A Tween's Summer - v. 2018

The past summer (which was just a few months ago) was the first time we allowed Maia to plan out on her own. She decided to just enjoy it at her own pace and opted out of any summer classes. In my mind, I badly wanted her to choose to train for any sport. But in the end, we decided to just let her take the lead. So free-range summer, it was.

Unlike most school kids in our village, her summer vacation started during rainy season already (June particularly) so there's really  not much to do anymore. She spent most of it indoors practicing on her calligraphy. And sometimes joining me in my painting practice sessions. She did a lot of reading as well. Over-all, I'd say the decision to go free-range was not bad at all. She had a tough time managing her time but it was a big step towards more independence and taking more responsibilities.

The most memorable for me (and most productive activity) were the late afternoons where she'd perform her daily tasks of watering our garden plants, filling up the drinking bottles for cold water, washing the dishes and cooking the rice for our dinner (this one I still supervise since she can't turn on the gas oven on her own). With another baby on the way, I explicitly requested that she learned to master more house chores so we all won't have to deal with drastic adjustments once her baby sister arrives. She willingly (and I hope I got the vibe right -- eagerly) obliged. For almost a month, she diligently did the chores assigned to her.

This is just the start. There's still more to teach. But I'm glad to report, there hasn't been any complains so far and that she willingly took on the challenge.

The 10 year old gap between her and her little sister maybe too far but God probably knew this was the best set up for us.

I'm so excited to see how things will work out for our tiny household.

Do you have a tweener? What chores have you already assigned to them?

Maia learns to cook rice