Re.wording

My older one told me recently that some K-Pop songs were stuck in his head. Songs he’d heard at school.. catchy, full of words he didn’t even understand and yet he couldn’t stop (wanting to) sing them. At first, I told him, “Just stop thinking about it.” But then I caught myself. What else does he have to fill that space? Our home is often quiet (because the toddler’s napping). And when it isn’t, it’s chaos! Blippi, Baby Shark, random YouTube noise. There isn’t much else for his mind to reach for. It made me realise how easy it is to focus only on what we don’t want > the noise, the negativity, the influences we’d rather avoid without thinking about what we’re replacing them with. We tell our kids not to listen to certain songs, not to watch certain shows, not to say certain words… But are we filling their world with what we do want to take root? It’s the same for us, isn’t it? We tell ourselves not to worry, not to burn out, not to compare. But what do we feed our he...

My big kid is six. Only six. And yet here I am, having conversations about brain rot, sex, pornography, and maybe the more subtle one, demons. I can’t believe I even have to explain why it’s not okay to be singing along to Soda Pop . These are heavy things for such a little heart. But the truth is, the world doesn’t wait for them to be ready. It barges in, loud and confident, through songs, YouTube shorts, and classroom chatter. And in the middle of it all, he’s trying to find where he fits. He’s the only kid in his class who isn’t going to SJKC. Seven out of ten of his classmates will be heading to the same school down the road next year. He’s the only one who isn’t 100% Chinese. He feels it, even if he can’t articulate it. That quiet awareness of being different. And so I ask myself, how do I help him navigate this? Because it’s not just about what he listens to or sings along with. It’s about belonging, identity, conviction, and the courage to stand firm when you’re the odd...