Then comes the school phases, where no matter what we shield them from, the real dangers are lurking outside our homes, in the spaces our children frequent most outside the home. School, afterschool activities, social gatherings and so on expose our children to kids their age or older. Where they start learning new things from these friends, who are clearly more exposed than we allow our kids to be.
We live in a music-free home. Even when we do listen, my husband and I listen to music privately in our own time. As such, our son doesn't know any popular songs or watch any regular TV that is not cartoons. We also do not turn on the radio when we are in the car.
Ask me how surprised I was this weekend hearing my son singing, “Apt, apt…” ‘Apt’ is a popular song by Korean mega star Rose and American singer Bruno Mars. Most of the words are illegible to many as they only hear the chorus, which is a repetition of the words “Apt, apt”, which sounds like ‘aparte’, short for the word apartment.
The song is currently very popular globally, and as such adults as well as children who listen to it cannot help but sing along. The only catch is… my son has never heard the song. At least not at home.
Like many other parents, I have often wished to be a fly on the wall after dropping my kid off at kindergarten. I want to know who he interacts with, who says what, how does he stand up for himself, which kid bothers him the most and which kid is the nicest to him. Until he is in a position to recount his day to me and give me details about his encounters, I find myself pretty helpless.
My son is out there most days, interacting with kids from all types of backgrounds. Being cared for by caregivers I cannot trust a hundred per cent. Everyday he is exposed to these people, he is learning new things, some good some, not so good. Meanwhile, I just have to wait helplessly at home, hoping that the values we instil at home will somehow be his guiding light.
