PS! SCROLLING DOWN THERE IS THE ENGLISH TRANSLATION OF THIS POST
Juhtusin eile youtube's ühe video peale, mis mind tõesti asjade üle mõtlema pani. Võite ka ise pigu peale visata: SIIT
Seal oli selline tsitaat video autori poolt:
The best journey is the one that answers questions that at the beginning you didn't even think to ask. - Jeff Johnson 180 degrees South.Video oli sellest, kuidas mees sai isaks ning ta tundis end pidevalt väga ärevalt ning ebakindlana. Ta mõtles, et ta on ainuke endasarnane, kes ei oska enda lapsi kasvatada. See viis ta mõtteni, et kuidas tema enda isa oli teadnud, kuidas enda poega kasvatada. Ainus viis teada saada oli küsida isalt ning tagasi vaadata oma lapsepõlvele. Ta avastas palju sarnasusi ning asju, mida muidu ei teadnud.
Miks see video minuni just praegu jõudis?
See video puudutas mind eriti just praegu, sest olen ka ise sarnases olukorras. Olgugi, et mul endal bioloogilisi lapsi ei ole, on mul siiski viis väikest põngerjat, kes vajavad hoolt ja armastust ning nende suhtes tunnen teatavat ebakindlust ning see video oli just see, mis aitas mõista vanemaks olemise varjukülge.
Kui ma eelmisel korral nendega üksi jäin, arvasin, et olin meeletult hirmul seetõttu, et ei olnud varem olnud valmis vastutust võtma. Olen selle üle veelgi mõelnud ning aru saanud, et kartsin, sest ma ei olnud lastega tuttav ning ei olnud neile valmis end avama ega end neile pühendama.
Samuti oli mul nendega tegelemise suhtes silme ees sotsiaalmeedia ning ühiskonna loodud ebareaalne pilt laste kasvatamise lihtsusest.
Ega muidu ei kuuleks nii tihti või näeks kasvõi Facebookis pilte, kus tütarlapsed hoiavad kellegi vastsündinut ning all on mitmeid kommentaare et oh kui armas, tahaks endale ka.
Minu arvamus on see, et kõik selliste lausete ütlejad oleksid kasvõi paariks päevaks minu asemel või isegi mitte minu asemel, sest suure tõenäosusega ei saa nad kunagi viit last, aga oleksid kasvõi paar päeva vastsündinuga koos ning avastaksid, et see laps ei ole pooltki armas nukuke, kes ainult kogu aeg rahulik ja vaikne ning puhas oleks ning laseks emal-isal oma elu elada (elu enne last).
Ameerika noorte suhtumine lastesse
Ameerikas olles kohtasin sellist suhtumist veelgi rohkem, et lapsed on iluasjad. Huvitav fakt on ka see, et USA noored on maailmas esimesel kohal 16-17-aastaselt emaks saamise poolest. Olgugi, et neil on koolis sellised ained nagu seksuaalõpetus ning pereplaneerimine. Ning pereplaneerimine isegi sellisel kujul, kus nädalaks ajaks saavad nad endale vastsündinut meenutava nuku, kes öösiti nutab ning süüa nõuab ning rahuneb ainult siis kui ta sülle võtta ning käituda nagu päris vastsündinuga. Tean, et mu vahetusõde hoidis seda last nädal aega ning magas ka diivanil, et mitte mind üles öösel äratada kui laps nutma hakkas. Nädala lõpus viisid nad lapsed tagasi ning õpetaja vaatas arvutist kui palju keegi oli lapse eest hoolitsenud, sest see nukk oli elektrooniline ning salvestas kõik asjad, mida temaga tehti.
Nädala lõpus ütles Misaki (mu vahetusõde Jaapanist), et ta on õnnelik, et tal last ei ole, sest ta oli tõesti väsinud.
Paljud noormehed, kes koos temaga seal tunnis olid, olid öelnud, et nad ei viitsinud lapsega jamada ning panid ta kappi, et ta vait jääks ning läksid magama. Mida nad aga teeksid siis kui tõesti on vaja vastutust võtta lihase lapse eest? See küsimus jääb õhku rippuma, kuid tuleb sealset ühiskonna üldpilti vaadates sõnadetagi välja.
Avastasin just, et 4 minu endist sõbrannat USA ajast on praegu kas ühe või kuni kolme lapsega kodus ning enamik neist on minust paar aastat nooremad. Lisaks on veel ka mõned noormehed, kes on vahepeal isaks saanud, kuid nende tüdruksõbrad on noored üksikemad, sest nad ei ole olnud piisavalt mehed, et olla korralikud isad. Pigem on põgenenud ja lootnud, et küll keegi teine teeb ja on.
Olen selle üle varemgi mõtteid mõlgutanud, et miks selline seal ühiskonnas aset leiab? Tean, et vanemad keelavad noorelt seksimise ära ning et seda vältida, siis kontrollivad nad, et uks oleks lahti kui boyfriend/ girlfriend külas on. Imelikul kombel aga kuidagi jäädakse ikkagi lapseootele. Võib-olla on sellepärast see keelatud vili palju magusam. Ja mida rohkem keelatakse, seda rohkem tahetakse ise järele proovida. Seda enam, et kogu ühiskond propageerib seksuaalkäitumist järjest nooremate inimeste seas.
Me ilmselt kõik arvame, et meie vanemad on superinimesed, sest nad on enamasti alati enesekindlad ning teavad, kuidas teatud olukordades käituda. Lastele on kõige olulisem minu meelest, et vanem teaks, mida ta teeb ning ei tekitaks lapses ebakindlust ja muret tulevase suhtes.
Vähemalt nii olen mina seda tavaliselt mõeldnud. Mäletan enda vanemaid alati sellistena, kes teadsid asju ette ning oskasid käituda vastavalt. Meil ei jäänud muud üle kui lihtsalt oodata kuni see aeg kätte jõuab, sest teadsime, et kõik laabub suurepäraselt ning kõik on ilusti organiseeritud. Tegelikkus oli ilmselt teistsugune ning meile kui lastele ei paistnud enesekindluse maski tagant ebakindlus ning mure.
Kontakteerusin enda USA emaga ning helistasin ka enda emale, et küsida seda sama küsimust, kas ka nemad olid ebakindlad kui lapsed nende ellu tulid. Olen seda ka Annalt küsinud mitu korda, nähes, et ta pea elati teab, kuidas teatud olukordades käituda või mida teha.
USA emalt sain sellise vastuse, et õnneks või kahjuks ei tule lastega kasutusjuhendit kaasa ning lihtsalt katse-eksitus meetodit kasutades.
Mu enda ema aga oli lugenud palju raamatuid, et teada saada, mida võib ja mida on hea teha, et lastest kasvaksid täisväärtuslikud ja toredad-tegusad inimesed.
Anna rääkis mulle kõigist neist olukordadest, kus ta ei ole teadnud, kuidas käituda või mida teha. Tema on sellistel juhtudel helistanud kas mõnele psühholoogile, arstile, õpetajale või enda õele (kes on psühholoog) või enda emale (kes on arst) ning nende nõu küsinud.
Minu arvamus, kuidas oleks hea lapsi kohelda.
Minu meelest oleks hea olla lastega aus ning kohelda neid nagu väikseid inimesi, mitte kui lapsi. Kohe alguses hakata neile õpetama elu tõdesid ning mitte üritada varjata meeletult elu inetut poolt. Tean, et kõike võib-olla ei ole hea kohe ära seletada, sest laps õpib ning hakkab küsimusi küsima ise siis kui ta on selleks valmis, aga valetada ja ettekäändeid tuua ei ole mõtet, sest ühel hetkel õpib ta ise vastuse kas oma kogemusest või kellegi teise jutu põhjal ning küsib endalt kas ta ema või isa on valetanud talle.
Lapsepõlve Kogemus on mind õpetanud
Kogemus just suure tähega. See on minu elu võti edule ning elu saladuste teada saamisele. Tahan omandada kogemusi, et olla teadmatusest alati ühe sammu võrra ees.
Minu vanemad on mind nii kasvatanud, et minus on suur uudishimu asju teada saada ning õppida, leida ise vastused paljudele küsimustele, ja samuti leida ise lahendusi.
Toon ühe näite. Ühel päeval palus Elvar, et viiksin teleka ühest külalistemajast Hollselisse, kus ta töötab. Ma ei saanud ta üsna segasest inglise keelest aru ning helistasin Annale. Kohale jõudes avastasin, et telekas on, kuid sealt alguse saav juhe on pööningul kinni ning tõmmates ära ei tule. Ma otsustasin aga mitte alla anda ning teadsin, et teen kõik võimaliku, et see asi lahenduseni jõuaks. Proovisin erinevaid viise, kuid miski ei töötanud. Lõpuks otsustasin laua ja tooli ning ukse abiga pööningule ronida ja juhtme lihtsalt lahti ühendada ja ära alla tuua. Palju aega ja tahtmist võttis, aga asja sai ning sain ülesandega edukalt hakkama.
See tuletas mulle meelde neid aega lapsepõlvest kui vanemad helistasid ja seletasid midagi, mida me ära pidime tegema koos õdedega ning mis nende jutu järgi oleks pidanud olema lihtne, kuid kujunes parajaks katsumuseks.
Meil on aga alati olnud südikust asjad lõpuni teha ning kasutada fantaasiat ja kogu mõistust, et asi korda saata ning vanemad usaldasid meid keerukate ülesannetega, sest võisid kindlad olla, et me need ka ära teeme.
Üks oluline asi, mida veel olen õppinud enda lapsepõlvest, et kui lasta ära proovida paljud asjad, siis enda kogemus on see, mille peale rajada kindlus, et tead kuidas asjad töötavad. Meil lasti alati kõik asjad ära proovida, alates seemnete külvamisest, kastekannuga kastmisest, naela löömisest kuni kookide küpsetamise ning supi tegemiseni. Mul on hea meel, et mu emal ja isal oli nii palju kannatust, et meie tegemisi juhendada ja lasta meil ise õppida enda kogemusest kuidas süüa teha või kuidas ise lahendust leida kui näiteks puude lõhkumisel kirves peaaegu jalga puudutas.
Seejuures on mul hea meel, et minuga olid kaasas alati mu kaks õde, ilma kelleta ei oleks need kogemused olnud pooltki seda, mida nad mu jaoks tollal olid. Aitäh teile.
Tänapäeva laste jaoks on elu nii lihtsaks tehtud.
Nad ei pea enam ise nukkudele riideid õmblema, sest kõik on juba poes olemas. Samuti ei pea väga isegi enda fantaasiat kasutama, sest nukumajad ja püssid (mis muidu olid metsas onnid või puupulgad) on täitsa reaalselt olemas ning kättesaadavad. Telekas annab kogu fantaasia.
Juhtusin kunagi lugema artiklit, et alla 2-aastased lapsed, kes on väga palju televiisorist multifilme vaadanud on teistest lastest vähem arenenud lasteaias. Ei osanud selle kohta kohe midagi arvata, eriti kuna seal ei olnud mainitud allikat, mille alusel seda väidetakse. Minu arvamus on, et ühest küljest on see tõsi, sest Dora või Diego, mida minu viis väiksekest siin vaatavad on ninnu-nännu ja sealt õpib keelt ja natuke midagi ka elu kohta, aga üldistest asjadest nagu inimeste vahelised suhted või elutõed, sealt ei saa.
Lisaks ei lasta ka enam lastel nii palju asju proovida kui vanasti. Vanemad on muutunud mugavamaks ning läinud lihtsama vastupanu teed, andes kätte mänguasja või öeldes, et mine vaata telekat.
Õnneks on vähemalt siinsetel lastel veel hoolimata kõigest manipulatsioonist, mis tuleb telekast, säilinud fantaasia. Vähemalt Atena teab et endale kostüümi saab meisterdada paberit enda riiete külge kinnitades või hobust meisterdada paberist ja puupulkadest või ise lihtsalt jäätist teha, pannes sügavkülma viinamarju ning suur kast või prügikast või ka lauaalune sobib ideaalselt mänguonniks.
Arvasin, et suudan ja tean kõike kohe alguses. Kummutan ümber enda väärarusaamu endast.
Siiatulles kui kuulsin, et Atlanta läheb lasteaeda enne kaht eluaastat, mõtlesin, et miks vanemad ei taha selle väiksega koos olla, viies ta justkui kuhugi mujale, et ise ei peaks tegelema. Praegu olen sellele küsimusele vastuse saanud. Tean nüüd kui palju aitab lasteaed vanemaid ning annab neile natukenegi puhkust. Enne ma ei teadnud, et vanemaks olemine tähendab igapäevast nö töö juures kohalolekut 24/7 ning "töö" juurest puudumist märgatakse esimese asjana. See on ka kõige vastutusrikkam. Olin kuulnud, et vanemaks olemine tähendab täistööpäeva, kuid ei olnud seda mõistnud.
Kui Anna ütles kunagi, et see keskmine on natuke teistmoodi, natuke arem kui teised lapsed on, siis helises mu peas kelluke, sest tean kui hästi ma tavaliselt suudan pisut argade laste tähelepanu võita ning nendega sõbraks saada.
Jällegi reaalsus oli midagi muud. Sain sellest üsna pea aru ning see mu kujutletav enesekindlus laste usalduse võitmise suhtes varises kokku. Ma arvasin, et olin maailma kõige kannatlikum ja rahuliku inimene lastega tegeledes. Tegelikult aga tüdinesin juba pärast kümmet minutit ära ja üsna keeruline oli teinekord mitte vihastada ja üle keeda kui April ema juurde tormas või nutma hakkas või ütles, et ära puutu mind. Üsna tihti oleksin lihtsalt tahtnud nutta, sest meeleheide oli nii suur või karjuda või jalgu trampida, et nad mind kuulda võtaks. Sellest hoolimata ma seda ei teinud ja üritasin enda vihaenergia kuhugile mujale, näiteks koristamisse panna.
Arvasin, et mul on nii palju aega iseenda jaoks, et igav hakkab. Reaalsus on aga, et pigem jääb ajast alati puudu kui et seda on üle. Üritan seega seda maksimaalselt ära kasutada, jagades seda nii lastele tekkide õmblemise kui islandi keele õppimise, psühholoogia raamatu lugemise, teleka vaatamise, jalutamise ja koristamise vahel. Igav ei hakka mul kunagi ning kui hakkab, siis pean lihtsalt end ümber koordineerima.
Nagu videoski kompassi kalibreerimine. Olen justkui enda põneval elurajal ning kui ette peaks tulema mõni igavam lõik, siis pean lihtsalt suuna tagasi saama ning jätkama samast põnevast kohast.
Arvasin, et elu siin ei muutu rutiinseks ja et mul on kogu aeg energiat. Jah, mul enamasti ongi kogu aeg energiat kui korralikult magada saan. Kui ma aga oleksin ise ema ja mul oleks viis last, siis ilmselt ei saaks ma kogu aeg kaheksat tundi magada ning ei oleks ka nii positiivne ja rõõmus, pigem endasse rohkem sulgunum ning vähema kannatusega. Rutiin tekib aga juba nädal aega sama asja tegemist. Ma ei suuda uskuda, et mu ema elas koduperenaise elu 10 aastat, tehes samu asju iga päev.
Ma tundsin täna, et selline pisut üksluine elu hakkab mind nädalaga ära tüütama. Täna niisiis mõtlesin enda päeva teisiti alustada. Tavaliselt õpin hommikul värske peaga islandi keelt, aga seekord võtsin hoopis psühholoogia raamatu ette ning pärast kirjutasin enda mõtteid. Tean ka, et õhtul tuleb Anna koju ja siis on mu rutiin jälle purustatud. Jess. Loodan, et mul säilib ka edaspidi selline suur huvi enda rutiinseid harjumusi purustada ning päeva paremaks ja erilisemaks muuta.
Niisiis kokkuvõtteks on mul hea meel, et olen kasvanud ajal, mis soosis lastel enda fantaasia kasutamist ning ise mängude leiutamist ning et mu tollal kõikvõimsad vanemad ikka lasksid asju katsetada ning proovida ning ise elu avastada, suunates kõrvalt. Just tänu sellele olen kasvanud selliseks iseseisvaks inimeseks nagu olen, kes ei anna alla ning proovib enne sadad võimalust ning kui need ei tööta, siis veel üht et asi lõpuni viia.
Välja tuli ka see, et vanemad ei ole superinimesed, vaid kõigest tavalised mehed-naised, kes üritavad erinevaid meetodeid katsetada, et kasvatada enda lapsi õigesti, sest instruktsiooni ei ole kaasa antud, kuidas oleks seda õige teha.
Ning mul on hea meel, et olen avastanud enda kohta nii palju tõdesid, mida ümber lükata, et teada saada, et ma ei ole üliinimene, vaid kõigest vastusteotsija.
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So I will also write my text into English so all the other people who doesn't understand Estonian could also read my posts.
So I happened to see a video from Youtube the other day that really made me think about some things. The link is HERE:
There is the quote by the author of the video
The best journey is the one that answers questions that at the beginning you didn't even think to ask. - Jeff Johnson 180 degrees South.
Video itself is about a man who became a father of a son and he used to feel very obscure and didn't have very much self-confidence. He thought he was one of the kind and almost the only man who didn't know how to raise his kids. This led to a thought that how had his own father known how to raise his kids. The only way to get to know this was to contact his own dad and ask plus look back towards his childhood. He discovered many similarities and things he didn't know before when talking to his father.
Why did the video reached me now?
The video touched me very deeply now, because i am in the same situation, well almost in the same situation, I don't have biologically kids yet but there are still five of them who need care and love and when being alone and trying to take care of them makes me feel kind of obscure and think about the values that are right or wrong. This video was perfect to make you understand the shady side of being a parent.
When i was alone with the kids the last time i thought i was terrified because i wasn't ready to take the responsibility but the real thing i later thought was that i was afraid to open myself to them so they could get to know me as well and i was afraid to commit. Meanwhile i also had the picture in front of my eyes that the social media had created, how easy is to raise kids and the picture when facing the reality is quite unreal.
Otherwise there weren't so many girls posting pictures to Facebook, holding newborns and there are usually a lot of comments underneath like "Oh, how cute, i want one too."
My opinion towards this is that all these girls who say things like these could just come where i am now, just for a couple of days. Well, of course, most of them are probably not going to have 5 kids but they should spend at least couple of days with a newborn and then they would discover that this doll-alike baby is not so quiet and neat and peaceful most a lot of the times and the life is not the same with the baby as it was before having a child.
American teenager´s attitude towards babies
When i was in USA i met this kind of attitude quite a lot that i am about to describe. This is just from my own experience, but a lot of them thought that babies are like dolls. It is also good to know that the number among American teenagers who become teen parents is the largest in the world. However, in the school they have subjects like parenting class and sexual study or whatnot. And also parenting classes provide even one week living with newborn-doll, who actually cries during the night and only calms down when being taken care of.
My host sister took this class and she slept on the couch because she didn't want to wake me up when the baby started crying. At the end of the week they took the babies back and the teacher connected the electronic babies to the computer and saw how much the baby was being taken care of and how much she had cried.
At the end of the week my host sister Misaki (she was from Japan) told me that she was so lucky that she didn't have a baby, because she was exhausted.
A lot of the boys who had also taken the class with her had just told that they didn't bother to take care of the baby so they had just threw it to the closet when it started crying and went to sleep. But what would they do when there will come the time to really take the responsibility for their own child? This question will stay in the air, but it will answer by itself when starting to look the wide picture.
Of course not all the guys are the same, but there is still huge group or irresponsible people unwilling to stand out, out there.
I have been thinking about this quite often why is the situation there the way it is. I know a lot of parents doesn't allow their teens to have sex and in order to avoid them doing it the doors have to be opened, but somehow girls still get pregnant. Maybe it is because then they feel if they are not allowed to do it the so called"fruit" is even sweeter. And the more it is being permitted the more people want to experience it. Moreover, the society promotes sexual behavior among more and more young teens.
We all kind of think that our parents are superheroes, because they are mostly self-confident and they know how to act in almost all kind of situations. The most important, in my opinion is to show the kids that parents know what will come up and the kids don't have to worry about the future. I remember my own parents being like that. They always knew how to act and what to do. For us, kids we didn't have to do anything else but just wait until the time came and we knew that everything was going to be alright and fully planned. The reality was, I'm quite sure the opposite and us, kids didn't just see the insecurity behind the self-confident mask.
I contacted my American mom and called also my own mom to ask the same kind of question if they had been feeling this way after they had had kids. I have also asked that from Anna a couple of times, as i usually see her being very knowledgeable and secure about the situation.
My American mom answered that unfortunately there is not instruction that comes together with a child. My mother read a lot of books and tried to know what is the best thing to do to help them become healthy and independent adults in the future. Anna has told me about all those situations she hadn´t had a clue what to do. She has just contacted or called psychologist or doctors or nurses. Her sister is psychologist and her mother is a doctor.
My opinion towards raising kids
In my opinion i think that the best thing is to be honest with them and treat them as they are small human beings, not kids. Well of course they are allowed to have childhood but what comes to explaining things i think that the best thing is to start explaining why things are the way they are from the very beginning. I also know that maybe not everything is not good to explain in the beginning because for some things they have to be old enough to start asking questions by themselves but i think good thing is rather explain than hide the bad side of life. Because someday (s)he will learn the answer by his/herself and will start thinking why their parent had told a lie about it.
My childhood Experience has taught me.
Experience with capital letters. This is the key of my life and key for getting to know things. I want to experience things by myself in order to be always one step ahead the strange unknowingness.
I have been raised up by my parents to gain the interest of getting to know things, ask questions and find the answers by myself.
I give an example. The other day Elvar asked me to take a TV to a place he works. I didn't understand much about his English so i called Anna. When i reached the place i discovered that there was the TV but the cable is up in the storage room and when trying to pull it, it would not come off of there. Instead of giving up i promised myself that i will do whatever it takes to reach the verdict.
I tried different ways but nothing worked. So in the end i decided to climb up using the table and chair and door until i was able to unplug it. It took me quite a while but I managed to do it.
This reminded me my childhood when our parents used to call us and tell what to do and they explained it like it was supposed to be an easy task, but when we (me and my two sisters) finally started to figure the task up it was more complicated than we had expected it to be.
But we never gave up. We did whatever it took to complete the task and we never gave up. We used or fantasy and all the knowledge we had and our parents trusted us with difficult tasks because they knew we could do it. We worked as a team.
One very important thing i learned from my childhood was that if i have tried it out myself then i for sure know how it works and i know i am good at it because i have done it once and i know how it works. My parents always let us try all the things starting with planting the seeds and watering the flowers to cooking and making food. I am glad that my mom and dad had so much patience to quide us and let us find out the solution by ourselves. We had to, for example see what happens when the ax will almost touch the foot or when the stove was too hot for pancakes or whatever things like these.
Meanwhile i am so so grateful that there were my two lovely sisters with me, without them the experience wouldn't have been as fun as it was. Thank you!!!
The life has been made too easy for children nowadays
They don't have to sew clothes for their dolls, because all the clothes can be found from shops. They don't have to use their fantasy so much, because the dollhouses and guns (that in my childhood were huts in the forest or just wooden sticks) are really there and they are made out of plastic.TV gives them all the fantasy they would need.
I happened to read an article about how 2-year-olds who have watched too much telly are less developed than other kids who spent less time in front of tv.
I didn't at first know what to think about it, because there wasn't mentioned the spring where the info comes from so i didn't take it as a clear truth. But my opinion about it is that on the one hand it is true, because Dora or Diego cartoons don't always give the best knowledge about real world the language is quite simple and situations rather simple and not similar to real world. But (s)he definitely cannot learn about human relationships or the simple truths about life.
In addition most parents don't let their kids try out things as much as they used to do it in olden times. Parents are rather in their own comfort zone and they would rather just use the simple way of telling the child to go watch TV.
Luckily these kids here with me at least are not hopeless in spite of all the manipulation that comes from TV they still know how to use their fantasy. At least Aþena knows how to make a costume out of paper by just using the glue and clear tape or how to make a horse with paper and wooden sticks and there is a simple way to make a healthy ice cream if the ice-cream day comes in 3 days: just put grapes into a freezer and voila there it is. And the trashcan can as well be a little home or using blankets there can easily be a hut underneath the table.
I thought i could do everything in the beginning. Rephrase my knowledges about myself.
When i first got here and heard that Atlanta will start the kindergarten before turning 2 i found myself thinking why doesn't they want to be together with this lovely child and instead they just take her to kindergarten. Now i have got the answer for it. I know now how much it helps to have at least a little bit of their own time during the day. Before coming here i didn't know that being a parent means that you have to be at work 24/7 and this is the one work where they really know when you are gone. This is also the one job that is the most responsible.I had heard that being a parent means a full-time job but i never really got through to the point.
When Anna told me that the middle child is a little bit different than others, a little bit shy, then i heard the bell ring inside my head and a little devil whispered into my ear that this is your chance you are always been good at becoming friends with shy kids.
Of course again the reality is something else. I got to know it very soon and the imaginary self-confidence i imagined myself to have towards dealing with kids fell into the dirt.
I also thought i was the most patient and calm person in the world to deal with kids but to be honest i got bored after 10 minutes doing the same thing and in some of the times it was very difficult for me not to become mad when April or any other kids told me not to touch or help them and ran away.
Very often i would have wanted to just cry because i was so desperate or stomp my feet or scream but though i didn't do it and i tried to put my energy full of anger into something else, like cleaning the room.
I also thought that i will have sooooo much time for myself that i will get bored. The truth is that i always have less time for myself than i expect. So i try to take the maximum out if it and use every second for either kids or sewing blankets for them or reading psychology book or learning icelandic. I am never ever bored. Whenever i feel i get bored i have to rephrase the boredom and change my day a bit and it will all become colorful again.
Like in the video how the boy needed to calibrate the compass. I imagine myself being on a very exciting track of my life and whenever there comes a boring part of the road that i have to face i just have to get back on the exciting part of the trail again and the journey may continue.
I also thought that life here will not become a routine and i always have enough energy. Well most of the time i have a lot of energy if i get to sleep 8 hours a day., But if i was a mother myself and i had five kids then i am quite sure i wouldn't get so much sleep and wouldn't be so happy and patient, but rather more closed and impatient. The routine comes when i have to do the same thing all over again every week. I cannot believe how my mother could survive 10 years of doing the same thing almost every single day.
Today i felt like the life has become a bit disturbing and boring so i calibrated it and gave it a fresh start. Instead of learning icelandic for the first thing in the morning i took psychology book and read it, then wrote down my thoughts. I know when Anna will come home the routine is busted again. JEEE. I hope that in the future i will still have the courage and interest to brake the routines and make my life colorful and happy.
So to sum up, i am glad i was born in the time when kids had to use their fantasy and mind to experience and find the answers by themselves. And that we had the chance to invent new games and my superheroes parents let us do things by ourselves and test our knowledge and all they really did was just to quite us. Because of that i am just as independent young woman as i am now and i know from my experiences never to give up and before giving up to make sure i have tried all the hundred ways and if they don't work they try one more time.
Moreover, it also came out that parents are not superheroes, but just regular men and women who try to raise their kids as good or bad as they could, trying to test all the possible solutions, because unfortunately there is not instruction that would help them.
I am also happy that i have discovered so many truths and values about myself that have, within this short time, changed. Plus i am not a super-person myself, but just someone who is longing for answers and truth.
They don't have to sew clothes for their dolls, because all the clothes can be found from shops. They don't have to use their fantasy so much, because the dollhouses and guns (that in my childhood were huts in the forest or just wooden sticks) are really there and they are made out of plastic.TV gives them all the fantasy they would need.
I happened to read an article about how 2-year-olds who have watched too much telly are less developed than other kids who spent less time in front of tv.
I didn't at first know what to think about it, because there wasn't mentioned the spring where the info comes from so i didn't take it as a clear truth. But my opinion about it is that on the one hand it is true, because Dora or Diego cartoons don't always give the best knowledge about real world the language is quite simple and situations rather simple and not similar to real world. But (s)he definitely cannot learn about human relationships or the simple truths about life.
In addition most parents don't let their kids try out things as much as they used to do it in olden times. Parents are rather in their own comfort zone and they would rather just use the simple way of telling the child to go watch TV.
Luckily these kids here with me at least are not hopeless in spite of all the manipulation that comes from TV they still know how to use their fantasy. At least Aþena knows how to make a costume out of paper by just using the glue and clear tape or how to make a horse with paper and wooden sticks and there is a simple way to make a healthy ice cream if the ice-cream day comes in 3 days: just put grapes into a freezer and voila there it is. And the trashcan can as well be a little home or using blankets there can easily be a hut underneath the table.
When i first got here and heard that Atlanta will start the kindergarten before turning 2 i found myself thinking why doesn't they want to be together with this lovely child and instead they just take her to kindergarten. Now i have got the answer for it. I know now how much it helps to have at least a little bit of their own time during the day. Before coming here i didn't know that being a parent means that you have to be at work 24/7 and this is the one work where they really know when you are gone. This is also the one job that is the most responsible.I had heard that being a parent means a full-time job but i never really got through to the point.
When Anna told me that the middle child is a little bit different than others, a little bit shy, then i heard the bell ring inside my head and a little devil whispered into my ear that this is your chance you are always been good at becoming friends with shy kids.
Of course again the reality is something else. I got to know it very soon and the imaginary self-confidence i imagined myself to have towards dealing with kids fell into the dirt.
I also thought i was the most patient and calm person in the world to deal with kids but to be honest i got bored after 10 minutes doing the same thing and in some of the times it was very difficult for me not to become mad when April or any other kids told me not to touch or help them and ran away.
Very often i would have wanted to just cry because i was so desperate or stomp my feet or scream but though i didn't do it and i tried to put my energy full of anger into something else, like cleaning the room.
I also thought that i will have sooooo much time for myself that i will get bored. The truth is that i always have less time for myself than i expect. So i try to take the maximum out if it and use every second for either kids or sewing blankets for them or reading psychology book or learning icelandic. I am never ever bored. Whenever i feel i get bored i have to rephrase the boredom and change my day a bit and it will all become colorful again.
Like in the video how the boy needed to calibrate the compass. I imagine myself being on a very exciting track of my life and whenever there comes a boring part of the road that i have to face i just have to get back on the exciting part of the trail again and the journey may continue.
Moreover, it also came out that parents are not superheroes, but just regular men and women who try to raise their kids as good or bad as they could, trying to test all the possible solutions, because unfortunately there is not instruction that would help them.
I am also happy that i have discovered so many truths and values about myself that have, within this short time, changed. Plus i am not a super-person myself, but just someone who is longing for answers and truth.
Kuidas ma selle Saksa fotograafiga kohtusin.
Käisin kunagi Dettifossi uudistamas ja märkasin üht huvitavat fotograafi koos enda tüdruksõbraga. Ta pildistas ilma objektiivita. Ei pööranud sellele suurt tähelepanu, vaid olin pigem omaette. Pärast koju jõudes aga oli mu imestus suur kui see sama fotograaf tuli meie külalistemajja ning nad veetsid öö meie juures. Hommikusöögi ajal juhtusin ühele Ameerika perekonnale rääkima enda siinoleku lugu. Ehk minu unistuste Island. Mu pikaaegne unistus, mis sai teoks. Pärast fotograaf, hiljem nagu selgus Leo koos oma tüdruksõbraga käivad mööda Islandit ja otsivad inimesi, kellel on endast lugu rääkida, mida nad siin teevad. Ta tahtis minust pilti teha enda raamatu jaoks, mille ta kavatseb avaldada ning kaks kuud hiljem saatis mulle mõned küsimused, millele vastasin ta raamatu jaoks. Lisaks minult pildistas ta veel kolmteist inimest. Tema lahkel loal jagan teiega ka tema kauneid pilte.
Pildil olen koos Atlanta ja Barunaga.
How did I meet this lovely German photograph. I went to see the Dettifoss and there he was with his girlfriend taking pictures of the ross. He took pictures without the objective of his camera. I found it interesting but i didn't pay too much attention to it, because i wanted to be more with myself there. So later when i got back home they also came and stayed a night with us in the guesthouse. In the morning during the breakfast i happened to tell my story why i am living in Iceland and i had been one of my biggest dreams to one of the American family and Leo, as later came up, told me his story that he is taking pictures of people who work or live in Iceland and picture them and write down their stories. So couple of months later they contacted me and i wrote them my story, he will publish a book about it. In addition he took these amazing pictures.
In the picture i am with Atlanta and Baruna.
Ning mõned pildid veel tema poolt: (some of the pictures from him)
Kuldne mägi. (golden mnt.)
Ilma teieta oleks elu palju värvivaesem. Nad on koos minuga nagu kolm tilka vett aga samas oleme nii erinevad nagu maa, tuli ja vesi.
In the end. These are my two lovely sisters!
Without you, my darlings, my life wouldn't be as colorful and exciting as it was. With them we look so much alike to three water drops (don't know how to word it properly) but at the same time we are so different as earth, fire and water.
Helje, kes on Austrias vahetusõpilane (She is in her exchange year in Austria now)
Hille, kes lõpetab praegu keskat ja oli eelmisel aastal Belgias vahetuses.
mina olin neli aastat tagasi vahetusõpilane USAs.
Vanemad aitasid meil sellegi unistuse teoks teha. Ega see kerge ei olnud, kuid unistused on täitmiseks, mitte vaid mõttemõlgutuseks.
And she is about to graduate from High school and last year she was exchange student in Belgium. I was exchange student in USA almost 4 years ago now. My parents helped us to make our dreams come true. It hasn't been easy at all, BUT, dreams are not for just thinking and dreaming about them but making them become true! This is the magic about the dreams!