(Oct 2, 2011) Children’s Day – A Happy one?
I helped out at a Children’s Day event for a friend last night. It was a neighborhood program, probably organised by the residential committee.
I was assigned to be in charge of sand art – not the pour-sand-and-stick-on-paper kind, but pour-sand-into-small-ornamental-glass-bottles.
It didn’t occur to me that i’d done something like that before (I kept thinking it as a pretty new experience) until many hours later – today. Sorry, blame it on my memory.
I recall going to my lower primary classmate’s house with another classmate. Let’s name them Min and Ling. I was not close with them at all so I wonder how we ended up at Min’s house. Min taught us how to do sand art, or should I say, salt art. She got out a packet of fine salt and a pack of chalks. We coloured the salt with our favorite colours and filled up little empty bottles that Min had. We even tasted the coloured salt. I don’t think I brought back any bottles with me after we were done.
So that was a small piece from my childhood. Primary school. Young and impressionable. Hmm, impressionable still. But not so of the former.
Anyways, I have deviated much from what I have intended to type about. Let’s start all over again.
I helped out at a Children’s Day event for a friend last night and I was in charge of sand art.
It was rather fun monitoring the kids. Well, minus whoever who added additional tables and chairs and causing me to scramble around all four corners to dispense the instructions, glass bottles and all. Luckily I had help.
Some kids were really cute. Nothing like those terrible ones we encountered at another private event. Not apologising about that cos’ they were really terrible. Like uncultured and lack of proper parental guidance I must say. Of course, it was just a handful of them, four, five, six, or was it ten? Anyway, back to my story, the kids at yesterday’s event was pretty much alright. Didn’t encounter any stuck-up parents (you know, those type who would demand their child to be given the priority and all).
However, there was this one kid who stood out, both physically and psychologically I felt. She appeared sad and sat staring at her glass bottle many times. My helper said across the table to me that the kid was probably thinking of what colour to use next. Perhaps.
Showed her how to make pretty patterns with the satay stick and she was delighted. I went off to help and monitor other kids. She managed to finish the bottle on her own afterwards and came to find me. “See, I finished,” she said, shoving her bottle at me.
I took it from her and examined. Was proud to see that she had followed my instructions. I passed the bottle back to her and congratulated her for completing it successfully and beautifully.
“You can show it to your daddy and mommy now,” I smiled at her.
I noticed then that her eyes seemed teary and that was when I realised they have been so since the beginning. I was concerned.
I asked, “Hey, are you crying? Don’t cry…”
She looked at me with a hint of irritability and said forcefully, “I am not crying. When I was born, I was already like this,” before running off to the other side of the hall with her little glass bottle.
Stunned and speechless, I let her go.
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May all children around the world be happy always because once they step out into the “real world,” as educators frequently use, true happiness are hard to come by.
Everyone can only be innocent, carefree once. Everyone can only be a child once. Even for those adults who claim to be a child within, others will most probably not view them as such, but what they see of them as a physical person in real life.
Parents, do grant them the happiness they deserve.
Here’s a little something that I have created last night.
Happy Children’s Day 2011!
