Singapore parents

Introduction

I always hear this question "Do your parents have any expectations for you?" Well, of course! Every parent has expectations for their children. In Singapore, living in such a competitive environment where everyone is fighting with one another to achieve the best, I am sure that expectations from parents are a little higher.

What are my parents' expectations for me?

Like all typical Singaporean parents, they want me to do well in my studies and my EP3. I am very lucky to have parents who give me time to work my way up to their expectations, always emphasizing that I should try my best and even if I don't succeed, I should not give up. Of course, their expectations do get higher overtime as I improve and mature, want me to keep improving as I develop. When it comes to expectations in my EP3 and studies, they will not angry even if I do not meet up to expectations on some occasions and just want to work harder and slowly improve, which to them is more important. However, they are very particular with my character development and have high expectations for me when it some to my behaviour and personal well-being. They always tell me that I must grow up to be a gentleman and not only just do well in academics. For example, every time I get back my progress report for the term, they would expect nothing less than an A. Even in primary school when they meet my teachers, they would expect good comments on my behaviour, or else I will be punished. They do not expect that I get the best marks for my studies or EP3, however they do expect me to have the best attitude and behaviour. They always tell me this "When you grow up, people would not remember you for your marks or achievements in your CCA, what they will remember you for is your personality and the way you treated others."

My future expectations for my children

What would my expectations be for my children when I grow up? As a Singaporean, I of course would expect my children to excel in their studies as this is the only way that they will be able to survive in such a competitive world we have now. Just like my parents, my expectations for their studies would get higher and higher as they slowly work their way up, but of course I will consider their feelings as a parent as I know how it feels to have too high expectations. Also, I would want them to do well in their CCA as well as a child should not only be good in their studies, they should be all-rounded in their development. Last but not least, I would expect them to have have a god personality and character as this is the most important aspect in life. I would want to pass down what my parents have thought me on having a good character development to my children. As character development is very important, I would have high expectations for them in this area as I would want them to grow up into gentleman or ladies.

It is important that I teach my children what my parents have thought me and bring up another level.

Would the expectations of two generations of parents differ?

In some aspects like academics and external talents(CCA, EP3), the expectations would be different, but when it comes to character development, expectations would remain the same. "Why?"you may ask. When we look at change in expectations, this is mostly due to changes in society and external influences (such a seeing other parents with children who they consider "better" than their own) . As one generation moves to another, the society also develops and as the society develops, it will ultimately lead to a more competitive world in which it would harder to survive in. This will cause parents to feel worried for their children's future and thus, higher expectations will arise in terms of academics and external talents. Further more, this will also cause parents to be easily jealous by other parents. For example if they see other parents with "smarter" children, they tend to want their child to be just like those children, or maybe even better , and if their children to become as good as that child, other parents would then become jealous again! It is a continuous in this civilised "cut-throat" world. Some may say, '' Spare a thought for the children''. Easy said but not easy to be done, even I cannot confidently say that I will not be influenced in such a society when I become a parent. In turn, expectations in character development will not be easily affected by the change in society as personal well-being is something that depends on the parents themselves to decide

I hope that I will become a good parent and not set too high expectations for my children, knowing how to consider my expectations effectively, just like what my parents are doing now. The society is always changing, whether is it going through modernization or urbanization and so do expectations as parents, but one thing will always remain unchanged, the love a parent has for his/her child.

Book review: The Arrival By Shawn Tan

I recently read another graphic novel by Shawn Tan called "The Arrival". This book describes of a father who leaves his family and the place he satys to go to another place and work. He ends up in this place so foreign and unfamiliar to him, confused yet intrigued by his surroundings. He meets locals who guide him along the way and each having their own story to tell. Finally in the end, he is reunited with his wife and daughter who gave him a surprise visit at the place where he is working in and they lived happily together.

When i first got hold of this book, the first thing that struck my attention was the appearance of the cover. The cover of the book made it look look like old, worn leather. Throughout the book, Shawn Tan uses beautifully and eloquent images to tell the story of the protagonist's story. The book itself looks like a photoalbum and he maintains this beauty throughout the book. I enjoy the way he shows different perspectives of certain objects by first closing up and slowly zooming out of a certain image to give thr reader a deeper understanding of what is going on. For example in one scene, the protagonist opens his suitcase to find an image of his wife and daughter eating dinner. A moment later, the suitcase’s actual contents replace the image. The protagonist pulls out a family portrait and nails it to the wall with his shoe. He sits back to contemplate it. A sequence of pictures then carries the reader away from him and out the window, showing first his apartment building and finally his adopted city. Another scene first shows the reader in the ship, looking out of the window and another sequence of imgaes slowly zooms out to show the whole ship and the storm in which the ship is sailing in.

Another thing I enjoy about this book is the way he uses only three main colours, brown, black and white in his depictions to make the pictures old and in a way precious. Also, Shawn Tan way of depicting the emotions of the protagonist through his facial expressions and actions is very impressive. For example, in one scene where the protagonist was interviewed by one of the locals when he just arrived at the foreign place, Tan uses a sequence of images showing the protagonist gripping on to his hat, giving gestures to show that he does not understand what the local was trying to say. The flow in which these images show how his feelings of frustration develop is truly an art.

I would strongly encourage all of you to read this book as it fit for all ages and it really brings pictures which what seems like they were drawn by a little kid to life. It is really an interesting book which lights a smile on your face.