A mother recently sought advice from me. The child, currently sitting for A Levels, is brilliant and is eyeing places in Ivy League universities.
Mum tried actively to persuade her son from taking the route because she would miss him terribly.
“NUS is also a world-class university,” she said. “Why does he need to travel across the globe?”
There are many reasons why: see the world, live life to the fullest, understand a different culture, understand globalization, learn independence, build networks etc.
The list goes on. I shall not dwell into that.
Instead, I will like to tell you a story.
Last year or perhaps two years ago, I bought a small ikea money plant. You know, those one or two-dollars type. My friend bought one too and we took care of them separately.
I repotted the plant at least thrice, while my friend only did so once. Friend recently gave up the plant and asked me to look after it for him.
Not sure if you can see from the photos: the left is my friend’s, while the one on the right is mine.
My plant’s leaves are double or some triple the size of my friend’s (I had trimmed, else it would have its long dangly leaves too) and bear in mind they were the same size when we bought them. It’s also much denser.
What I am trying to say is: because I repotted, the roots have more room to grow and so does the plant. When I tried to repot my friend’s plant last week, I could see how the roots were struggling to find space within the small pot.
Similarly for your child, the world is his oyster.
Singapore is indeed fabulous, but let your child’s roots grow and let him discover the world, especially when he’s young and has fewer commitments. The type of “sprouting” you see from him seeing the world is not something tangible that may be seen in a certificate, but a life experience he will cherish forever.
I know you are keeping him by your side as you love him.
But precisely because you love him, you need to be truly selfless and let him venture if his results allow him to. from Study Room https://ift.tt/2LqNzOr