精神都不好,也更懶的出門買女兒露營需要的東西。後來決定等小孩上完舞蹈課及小提琴課, 全家再一起去辦採購, 順便去吃韓國烤肉。女兒需要的東西還蠻多的:

1. Mesh bag 網狀袋子, 可放碗盤, 方便洗滌 (洗衣袋也可)。
2. 有蓋子和有手把的塑膠杯子。
3. 一個洋蔥或一個馬鈴薯。
4. Bungee cord 彈性繩索。
5. Thermarest 露營用的薄床墊。

家裏的洗衣袋太大了, 所以得去買一個小一點的袋子。我們先去Target, 但是看到露營專用的袋子竟然要 $4.49! 當下就決定要去 Dollar Tree 走一趟, 因為我知道 Dollar Tree 有賣洗衣袋。在去Dollar Tree之前, 我先去 Marukai M Store 買了一個有蓋子和有手把的粉紅色塑膠杯 (日本製但是 塑膠味很重)。然後再去韓國超市買了一個洋蔥和一個馬鈴薯 (剛好都在同一條街上)。最後再把老公、小孩放下車, 讓他們先去餐廳佔位子。我自己再去 Dollar Tree. 到了Dollar Tree, 我只看到比較大的洗衣袋,找不到剛好大小的。正要離開時, 看到旁邊架子上有個綠色的網狀袋子, 四個一包! 總共一元! 太棒了, 尺寸又剛好。買完後我趕到餐廳跟小姑一家會合吃韓國烤肉。小姑說她家有彈性繩索及做瑜珈用的薄墊, 所以就不用再去買了, 飯後去她家拿就是了。我終於可以放下心, 好好的吃一頓飯。

少了一個小孩! Missing my daughter!

My 9 year-old daughter went to a horse camp this weekend. She went with her Junior Scout troop. It's the second time she has spent the night away from home. Two years ago, she did an over-night backyard camp with her Brownies troop girls. But she was only 5 minutes away from me. This time, she is in Bonsall, at least 2 hours away from our house. It's a strange feeling to have only one child in the house. Although I miss having my daughter around the house, I feel lighter. Instead of the responsibility of taking care of two kids, for today, I only have to worry about the immediate needs of one child.

I have been checking the weather channel since last week for the weather condition of Bonsall. I'm so glad that the rain forecasted for this weekend was not realized. I worry whether my daughter knows to put on an extra layer of clothing when the temperature drops at night. I worry about the dry, itchy condition of her face, especially around her eyes. I wonder whether she will put the cream that I had packed for her on her face. With all the wondering, I also know that this is a good experience for her. She won't have a mother hovering over her, making every decision for her. Whether good or bad, she will have to solve any problems that she encounters on her own.

早上起床後就覺得很輕鬆。今天我少了一個小孩。昨天我的女兒跟她的女童子軍隊去了 Bonsall (San Diego) 附近的一個馬術農場露營。 Bonsall 離我家有兩個小時的車程,所以還算蠻遠的。 我擔心她晚上冷的時候不會自己多加一件衣服。我擔心她皮膚乾的時候不會塗我幫她準備好的乳霜。再怎麼樣,遠水也救不了近火,所以只能期待她能展現她的應變能力,有辦法解決自己碰到的問題。不過我想我的擔心是多餘的。想一想,這趟露營活動也是女兒成長過程中必經的路。這就是住在美國的小孩,幸福、自由的地方。

志願服務精神 Volunteerism

住在美國最讓我感動的事是美國人的志願服務精神(Volunteerism)。 做父母的除了需要到孩子的學校做免費服務之外,有些家長也參於很多社區服務,包括男女童子軍 (Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts of America),少棒連盟 (Little League) 以及美國青少年足球連盟 (AYSO-American Youth Soccer Organization)。 這一切的活動與教學全靠有經驗的家長推動及執行。

AYSO (The American Youth Soccer Organization) http://soccer.org/home.aspx
Little League http://www.littleleague.org/Little_League_Online.htm
Girl Scouts of the USA http://www.girlscouts.org/program/journeys/your_world/default.asp
Boys Scouts of America http://www.scouting.org/

我九歲的女兒目前是個 Girl Scout Junior。她二年級時加入女童子軍,從Brownies 開始。她的團長及副團長全是她同學的媽媽。如果沒有這幾位媽媽專心致力的安排所有的活動及連絡,我想我也不會讓我的女兒參加女童子軍。女兒的課餘時間有限,所以她的課外活動必需要對她的成長過程有所幫助。

在美國,小男孩最重要的社交活動就是參與球隊連盟。足球是從四歲就開始,少棒是從T-ball 隊 (幼稚園大班或六歲) 開始打。兒子的教練(或副教練)全是他同學的爸爸或媽媽。因為球隊連盟要求家長一定要volunteer,害我老公都不大好意思不參與兒子的球隊活動。還好他很會考試,所以他就去上課考了個小孩足球裁判員的資格。去年當兒子的球隊要比賽時,我老公就得上場做裁判,非常辛苦。我呢? 我就做所謂的Team Mom。有雜事就找我。

通常如果男孩子對體育沒興趣的話,他在美國這個社會就會顯得比較格格不入。我很慶幸我兒子的運動神經很好, 在學校也比較容易交到朋友, 不會被其它小朋友取笑或欺負。因為兒子才一年級, 功課幾乎沒有, 因此我也讓他參加男童子軍。最主要的原因也是因為他的 Den Leader 是一位非常有奉獻精神的媽媽。我兒子目前屬於男童子軍的老虎隊 (Tiger Cub Scouts)。

美國人的志願服務精神(Volunteerism)真的讓我大開眼界。

I have always admired the volunteer spirit of Americans. When I was growing up in Canada, I didn't see any parents volunteering at my schools. Maybe it's the sign of the times--school funding had been reduced drastically by the government, so parents had to step in and help out the teachers any way they can. I do see that as the kids get older, the opportunity to volunteer in the classrooms decreases, but parents continue to volunteer at school, either in the PTA or other fundraising activities. As for myself, I volunteer in my kids' classrooms once a month. I would do more, but other parents have signed up as well, so we take turns. I am also known as the Box Tops lady at our school. Kids cut off Box Tops and bring them to school. I then collect, count, and mail the Box Tops to General Mills. A few months later, General Mills will send a check to our school. Each Box Top is worth 10 cents to our school. Each year, our school earned about $1,000-$2,000 from this fundraising effort alone.

Another form of volunteerism that I come across daily is the selfless dedication of parents to their kids' extra-curricular activities--namely sports organizations and scouting. Both my kids are involved in scouting. If it were not for the dedication and hard work of the parents (scout leaders) involved, I would not be bothered with scouting. Our scout leaders make participating in scouting activities an easy thing. Neither my husband and I are the outdoorsy type, so the opportunity to expose our kids to outdoor activities is very valuable to us.

Each Saturday from September to December, my son participates in our local AYSO league's soccer games. Then from January to February, he does winter soccer, also sponsored by the AYSO. Other boys often choose to do basketball or other sports while waiting for Baseball's Little League to start in March. So from March to June, my son is involved in the local Little League games. There is usually a game Saturday morning and a practice session with his teammates one hour a week, to be determined by his coaches. Needless to say, all of the coaches and referees of the Little League teams and the AYSO teams are volunteers as well. This is how American passes on their values and heritage to their children. When these children grow up, they will also volunteer in their children's schools or teams. This is a wonderful, selfless thing to be able to pass down from generation to generation.