Yesterday was hungrybaby's first competition result.
We entered her in her first competition in her 6 months old of age. When she was 3.5 months old, she tried her first swim outside mommy's womb (she was swimming in there too, right?) ^^
Why we took her swimming? I read that it was a good activity for babies in strengthening and stimulating to improve their physical growth and mental development. And we got a voucher for swimming trial too ^o^, and surprisingly, hungrybaby loved it so much, she's moving very actively and didn't stop smiling.
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| Her first swim ^^ (and first"botak" haircut too) |
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| Confidently saying hi to her "audience" :3 |
On her 4th swimming session, one of the carer at the centre offered me to enter my baby to "Baby can swim Contest", and guaranteed that hungrybaby would went trough to the final, since she was very active, could swim with legs in the back, and had connection with parents outside the pool, when we cheered her.
After gave some thoughts, we entered her to the contest. And the carer is right! She went trough the finals. Sorry, no pictures, we were too excited in cheering her, and forgot to took pictures!
So, as mentioned earlier, yesterday was the final day. Hungrybaby was asleep, and woken up just before the competition. She's not as active and cheerful as usual (╥_╥).
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| Her name on the list of finalists |
Well, the result was, she didn't get any number, but got a consolation prize, not bad for a newbie. Although for us as a parent there's a bit of regret, not a slight effect for hungrybaby, after swimming and fully woke up, she's back to her cheerful self. Yes, we, the parent was the one with expectation.
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| Parents waited for the final's result |
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| Her first won prize ^^v (image is from here) |
I read about stage mom syndrome, parents who ambitiously entered their children to competitions, even since baby. We've heard about cutest photo contest, chubby baby contest, to toddler beauty pageant. Well, I don't want to go there, I hope :). Here's an article about stage mom syndrome (source):
There's a fine line between an encouraging parent who helps a child do his best, and a stage parent who doesn't know when to quit :
1. Understand that achievement doesn't always equal fulfillment. While it's momentarily exciting to win first place, there are countless adults in the world who have all the outward appearances of total success (wealth, power, fame, etc.) and are miserable. Helping our children understand that winning is great, but isn't everything, will help them maintain perspective on both success and failures now and in the future.
2. Learn to separate yourself from your child's experiences. Our children are on a constant roller coaster of fear, elation, anxiety and joy based upon whatever is happening in any given moment. Our job as parents is to keep two feet on the ground, and to provide level-headed wisdom and support—celebrating the successes and loving them through the disappointments. If we indulge every emotional urge we have, and if we get all bent out of shape about, say, who was chosen to pitch today's little league game, we're compromising our ability to parent effectively.
3. Give your kids balance. Just because your little girl has a knack for gymnastics, it doesn't mean she should spend 30 hours a week in the gym at age 6. Children—especially young children—need the opportunity to explore a variety of interests and develop a well-rounded sense of self. If a whole childhood is invested in one sport or activity, and that road comes to a sudden end due to injury or other factors, your child's identity may seem to have gone away with it. Resist the urge to go all out in one area until your child is old enough to understand what he or she will be giving up to pursue that passion.
4. Acknowledge that your interests and your child's interests may be very different. Just because you love tennis, it doesn't mean that your little girl does. And just because dad was the star quarterback, it doesn't naturally follow that junior will even want to play football. We, as parents, have had our turn. Our children deserve (within reason) to invest themselves in the things that bring them real joy. If you offer opportunities in your personal area of interest, but your child goes in a different direction—then you may just have to learn to love lacrosse.
5. Keep the focus on the life skills and character building that are derived from working hard and doing your best. If parents and children alike understand that these activities are about shaping kids attitudes and habits and—lest we forget—fun, the whole thing becomes less about the awards ceremony and more about the journey.
From point number 1, achievement is not the most important thing. Although this country's education system that's highly competitive, waiting for her in the future, we as a parent need to support & love her as she is.
Aaah, what a parent of 6 months old baby is talking about here?? It is still a long time to go, for the time being, I want to build bonding through fun activities & play times with dear baby! Yes, from point number 4, I do want to have activities that both me & baby can enjoy together. Come to think of it, I enjoy swimming, and I've spent some time swam together with baby previously :
^.^
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