The family was watching Karate Kid (starring Jaden Smith as ‘Dre’).
Dre and his Mum had moved to China less than a week ago, but Dre was having a tough time with big Kung Fu bullies in school.
In the street with his Mum:
Dre: (crying) I want to go home!
Dre’s Mum: THIS is home, Dre.
Sammy: (confused - Dre and his Mum were outside, in the street) That’s not home! They’re outside!
* * *
Sammy beat at chess Daddy once. Then Daddy beat Sammy. The score is 1-1.
It’s time for championship game. Daddy beat Sammy. Sammy starts crying.
Daddy: Don’t cry. You can’t always win. How can you win? I’ve been playing for twenty years. You’ve only been playing for 2 days, so how can you win?
Sammy: Not 2 days! 3 days!
* * *
Sammy at age 4 (going on 5) has discovered chess. He knows the moves now and is poring through a book by Bobby Fischer.
After playing with Daddy and ‘beating’ Daddy, Sammy promises to take it easier next time:
Sammy: Daddy, next time when we play chess I will play “easy”, ok. I won’t play “hard”.
* * *
Mummy was telling the kids about teeth, and that they should take care of their baby teeth. Sammy runs to Daddy:
Sammy: Daddy, OH MY GOSH!
Daddy: What?
Sammy: All my teeth are baby teeth!
* * *
Mummy baked some muffins. Chocolate flavoured ones. Cinammon / orange flavoured ones. Orange flavoured ones.
Sammy and Pia were having some:
Mummy: Sammy, do you like the muffins?
Sammy: Yes! I love them. So yummy!
A few minutes later:
Mummy: Sammy, do you want some more muffins?
Sammy: I don’t like it anymore. I think I’m going to vomit.
* * *
Daddy was having dinner (he eats dinner alone on weeknights because everyone has already eaten by the time he comes home from work)
Pia: Daddy, look at my handbag. It’s got everything I need: my sunglasses, my pen, my notebook, my vulture…
* * *
Pia loves horses. She also loves to write stories. But her spelling needs improvement.
She drafted a story with the interesting title:
The Hores Who Ran Away from the Big Bad Wolf
* * *
The 3 theological virtues are: faith, hope, charity (or love). The children were finding the 3 words strange-sounding while they tried to memorise them:
Daddy: Pia, what are the 3 theological virtues?
Pia: (thinking)… hate … hope … charity?
* * *
The children were learning about the 3 theological virtues: faith, hope, and charity. Three strange words. The children were struggling to remember them:
Daddy: Sammy, what are the 3 theological virtues?
Sammy: Fake… hope… charity
* * *
The children were playing with a toy yacht construction set. It had hundreds of small plastic parts which interconnect.
Sammy built a 15-inch long stick which bends when you wave it.
Sammy: (waving his wand) Daddy! Mummy! Look! It’s like rubber…
(Then he noticed that it wasn’t bending at all).
Sammy: … but it doesn’t do much rubbing
* * *
Mummy and the kids were walking to the nearby playground.
It was about 4pm, but the moon was visible. Sammy noticed the moon was shaped like a crescent:
Sammy: Look! Someone cut the moon!
* * *
Mummy is thinking of what to cook for dinner tonight.
Mummy: I think I have to take out the pork from the freezer so we can cook it later.
Pia: What’s “pork” ?
Sammy: Fish!
* * *
There’s a large DIY hardware shop in Australia called ‘Bunning’s Warehouse.’ They sometimes have workshops for kids. We brought the children once and they liked it.
One day:
Sammy: Mummy, when can we go again to Bunny’s Warehouse?
* * *
Four-year old Sammy approaches Daddy:
Sammy: Daddy…
Daddy: Yes?
Sammy: I want to rock and roll.
* * *
After watching Jackie Chan’s movie, “The Spy Next Door”, the children want to be spies when they grow up:
Pia: Daddy, do spies have to work at night?
Daddy: Sometimes.
Pia: Oh, I don’t want to go out at night.
Daddy: Why?
Pia: I might touch some web! I’m afraid of webs.
* * *
The children love Jackie Chan’s movie, “The Spy Next Door”. They all want to be ‘spies’ when they grow up.
Pia: Daddy, I want to be a spy when I grow up.
Daddy: Ok.
Pia: Do spies always have to work at night?
Daddy: Sometimes. Why?
Pia: I’m afraid of the dark.
* * *
The children have to take their NAPLAN tests soon, and we are busy preparing them. Pia has to type out the 1000 most common words in English, to help her remember their spelling:
Pia: (after taking 1 hour to type just 20 of the words) Oh… this is so boring! This will take forever!
Daddy: Just keep on typing.
Pia: I want to punch you!
* * *
Sammy likes to play soccer. One night:
Sammy: Mummy, can we play football?
Mummy: It’s already late Sammy. We can play tomorrow.
Sammy: Ok
The next day. Sunday. 8:00 am. Sammy tiptoes into Mummy and Daddy’s room. Mummy’s still asleep.
Sammy: (whispering into Mummy’s ear) Mummy… can we play football now?
* * *
Sammy was looking for a toy he had been playing with. It was at Daddy’s desk earlier.
Sammy: Daddy, did you see the toy I put on your desk?
Daddy: You took it from my desk.
Sammy: Do you know where I put it?
Daddy: No.
(Sammy keeps looking nearby, then suddenly sees where had misplaced it)
Sammy: Doh! There it is. I’m a silly old man!
* * *
Sammy was still thinking about the cute baby he saw the other day.
Sammy: Daddy, when I grow up will I be a Mummy and have a baby?
Daddy: No, you will be a Daddy.
Sammy: But how do you know? I might be a girl when I grow up.
Daddy: You don’t change when you grow up. When boys grow up they become men. When girls grow up they become women.
Sammy: Oh.
* * *
