Leaving the Nest.....
.
Well, sort of…..
When Nazzim left for boarding school late last year, our lives changed a bit. Whether we like it or admit it or otherwise, our schedules revolves around him or his availability or unavailability. We do take into account Sofia’s sentiments. He needed a lot of things each time he comes home and when we buy things for him, we probably have to buy something for Sofia too, even though she does not need it.
He has adjusted superbly into hostel life. No major complains or grouses, only small ones that are part and parcel of hostel life. After the first week of school this year, he came back and asked Lina to teach him how to iron clothes. You got it, some seniors asked him to do that. He does things for the seniors from running errands for them, clean the rooms, do their beds etc. I guess I can only listen to that and not let my paternal instincts take over. Oh, he doesn’t tell me all these things, he only tells Lina because he's afraid I might run riot. But then he also knows that whatever he tells his Mama will find its way to my ears. No, I will not run riot, I’ll let him discover hostel life on his own. But whatever it is, I told him, if anyone assaults him, asks for money or do the nasty to him, he got to tell me for there are limits to everything. Lina was not too pleased when she heard about the juniors’ washing the seniors’ clothes so I volunteered - should any senior ask him to wash their clothes, I’ll go to the school and wash the seniors’ clothes. If I feel a bit melancholic, maybe I’ll let them take them off first. No worries, no one has been scrubbed yet, no clothes washing involved so far.
For a few weeks he averaged spending RM 50 a week. Oh my Zod………
“Makanan kat Dewan Makan (DM) tak sedap la pa…..”
”Uh, I know the food at the DM is no gourmet food but you have to learn to eat there and not head for the canteen every time the food is not to your taste…”
Meaning, bukan lauk ayam lah tu.
“Ya, OK…..”
And that is on top of the supplies that we send him every week or rather, every three or four days, hehehehehehehe. But we finally struck a deal. He will have enough money to spend should the food be tak sedap all the time but he should eat at the DM a bit more. I guess it worked for his spending has came down quite a bit. Whenever he comes home, he sleeps a lot. It figures, at school, he rarely sleeps before midnight and wakes up by 5.30 am.
But he enjoys the school. At the start of the year, him and a few others were called up front during assembly because they scored something like a hundred or something like that in music or something like that, to receive a certificate or something like that and a RM 5 voucher.
“Alah, RM 5 aje….”
“That’s not the point.” I said. “See what could happen when you work hard and do your best? You were not expecting the RM 5 were you and when you got it, it felt rather nice, didn’t it?”
And I rambled on and on and on, oh god…… even I forgot what I ranted on but it was long and lingering. That’s me in my father mode.
Lina later told me that he said he’d like a lot more of those vouchers and certificates.
Go for it, son….
.
Well, sort of…..
When Nazzim left for boarding school late last year, our lives changed a bit. Whether we like it or admit it or otherwise, our schedules revolves around him or his availability or unavailability. We do take into account Sofia’s sentiments. He needed a lot of things each time he comes home and when we buy things for him, we probably have to buy something for Sofia too, even though she does not need it.
He has adjusted superbly into hostel life. No major complains or grouses, only small ones that are part and parcel of hostel life. After the first week of school this year, he came back and asked Lina to teach him how to iron clothes. You got it, some seniors asked him to do that. He does things for the seniors from running errands for them, clean the rooms, do their beds etc. I guess I can only listen to that and not let my paternal instincts take over. Oh, he doesn’t tell me all these things, he only tells Lina because he's afraid I might run riot. But then he also knows that whatever he tells his Mama will find its way to my ears. No, I will not run riot, I’ll let him discover hostel life on his own. But whatever it is, I told him, if anyone assaults him, asks for money or do the nasty to him, he got to tell me for there are limits to everything. Lina was not too pleased when she heard about the juniors’ washing the seniors’ clothes so I volunteered - should any senior ask him to wash their clothes, I’ll go to the school and wash the seniors’ clothes. If I feel a bit melancholic, maybe I’ll let them take them off first. No worries, no one has been scrubbed yet, no clothes washing involved so far.
For a few weeks he averaged spending RM 50 a week. Oh my Zod………
“Makanan kat Dewan Makan (DM) tak sedap la pa…..”
”Uh, I know the food at the DM is no gourmet food but you have to learn to eat there and not head for the canteen every time the food is not to your taste…”
Meaning, bukan lauk ayam lah tu.
“Ya, OK…..”
And that is on top of the supplies that we send him every week or rather, every three or four days, hehehehehehehe. But we finally struck a deal. He will have enough money to spend should the food be tak sedap all the time but he should eat at the DM a bit more. I guess it worked for his spending has came down quite a bit. Whenever he comes home, he sleeps a lot. It figures, at school, he rarely sleeps before midnight and wakes up by 5.30 am.
But he enjoys the school. At the start of the year, him and a few others were called up front during assembly because they scored something like a hundred or something like that in music or something like that, to receive a certificate or something like that and a RM 5 voucher.
“Alah, RM 5 aje….”
“That’s not the point.” I said. “See what could happen when you work hard and do your best? You were not expecting the RM 5 were you and when you got it, it felt rather nice, didn’t it?”
And I rambled on and on and on, oh god…… even I forgot what I ranted on but it was long and lingering. That’s me in my father mode.
Lina later told me that he said he’d like a lot more of those vouchers and certificates.
Go for it, son….
.
posted by dudae_simboyo at 16:28
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