The Card that Saves the Day

A colleague-friend was sharing with me that she made little cards for her 8-year-old daughter to encourage and praise her for the effort she put into her studies.

I told her,"I also praise her verbally what!"

She replied,"It's not the same. My daughter made me a card after she saw the card I made for her."

I told her I would give it a try.

Interestingly, what I had thought would never come into use again presented itself handy after many years.

I used to be an avid card-maker when I first went to church, so I was a constant buyer of papers at Popular and other bookshops.

But I had not made a card for years. The last ones I made must have been about 7 or 8 years ago - for a class of about 40 students for their personalised Children's Day name-bookmarks. Don't ask me how I managed to do it. I am now amazed at how patient I used to be when I chance upon the cross-stitches and art stuff that I used to do.

So I pulled out the good old papers which have not yellowed even after all these years and made a card for her. Behind was a message of praise and encouragement, telling her how much improvements she has made for the respective items: Chinese composition, Chinese Oral etc.

I placed it on her study table, hoping that she would see it the first thing in the morning.

But she had chosen to sleep on the sofa that very night and she was running a temperature by the time she woke up.

I asked: Did you go to your bedroom at all?

Coco: Huh? No. I slept here last night.

Me: ... Oh ...

I tried to get her to wake up to do some work, but she gave excuses ie. not feeling well, sleepy.

A while later ...

Me: Did you go to your study table?

Coco: Yes.

Me: ... Did you see anything SPECIAL?

Coco: Oh, I didn't go to my study table.

Upon hearing the word 'SPECIAL', she went into her room.

When she came out, she looked at me and these words came out of her mouth:

I am going to do my work.

I was ... WOW!

What's more impressive was: she finished the Maths paper 40 minutes earlier, and according to William, she had 90 marks for it!

Prior to this, she had always scored in the range of 60s - 70s.

I suppose caning and scolding does not work for every child.

I will try to be a better mummy from now on.