the champ cometh?

when i was in school, my parents never fail to remind me to study hard. no need to join boyscouts, maybe play a few games, but must put studies above everything else. so, is it any wonder that i turned out to be a geek?

but i decided that's not how i want my kids to see regard this life - that study is to be 1st & last, & everything else in between. i would provide them opportunities to explore their inclinations, & perhaps discover a passion or a hidden talent.

so, the girl wanted to keep terrapins as pets when she was 8. we bought her a pair, but within months, it was the wife who had to feed the pets as well as clean the tub they were kept in.

when she was 10, she wanted to learn the violin because a few of her classmates were learning. again within months, the initial enthusiasm had waned. thank goodness, the violin was loaned on a monthly basis. that's when i realised kids have short attention spans, as well as fast-fading interests.

last year, when she decided to take up squash, i was not impressed. here we go again, i thought. so i got her a "cheap racquet"(her own words), in case this was another passing phase. after a few months, she was still playing with her classmates twice a week, & subsequently requested for a lighter & therefore more expensive racquet. i disagreed but the wife got one for her anyway, costing RM90 & weighing ....

...190g.

on wednesday, the girl told me she had entered for the school beginners' squash competition to be held the next day. hmm, i thought, that should be interesting - at least, we will know if she had made any progress, or she's just playing for fun. oh, did i mention that she has been taking private coaching with her classmate since the beginning of the year?

i volunteered to go watch her play but she was uneasy with the suggestion. maybe, she'd feel embarassed if she lost in the 1st round. or maybe her friends would tease her : why, ah, your father so "kan cheong"(cantonese for overly concerned)? she must have been relieved that i got caught up at work instead.

when i called home in the evening, i was delighted to find out she surpassed all expectations to win the competition. hmm, maybe we have something here....

knowing her, i expect she'll be asking for that super-light racquet (RM300+, weight 120gm) that her friend had been parading. or, the super-cool reebok trainers (also RM300+).

or both. i can almost hear her argue her case : "you DO want me to win the school's closed competition, right??"

kids drive a hard bargain these days!! now, we'll have to wait & see what tricks the boy will come up with.