SINGULAR AUDIENCE

My first born, Ubaid has been in pre-school and the best thing ever for me lately is sending him to school. A few months back, it was struggle. He would be crying and it broke my heart to leave him at school like that. However, it's now July and he seems pretty fond of going to school.  Well, at home, preparing him for school is still a daily struggle. There are good days where he would cooperate and things just go smoothly. However, most of the time, he's difficult.  Though, as soon as we reach the school gate, he suddenly pops up his charming smile. No more hugging and not letting go. No more running back towards me as I reach the gate. He's now all smile while walking to class.  I guess he finally made some friends.  Even when I fetch him from school, he would still be smiling. He often waves at all his friends. Bye bye! Bye bye!  I'm telling you, seeing my son so happy always makes my day. 

Last Wednesday was a long day for me. Woke up at 3.00 a.m to the sound of my firstborn, Ubaid, telling me he had difficulty breathing. He had been ill for a few days. "Bapak, abang tak boleh bernafas", he said with a frail husky voice. So, I immediately woke my wife and I took Ubaid to Hospital Port Dickson.  After waiting for 30 minutes, we managed to see the doctor. He said that it was not serious. It was just that his tonsil was a bit swollen and that has been causing the constant fever and a bit of difficulty in breathing. The doctor gave us antibiotics, advised Ubaid to drink a lot of water and sent us home.  By the time we got home, it was 5.00 am.  I had to go to the office at 5.30 am. There was a group of Indonesians staying at the Politeknik Port Dickson's lodge and they had a morning flight back home. I was supposed to send them to the airport. However, seeing how Ubaid is sick, I had to leave it to the drivers. I had already booked Politeknik ...

The above picture was taken a few weeks ago during a weekend. I was sitting on the kitchen floor, feeling rather exhausted after finished cooking lunch when my first born, Ubaid suddenly came and sat on my lap and hugged me tight.  And he just did that. He didn't utter any words. He just hugged me tight for about 3 - 4 minutes. And just like that, all my exhaustion went away.  You have to know that this is rather rare. Often, I would be the one who would call for him for hugs and he would be rather reluctant to do it. But that morning... I think that is one of the most memorable thing that he did.  My child is growing up. In a blink of an eye, he's now 5. Next year, he would be in kindergarten. Next two years, he would in primary school. Gosh. It feels lightning fast that I can't help but freak out a bit.  Well, it's good that he's growing healthily. A few more years and I might have a bit of peace of mind. A few more years I might no longer have...