Brands, labels... at nine?

Let's admit it. Who wants their kids to be brand conscious? Not, unless your kid has Beckham as his last name or your bank account is as fat as Donald Trump's. They might turn brand conscious when they reach the adolescent stage due to peer pressure and influences but definitely not at 9 years old.

We, as parents don't mind splurging thousands of dollars for our children but do we tell them, "Sweetie, this OshKosh cost $50 a piece. It's a good brand." or do we tell them, "Honey, mommy's buying you this because it's comfortable and you need one of this."?

You bet I'm writing this post because of my stepdaughter and you're right. Not too long ago, she said these to me.

Incident #1

She: I wear slippers only from Havaianas. Everyone in my family wears Havaianas.
*staring hard at my slippers*
What brand are yours?

Me: Erm, Dupe.

She: Huh? What brand is that? My mommy said Havaianas are the best.

*

Incident #2

After a swim at the country club one evening, I went to the shower room with her.

She: *Taking out her toiletries bag full of Redken shampoo and hair treatment spray*
Oops, I forgot my conditioner. Do you have yours?

Me: Yeah.
*Handing her my Loreal conditioner*

She: *Flipped it to the back and starts reading the description stated*
I guess this is okay for my hair. It contains pearl powder. And my mommy works for Loreal. She said Loreal is a good brand.

*

Incident #3

Then, recently just before I gave birth to baby, she saw the baby clothes Dear Hubby bought from Bandung. And this is what she said.

She: *Looking at the clothes label*
Baby Gap?!! Why must you buy Baby Gap? They're so expensive.

Me: Daddy bought them. Hey, aren't you wearing a Gap now?

She: Yeah. My grandma bought me.

Me: So why can't baby wear Gap when you're wearing one too?

She: Because it's expensive!

x

Don't you think a 9 year old kid is supposed to look at the designs, colours or perhaps patterns of an outfit rather than the brands? Where are those days when kids used to say, "Mommy, mommy, I want that pink Minnie Mouse blouse." rather than "Mommy, I want a top from Zara Kids."

So what's next? "Daddy, I want a 3-series on my 18th birthday."?

Two generations, two different minds

When you have someone with different age group as your husband, you risk being viewed as 'too young' to do anything. Most of Dear Hubby's friends are around his age, if not older. Being 12 years younger makes me a baby in his circle of friends.

Career wise, a late 30 or 40 something would have his career well established. Director, CEO, Vice President top the list. I'm just an unemployed 20 something who knows shit about CPO nor futures. Among the ladies, and mothers, their children would be at least 5 years old and above. Some even have children my age. One of them thought I'm 24 or 25 max and commented that I'm such a young mother. Thank you for the flattering comment but unfortunately I'm approaching 30. No, I'm not that young anymore, seriously.

I love Eminem, Michele Branch, Suede and Lady Gaga. They love I-don't-even-know-who-those-artists-are (wait, I'll ask my dad). I club; they go disco-ing. I shop at Dorothy Perkins, Forever 21 and Zara. Them, definitely not at the ones mentioned. I love an occasional Dunhill Menthol Lights. They view the green pack as a curse to the young generations like me and their children.

I wonder how baby will think about her mommy's generation when she grows up. Probably she'll write something like this in her blog next time, that if blogs still exist.

Just 4 more to go

Pre-pregnancy: 54kg
During pregnancy: 84kg
1 week post pregnancy: 73kg
4 months post pregnancy: 58kg

I need to shed 4 more kilograms to regain my pre-pregnancy weight! Fingers crossed.

That's our baby girl!

Baby turns 4 months today! Time really flies. I didn't notice how much she has grown over those few months until I put her on the baby bouncer we bought her since birth. Her feet were touching the edge of the bouncer, allowing her to use it as a base to make her kicks while she happily screamed in excitement.

She would laugh every time I laugh. She would gurgles non-stop when people talk to her, including strangers. She wants to sit up straight while having her milk. She loves going out for a stroll. She loves bath time but hates getting dressed. She likes the tv. She wants her toys within reach. She loves people stroking her head before bedtime. Yes, that's our baby girl. Lol! We love her more than ever with her cute quirks.

Khas untuk mu

Kau lukis senyum bibirku
Kau ukir warna rinduku
Indah rasa di jiwa... bila kau di sisi
Kau segalanya, satunya...

Aku terkenang akan diri mu
Di hari istimewa ini... buat selamanya.

Don't give me a fish, teach me how to fish

When it comes to children, everyone (well, almost everyone) has a soft spot for their cheeky, cute looks. More even if they're our own flesh and blood. We will give them the world if we could. But is it real love by giving them everything that they want or bring them more harm by doing so?

Don't get me wrong. I do not grow up with a pair of strict parents. My parents gave me everything I need and most of the time, things I want. Things that I demanded. Barbie dolls after barbie dolls, barbie mansion with pool, bags and bags of barbie's clothes. And mind you, barbie dolls were not cheap during the 90s. I have 5 drawers full of toys, just for me. When I was 12, I paid 2 boys in school to wait for me at the front porch to carry my bag and books once I got down from the car. And when I touched 15, my dad bought me the new Motorola StarTAC mobile phone which was the 'in' thing at that time. My 16th birthday present was a Cartier watch. While my classmates were using some unknown brand bags, I had a black Prada sling bag. Even my school shoes were Fila's. That's love, defined by my parents. So what's wrong with this picture, you asked?

That was when my dad was doing well. In fact, he was doing so well that he had very little time for me. Therefore, the only way he could show his love for me was by spending money on me. When he was made redundant by the company he was working with for more than 15 years, the spending on me stops too. Of course I threw a fit for not getting what I WANT. I blamed my parents for not getting what I want and I blamed them for being poor.

Things went downhill from that day on for years. I changed to a cheaper college but it didn't get any better. Things became so bad that one of the options was for me to stop college. Lucky me, one of our relatives was kind enough to loan us my college fee while I worked 4 days in a week at a small chocolate stall to support my expenses.

Classic story of a rich brat turns poor? Just put yourself in that positon for a while. From Cartier watch and Prada sling bag to working at a small chocolate stall in a mall just to earn couple of hundreds for meals and books. Don't you feel pathetic? I did! When my friends saw me at the stall, I felt so embarassed. Embarassed for being poor. But it was a great life lesson. It taught me the value of money when I had to contemplate whether I can afford a 5-in-1 pack of Maggi mee. It taught me that there's no mercy in this cruel world. It was either I swim hard enough to grasp a breath of air or die drowning. It's just too bad I had to learn it the hard way.

If something bad happens to you or when you are no longer in this world to protect your child, do you think he or she is able to survive? And don't ever think it could never happen to you, because my dad thought the same before it happened to him.