Why? Why Not?

On Wednesdays, Roo and I drive to Jusco around nine am to buy groceries. Jusco is a Japanese-owned general merchandise store about one km away from our place. Wednesday is market day at Jusco. That means on Wednesdays, all the farm produce just arrived, therefore they are fresh. And cheap. Cheaper than they are on other days. So many people who live in our area go to Jusco on Wednesdays to get their weekly supplies.

We used to drive there as a family late evenings, when daddy E came home from work. But ever since I started driving again, Roo and I head there soon after we eat breakfast. It's so much nicer to go in the mornings. The shopping experience is more pleasant. The staff look refreshed, they smile, and they are more helpful. Parking near the entrance is available, and the vegetables and fruits look so much more delectable and luscious. Not to mention our fellow shoppers don't look haggard and stressed out. Most of them are senior citizens, those who are already retired for they look even much older than my dad. Wednesdays at Jusco I imagine, must be a much anticipated event for these elderlies, an activity that must look forward to every week.

Anyways, so much for the intro. Today, Roo and I were having fun identifying the produce at the vegetable section, when this darling old lady peered closely towards our trolley, and inquired curiously, "Mai pai rong riyan wan-nee ha noo?" Literal translation: You didn't go to school today huh little boy?

I gave her a smile. Khao yang mai pai rong riyan khah. (He doesn't go to school yet.)

Apparently she did not understand that. "Khao pen wat lo khah?" (Is he sick?)

This is the second time an elderly lady we met at Jusco asked us about Roo not being in school on a school day. On the first encounter, the much-concerned senior, upon learning that Roo was three, looked like she would have given me a scolding had I not been a complete stranger. She was like, "He's three?! Shouldn't he be in school?!"

I'm not surprised at this reaction anymore. Since Roo turned two, MY man has been getting a lot of pressure from his colleagues about this issue. When MY man shared our views about too early schooling with them, they looked at him like he was from another planet. They think we are depriving Roo of an education. They mentioned that here in Bangkok, kids go to school when they are two. "And doesn't your wife get bored, just staying in the house with your son? Why don't you send him to preschool now?!"

I must admit I am affected by all these feedback. But because our decision was made with a lot of prayers, careful thought and consideration, I'm not about to back up. I taught third-graders for only five years but I've seen enough of the disadvantages of kids going to school at an early age to not want that for my son. These kids' parents send them to school very early, primarily because both parents work, and they think it's much better for their kids to be in the school with teachers, than be at home, doing "nothing" with uneducated nannies. And what happens? These kids who don't get to play as much as they want to, play or act up in the classroom. They become 'problem' students and the more parents, and (most often) teachers put pressure on them to put their act together and do what they're supposed to do, the problems just continue to worsen or escalate. Enter any classroom and you'll find more than half of the students bored or not showing much interest in their studies.

MY man and I have had to make sacrifices because of this decision. First, financially, we'd surely be earning more if I'm working too. Then, there's the career thing for me that's put on hold. God knows the struggle I'd had to go through, putting all my plans aside, just so I can be home for my little one. I do enjoy interacting with my toddler, asking questions and finding answers to questions. I just love watching him blossom and grow. But I wouldn't be honest if I say that there are no downtimes at all. It's not easy being a stay-at-home mom. Sometimes it feels like a lonely thankless job. I'm at it seven days a week (sometimes it feels like eight), twenty-four hours a day, no day-offs, no sick leave.

But why do I stick at it? MY man and I believe it's for our son's best interests. We want him to enjoy his childhood, be free to play and explore the 'world', and his imaginary world without the limitations and structure of school. Yet. With God's grace and wisdom, we hope to build and plant values and virtues in him before he goes out into the 'real' world. We want to get bonded with him in a way that whatever happens to him later on in life, he will know he has a place to come home to, where he's loved for who he is, and where he will always be safe being who he is. We yearn to lead him to the Saviour, that when he finds himself in difficult situations later, he will trust that His Saviour will see him through it all, and that he will choose to be on God's side no matter what. We know that our time to do all that is very limited. Time flies fast, pretty soon, he'll zoom out into the world, all ready to explore and be on his own, to find his own niche and purpose in life.

So for those who ask why he's not in school yet, I say, He'll be in school soon enough.