Red and Ms Petunia

Some people think I spoil the kids by driving them around. I think the hours spent in the car are perfect for bonding and communicating.

Do you know how difficult it is to make your kids listen to you for hours without any chance of them tuning off or escaping out the door?

We have had some really interesting conversations in the car. SK surprised me this morning by asking if he should sign on in the army. He thinks it will provide him with a stable income. What if there is no future in architecture studies by the time he graduates? At this age, he is already worrying about his future.

For a start, he has not even been enlisted into the army yet, how would he even know if he likes it? Whilst it is wise of him to ponder about his future, my advice is for him to focus on his studies first and explore the options after that.

SK has an intrinsic talent for art which he is still unaware of. Given time and the right environment, I believe he will flourish. To inspire him, I pulled out some examples like this young talented lady called Red. I came to know about her massive talent because she is the daughter of one of my favourite bloggers. Only several years older than SK, she has already wowed the world with her artworks.

Then I spoke about my dear friend Dr Petunia. "Well, she's a Dr but not that kind of doctor you know, and her name is Petunia! Quite strange right?"

Hearing me getting all excited when I start to describe this person, his interest was piqued.
"Is she fat?", he asked.
Must be something to do with the name of course. Petunia Pig is an animated cartoon character in the Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies.

"Oh, no no no no! She's small, pretty and slim, like a school girl. And she has a head of soft brown hair just like you, except that hers is long and slightly curly at the bottom.", I said, using my hand to emphasise how long it really is.

"Änd she speaks French fluently cos she studied in France. She lived in the USA too when her daughter was little. The point is, she's such a talented person, she turned her kids around from failing in school to motivating them to become top students. Her daughter scored 8 distinctions during her A levels and is in the university now."

"Eight distinctions?!"he exclaimed.

"Yup! Petunia writes so well too,  you should read her blog. Recently she published a book which became a big seller within weeks of release. Imagine that! It's because she has got all the credentials of course which is why education is important. If I were to write a book like that, I don't think I can even sell one copy! Her workshops are selling like hotcakes too."

Now he is sitting up. "What did she major in? Is she a teacher?"

" She specialises in psychology and human motivation. She's not really a teacher but wait! She lectures in the university..."

"Yet with all her qualifications, she's the most friendly and down to earth person you can ever find. She's lovable and cute, all her students love her. If you see her, you will like her too. When she talks, she goes like this... (I imitate her tone and how she describes her favourite chocolate cake with her tongue hanging out). You really should hear her getting all animated when she gushes about Milo, her big mongrel."  (I went into Petunia's gushing mode).

By now, SK is chortling with laughter. More importantly, I had shown him that we are all talented in our own ways and if he follows his heart, he too will find his forte.