Everyday, my youngest daughter Georgina and her father drive over Patong Hill to and from school, a journey that takes up 40 minutes of their day. During that 40 minutes time, they chat non-stop about anything and everything under the sun, or rather, she chats non-stop whilst he patiently listens, adding in the odd word or two.
Photo: her things in the car – football mascot and plasters.
And in her endless chatters, they put the world to its rights …. you know the old adage, a problem shared is a problem halved. Her father is also up to date about the girl politics that goes on in the school, young lovers’ fallouts, annoying classmates (and teachers) and life in general.
She’d chat until she crashes (main photo).
And it’s great, really (though exhausting sometimes). She is such a happy and sunny child, and despite the onslaught of teenage hormones and the pressures of exams, she is remarkably balanced and stable.
The other day, we walked into town in the hot sun and of course, she talked all the way. We walked past this structure:
“I played I spy with my Boyfriend from the balcony of our house and we wondered what this was,” she commented, pointing at this red-and-white concrete pillar above.
And I thought, how lovely. She and her almost 20-year-old Boyfriend (whom she had known since she was 14) live a rather sophisticated and glamorous lifestyle, but there they were, one day in 2018, sitting on the balcony of our house (shown below) playing this beloved childhood game.
I am going to miss her sunniness and her chatter when she leaves for university in a few short weeks.
So this is what I want to say to you:
Like me, you would have hundreds of things you want to say to your child, such as be kind, don’t get stressed out, think before you react, go to bed earlier, etc etc etc, but hold all that. Don’t say it. That all can wait. Be silent instead. Allow your child speak. Know your child, for that is one of the best thing you could do as a parent ❤
www.lifeGO.me 