Raising boys

When I visited my friend's house in UK, I was shocked to see his teenage daughters' extensive collection of scarves. I know it's cold where they live but seeing hundreds and hundreds of scarves in different colours and fabrics hanging in the coat room can be pretty overwhelming.

I can only imagine their dresser overflowing with nail polish, makeup and accessories. Girls these days!

It's a different scenario in our abode. While my kids are not fussy about what they wear, they clutter the house with their aquarium paraphernalia. As if having a large tank (with accompanying sump tank) occupying half the living room is not bad enough, there are pipes, rocks, sand, test kits, buckets and what have you in every nook and cranny.

SK has two fish tanks in his tiny bedroom. His computer, tanks and school books jostle for space on his study table, even the area beneath is not spared. There are two sets of (training) weights, shoe cabinets and a box full of tank accessories. Luckily he's a tidy fella who cleans up the room regularly.

Another thing I have noticed when it comes to raising boys is the volume of food they eat. They complain they're hungry right after dinner. No wonder my friend once described his visiting teenage nephew as someone with a 'bottomless pit'.

I stock up on bananas, longans, grapes and strawberries only to find them devoured within hours. Then they complain there's always nothing to eat.

While I advocate healthy eating at home, I often hear or smell them making instant noodles, Campbell soup or omelette while I'm half asleep at night. This morning I woke up to find Mcdonalds paper cups in the bin. The McDelivery guy was here last night.

I'll have to make them kick this unhealthy habit of late night eating. They only way is to feed them more during dinner. It will start tonight.