Parenting is not a simple and straightforward thingy.
You learn through trial and error, and pray very, very hard in between.
But, more often than not, the love that we have for our kids will guide us through it all, insya Allah.
There are so many parenting tips that we get everyday, be it from well-intent friends and relatives, or from all the parenting books out there - books that we have to pay for unnecessarily sometimes.
Out of all the tips given to us parents, there are some which Ayah and I truly believe in. Two of which are :-
(1) You should always try to reward your kids for their achievements, and the reward should be something that your kids really appreciate or yearn for, so that they will feel that all their hard work and efforts were all worth it, and the reward will act as an incentive for them to strive harder and do better next time.
AND
(2) In order for you to understand your kids better, you should try to understand the stuff that they like, and try to think the way they do, and sometimes you should engage in activities that your kids are into.
And tonight - Ayah scored full marks for both of the above.
Just as I am typing this, Ayah and Hanna are at Stadium Merdeka watching the MCR Concert.
For those who do not have any teenage kids, and so probably would not have heard, and would not know what "MCR" is, it stands for -
MY CHEMICAL ROMANCE
YUP!!! Ayah is at a Rock concert with Hanna!
Some of you might not agree with all these, but, oh well...
Hanna had been dropping hints for the last month or so about the concert and the possibility of her going with her friends (and their above-18 siblings, etc), but Ayah and I were not sure if we should let her go. Hanna had been asking and asking and asking and asking about it - that she sounded like a broken tape-recorder and she was starting to get on our nerves. Even though she did not sulk and was quite okay with it when we didn't say "Yes", we knew that she was disappointed.
We have been dilly-dallying about it, and finally we decided that this would be the reward for Hanna for getting all A's for her UPSR. The Concert was something that she REALLY wanted to go to.
Ayah managed to get 3 tickets, but, as I have been and still am bogged down with work, I decided not to join at the eleventh hour, and so Aunty Adek (my SIL) is now shouting and screaming herself hoarse in my place at Stadium Merdeka right this second.
What better way for a father to understand his daughter's taste in music than going to a concert with her, eh?!
Hanna, dear...You might think that it's NOT cool to go to a rock concert with your Ayah now...but, you will look back to tonight when you're older and I'm sure you will then agree with me when I say that your Ayah RAAAAAAWWWWWWKKKKKKK BIG TIME!!
And you should really appreciate and be grateful that for the love of his anak perempuan sulung yang sorang ni, your Ayah sanggup chaperone you to the MCR Concert tonight...
I hope you know just how much he loves you, dear...
P/S : Just for the record - I only went to my first Rock Concert when I was 21 years old, okay? It was BON JOVI... The venue - Wembley Arena. The feeling - AWESOME...
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Hahaha...MCR was rily great, dear! Wish u were there. And I actually knew some of the songs...imagine that!
As we were about to Q, Hanna gave me my ticket and told me to Q somewhere else. I think dia malu to be seen near her dad at a rock concert! Lol!
But we had fun. Hanna and Adek jumped and screamed...whilst I tried to move to the beat..not quite head banging laa! Hehe.. Well, what do u expect...I'm a band boy apa... ;p
The rain didn't deter us nor dampen our spirits. The crowd was really wild.
Well, Hanna...Ayah had a great time..a truly memorable experience. You would have thought going to a rock concert with my daughter would make me feel as old as a dinosaur, but no... I actually felt like a teenager all over again! I hope u had a fantastic time too.
Next one? Hmmm...have to bring Mommy along too. Must not allow her to miss all the fun! ;p
saw MCR in a small club in nottigham (http://stomachofchaos.com/?p=469) last november.
you're never too old to rock. i senang je cakap - most of the rock bands we listen to, comprise of bandmembers older than us (ok, rolling stones tu lain cerita la) or even around our age.
Dreading to go to RantaiArt fest with Khadijah this week. She wants to go with her frens - over our dead bodies. I'm sure she will feel how Hanna felt - it's their safety that matters most. (Khadijah pun macam tape recorder rosak jugak....LOL)
Ayah,
"RILY"?!! Errr...maybe it wasn't such a good idea for you to hang out with all the teenagers last night, dear...Look at what it has done to your English!!! Hehehe!
Glad you all had fun, dear. I could barely hear "The Black Parade" when you called from the concert to let me listen to it last night. The only thing I could hear was Hanna and Adek screaming!!!
Next time? Maybe we go just the two of us? 22 December? Stadium Merdeka? Hint hint...
Mahariz,
SETUJU!!!! :D
Hanna is also into "Meet Uncle Husin" at the moment - errrr...I think they are more than half our age...
So, can we Otais go to their concert or not?!
Dad of 4+1,
I think it's great that you're going to the concert with Khadijah. I'm sure both of you will find it an interesting experience - something that will stay in your heart for some time.
Haizal was pulling Hanna's legs before they went to the concert - telling her that he was going with tattered jeans, keys/bandanas and all...You should see Hanna's face when he said that...LOL!
I'm sure you'll have a great time together, DoF. Have fun!
Dad of 4+1,
Oooops! Had to delete your comment which had your HP number and e-mail address. Takut nanti ada stalker kacau you pulak...LOL!!!
YESSS!!! WE ARE VERY MUCH INTERESTED IN THE VIP TIX FOR 22 DECEMBER, MY DEAR...THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!
Will get in touch very soon!
Cheers, mate!
I've been hearing nothing but MCR from my 2 girls..... hehe.... I better not let them know that I knew someone who went.... hehe.... for sure I'll be bombarded with questions.....
Great that Hanna and the rest had fun..... but why didnt you go..... rugi la.... hehe
Wuhu.... welcome to the rocking world, Ayah Hana! We can all now look forward to you singing "black parade" at next croaking session.
Shana, what's happening Dec 22? Juara Lagu kah? Nak itot!!!!
Thanks...!!
Helena,
I know...they don't seem to stop talking about MCR - all these teenage girls! (I guess macam we all dulu with Duran Duran?! Aduh...that was more than 20 years ago!! I feel so old...)
I tak de mood nak ikut to the concert and I knew I wouldn't enjoy it coz' banyak kerja tak selesai lagi... It's okay - the concert tix was meant for Hanna anyway :)
Insya Allah, there'll be a next time. Who knows - both of us might bring our girls together to a concert?
:)
Ibu,
BETTER than Juara Lagu...
Hint - it's something Villa Damansara is soooooo into...
Bisak guess?!
;)
Dad of 4+1,
Don't mention it... :)
DEWA ?!!?!
Oh dewi ku Wan Shana, nak itot...
our prof pun 'rocker' what. temp-ing as a keyboardist for ella recently, didn't he? and haizal, kalau kau pakai key (puh-lease laaa!!!) dgn jeans koyak, aku pun buat2 tak kenal kau. :P
i have the (mis?)fortune of keeping with current music due to my circle of friends as well as my love for it. if you go back to my blog entry tu, one of the youtube videos is of my band covering MCR's i'm ok in 2006... hehehe.
meet uncle hussain is a new band and i know of two tracks. if you watch 8tv's kami (like most msian teens), you would've heard of them.
so, who's playing on dec 22?
Hahaha... Beside my daughter, nak lompat2 pun 1 kaki still on da ground laa...kena control sikit nanti dia ingat apa laa org tua sorang sebelah ni!
My last gig was with Bode masa Larian Kardio. That was real RAAAAWWWWWK!!!!
Err..Ibu.. Next croaking session? I thk Pak Haji kita can do a better joblaaa... :D
And Mommy dear...can't wait for 22Dec!!!
Dear wanshana & ayah
glad to hear that ayah is still into it with hanna. It sounds like something I would do....but my girls are not into MCR or any rock bands... they are still into pop.. the sugar sweet stuff...huge difference from their abah who is a hard rock fan..
and I am safe for the moment for any concerts, since my kids hate crowded places...
Shana,
WOw! Pi concert MCR. Lucky my daughters are still kat kampung although they have been bugging me to go too. I don't know whether I could stomach the whole rock concert thing. But Ayah , yeah he rocks!.
Oh you went to Bon Jovi's? Coool.
Ibu,
Tepat sekali tekaanmu! :D
And I think I agree with Haizal - I'm sure Pak Haji kita lagi raaaaawwwwwkkkk!!!
Errr...next croaking session bila aaah?! 2 birthdays are coming, right? By that time Rasah Kemayan is already in KL, I think? Shall we godam Ta*s' K-oke machine, instead of going to RB?
---------------------------
Mahariz,
There you have it - we're going to see DEWA - courtesy of Dad of 4+1!
(Thanks, Haq and Yani!!!)
Afsi,
Yeah, I tought that was cool - Ayah and Hanna going to MCR's gig. Father-daughter bonding time in "an unconventional" way. Hehehe!
Brace yourself Afsi. The time WILL come when your girls will drag you to a concert - POP pun pop lah... Habis la your hard rock image...
Tak per - for your daughters' sake... :D
Mior,
Are they still kat kampung? Alamak...you must be missing them (and their Mak!) like crazy, maaannn!
You should try and bring the girls to a gig - just to understand what it is that they're so crazy about. Better we go with them, than they go with their friends (at least for the next 7-10 years!), betul tak?
Ayah is actually in a band, playing the keyboard. And as Mahariz mentioned he played for Ella last year (PPUM Family Day), AND he even did a duet with the Queen of Rock singing Hotel California!
There you have it - suamiku seorang rocker...(wannabe???!!!)
HAHAHAHA!
And yeah, I went to a Bon Jovi concert at Wembley, I think about 17-18 years ago. Awesome experience, dude!
Rocker??? Hahaha...
Kalau my patients and students baca your blog habislah I, Mommy ooiii... Jatuh saham... ;p
Errr Ayah... a Rocker "WANNABE". You missed that part. HAHAHA!
Saham?! What saham?! Where got saham one? Anak sudah tiga laaa! If anything, I'm the ONLY shareholder, okay?
I let my daughter watched Linkin' Park way back in 2003 ~ a treat for her excellent UPSR results. She went with her sister, bro, friend, and a sporting uncle. The look on her face when I waved the 6 tickets infront of her was priceless! That was the first of the many concerts that she had gone to. It's ok to let them do this once in a while...
Saham doktor & saham cikgu ler, Mommy dear...
I thot I had better explain myself here. Takut balik malam ni kena ketuk dengan penyapu pulak! ;p
Ni memang confirm "family of RawwwkkkS"...
As for us, we only do our rocking stuffs at home. We try to avoid crowded places....
Dear UmmiSayang,
Thank you for hopping by :D
Please accept my apologies - I moderated your comment, but it somehow did not appear!
Exams and assignments...Yup! I think I'm developing some kind of allergy to them. And being an academician, this is NOT a good thing!
All the best with your exam, dear.
God Bless!
Anonymous,
Thank you for dropping by :D
Linkin' Park?! Wow! That must have been such an experience for a 12 year old! Great stuff!
You're right - tak boleh buat selalu because -
(i) We don't really want to encourage them lebih-lebih, right?
(ii) Nanti hilang enthusiasm, and they won't feel like it's really a treat or special reward,
and
(iii) Botak le kepala parents!
:D
Ayah,
Whatever you say, dear...
P/S : Tak main la penyapu... Vacuum cleaner bule? Hehehe!
Mamamia,
Hehehe...No la...tak de la rock mana pun... My enthusiasm for it is not that great now.
As for Ayah, he has no choice - he's in a band.
Anak-anak - well the younger ones listen to what K.Long Hanna listens to. So, tak boleh nak lari, I guess?
Rock and roll kat rumah pun kira alright, what? :D
Take care.
wanshana...
just realised.... I went to the bonjovi concert at wembley arena... way back then.....
Afsi,
Must be the same concert - a winter gig, right? Waaaaayyyyy back then. Sejuk giler...But, it was all worthed it.
I can still remember the opening band - Dan Reed Network. (Wow! Not bad for an Otai - can still remember the opening band maaaa!)
unlike dan reed, bon jovi is still alive and making loadsa ka-chingg! from making more records.
i'm not a parent, but i have some advise re:bringing young kids to gigs especially in the standing area. please try to find out what the crowd is like by asking those in the know.
i went to see muse in sheffield last year and slap bang in the middle of the crowd was this family. the thing was, they brought their kids yang average age 9-10, so not that big. i thought to myself if the parents knew what a crowd at a muse gig would be like. remember: just because the music is radio-"friendly" (muse is kinda like that, tapi they are no barry mannilow), don't think the crowd will be docile like moo-moo cows.
as i thought, just as muse got into the first chorus of their first song of the night, the parents picked up their kids and cabut from a moshpit which came up from nowhere, just like army personnel evacuating kids during war!
Kudo,
Thank you for the good advice.
We actually thought of that when we bought the tickets - that was why we didn't get the free-standing zones ones.
Instead we got the free-seating tickets - which were way cheaper, way safer (and way-at-the back!)
Lagi pun, we had to think of Ayah, too...Umur dah macam tu, mana larat nak berdiri lelama....
HAHAHAHAHA!!!
(Ampun!!!!!)
Hahaha... Ya lah kan.. Not quite a dinosaur but getting there.. Should have brought my walking stick malam tu! :D
We were at the free-seating section but it was actually the uncovered terrace part of Stadium Merdeka. As it was raining all day & nite, we were up on our feet (jumping/ screaming) throughout da gig. Memang tak berani bawak Hanna to the standing section pun. The crowd was wild, esp. near the stage.
K Shana,
Your blog ni ada candu ka? Have to admit, addicted to your blog!Hahaha.. Ni dah kira groupy ke??
Anyway, congrats to both ayah n mommy. Hanna will appreciate it forever.
Just to share, I went to a Parenting@work course recently. We were asked to list down wat are the best and worst memories of our parents that we still remember till now. Most listed the time spent together as best memories and physical or emotional punishment being worst. Really good tips to parents.. And you have done your parenting job well!! :)
Hello there T.Rex...(@Ayah)
I'll go out with you (and your walking stick and/or walking frame) anytime...
;)
Dear SitNur,
Candu?! Errr...the last time I checked this blog's ingredients, I don't think ada candu. Daun ketum ada la kot?! Hehehe!
Thank you, and thank you. I'm very flattered :), dear.
Hmmmmm...now that you've mentioned it, how true. I think my best memories of times spent with my parents pun were when we went for holidays together. While the worst - bila kena sebat with talipinggang by my Abah coz' asyik bergaduh with my 3rd brother. He finally could not tolerate it anymore when we resorted to kicking each other - pantang nenek moyang!
I remember it so vividly - both of us were asked to stand on the chairs, and we were whipped 3x each on our betis with his belt! Ingat till today coz' that was the ONLY time he used physical punishment on us. Normally he would just "jerkah" us, and we all dah kecut perut...
All the best with Michiko and Noriko, dear. Hey, you're an ace mom, yourself! ;)
Take care.
wah.....that is soo rawwwwkkk!!!
that is why la i like to hv so may children....pasti heboh@!!
satu suka bola = ayah tgk bola
dua suka rawkk = ayah gi rawkkkk
3 suka remote control car = ayah control the remote!
hehehhe
and i have six!!!
idham
Brother Id,
Waaaahhh! Pasti heboh, and memang meriah tu.
I can just imagine you and your kids doing all those stuff together. I have a feeling you lagi raaaawwwk, lagi footie fanatic, and lagi remote control cars freak from them! LOL!
Cheers :)
Dear wanshana
a little out of topic. I saw you and the kids at the C**ve on Saturday. Wanted to say hi, but I was rushed by the kids to get to another shop.
cheers
:)
Afsi,
You saw us?!!!
Alamak, we must be quite a sight - rushing from one shop to another, etc, and Hilman and Hasya were fighting almost the whole time we were there!
We were looking for 3 presents to give to a 3-month old, a 3-year old, and a 12-year old girls that day.
Which shop was that, if you don't mind me asking? I think we went to at least 9 shops hari tu. You should have just say "hi", afsi :)
Maybe next time,insya Allah, eh?
Take care.
hehehe..
so did you get the presents?.... I think I saw you on the 1st floor... k-red if i am not mistaken... I was being dragged to the watch shop on the other side....
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