Transferred from my other blog: The Adventures of Sisterhood.
First published: 5-21-12 at 11:25 PM EDT
Kylie knows how to say banana now. And umbrella in Chinese. And she
knows the possessive word (the 's in English) in Chinese. Her sentences
are almost coherent and today when Mom came inside from the backyard
with Kylie perched on her hip. I almost thought she looked too big to be
doing that. As a teammate pointed out last week, Kylie has grown so
much since we moved here to North Carolina. Unlike me, who over ten
years of her life in the peachy state of Georgia, Kylie is officially an
NC kid.
North Carolina gives me the impression of
being hillbilly, if that's a proper word. The Raleigh farmer's market is
phenomena. The air is crisp and fresh except when it's hot and
stuffy... you know what I mean, at least it's clean. Greenways, paved
paths that don't allow motorized vehicles, provide safe ways for
recreational exercise to the NC communities. In Georgia, we practically
had a library in our backyard. I was never allowed there on my own, for
two reasons. One, the walk was apparently too far, though it was less
than a mile. Two, it was unsafe. And indeed it was. Despite being
located in a well-off, suburban area of the greater Atlanta Area, our
community has had multiple encounters with sexual predators.
A
close friend's little sister is in 8th grade this year, and was
approached in her neighborhood (a pretty expensive, clean, new
neighborhood) by a questionable man in a ratty car. He asked her where
she lived and other personal questions. The girl, very smart, ignored
him and walked to her friends at the school bus stop to the local middle
school. Another instance occurred when I had a friend over. We were
crossing a small street to go to a local Menchie's and Kroger on a
grocery run for my mom. Guys in a white truck slowed and stopped near us
multiple times, whistling and yelling suggestive things, as well as
asking for personal information.
I'm not implying that
Cary will be unsafe. In fact, it's ranked number 43 as the best places
to live in America, out of the bazillions of towns and cities we have
here. I'm just wondering, what of a town isn't reflected in it's
statistics? We've been here nearly a year and everything has checked
out. However, we lived in our last house for 5 before anything
extraordinary happened. Only time will reveal Cary's character.
-Chichi
Showing posts with label sisterhood. Show all posts
Showing posts with label sisterhood. Show all posts
Monday, May 21, 2012
Monday, May 14, 2012
Sissy's Purpose
Transferred from my other blog: The Adventures of Sisterhood.
First published: 5-14-12 at 11:26 PM EDT
Mom: "Say hi to Sissy."
Kylie: [looks away]
Me: "Hi Yaoyao! Will you say hi to Sissy?"
Kylie: [shakes head] No.
Mom: "Yaoyao, say hi to Sissy."
Kylie: No. [points to kitchen counter]
Mom: [gives her what she wants - a packet of garlic green peas]
Kylie: Oooh, dou dou! [Translate: Yay, green peas!]
When we came home from my clarinet lesson, Kylie came and greeted Mommy and I at the door. Well, she walked right by me and into Mommy's arms. Same difference. It's the beginning of the Terrible Twos, so I'm told. I always thought that the Terrible Twos were something that affected parents, not siblings.For those closer in age, what was the worst years to share with a younger or older sibling? Usually, if I ask that question, I get the answer as four or five. Agreements? Disagreements?
Currently, I perform few roles for Kylie. I cut up her dinner for her occasionally, I provide the medium on which she watches her beloved Elmo's World, and I provide the lap on which she'll plant her tiny butt while indulging in reruns of Elmo's World. I don't mind, really. It's absolutely adorable. And with her talking so much, life is just so much more interesting. Our parents like to tell a certain story of me from when I was about Kylie's age. Some lost in time naughty task was performed, and some lost in time person asked: "Who did it?" Just learning to respond and speak when prompted, I answered immediately, "Chichi did it!" Kylie's response to that right now is just "Yaoyao!" No frills, no furs, just to the point. But it's nice to think that I wasn't the only toddler stupid with her responses. Silly kids.
-Chichi
First published: 5-14-12 at 11:26 PM EDT
Mom: "Say hi to Sissy."
Kylie: [looks away]
Me: "Hi Yaoyao! Will you say hi to Sissy?"
Kylie: [shakes head] No.
Mom: "Yaoyao, say hi to Sissy."
Kylie: No. [points to kitchen counter]
Mom: [gives her what she wants - a packet of garlic green peas]
Kylie: Oooh, dou dou! [Translate: Yay, green peas!]
When we came home from my clarinet lesson, Kylie came and greeted Mommy and I at the door. Well, she walked right by me and into Mommy's arms. Same difference. It's the beginning of the Terrible Twos, so I'm told. I always thought that the Terrible Twos were something that affected parents, not siblings.For those closer in age, what was the worst years to share with a younger or older sibling? Usually, if I ask that question, I get the answer as four or five. Agreements? Disagreements?
Currently, I perform few roles for Kylie. I cut up her dinner for her occasionally, I provide the medium on which she watches her beloved Elmo's World, and I provide the lap on which she'll plant her tiny butt while indulging in reruns of Elmo's World. I don't mind, really. It's absolutely adorable. And with her talking so much, life is just so much more interesting. Our parents like to tell a certain story of me from when I was about Kylie's age. Some lost in time naughty task was performed, and some lost in time person asked: "Who did it?" Just learning to respond and speak when prompted, I answered immediately, "Chichi did it!" Kylie's response to that right now is just "Yaoyao!" No frills, no furs, just to the point. But it's nice to think that I wasn't the only toddler stupid with her responses. Silly kids.
-Chichi
Monday, May 7, 2012
Pepper Jack Cheese
Transferred from my other blog: The Adventures of Sisterhood.
First published: 5-7-12 at 10:28 PM EDT
Chinese food, Indian food, Moe's queso, Flamin' Hot Cheetos. What do all of these have in common? They're often considered spicy. It's nothing extraordinary that a Chinese teenager would have a fairly high tolerance for spicy foods. After all, spicy food is delicious. However, it is a bit odd that an 18 month old baby loves spicy food almost just as much as her big sister. There are some things that I can handle but she can't, but she's 18 months old, for goodness sakes.
Target's brand, Market Pantry, sells these pepper jack cheese sticks. I personally think they're the most amazing things on the planet. I eat one with my salad for lunch every week day, if there are enough in the refrigerator. Kylie has her own cheese. Kraft American, 2%. After dinner, if we're wrapping up leftovers and the refrigerator gets open, Kylie will undoubtedly poke her head in. She'll eye the contents for a moment, ignore our requests for her to come out and close the door, and turn to look at us sweetly. "Cheese," she'll assert, pointing at the pepper jack.
Once she sees it, she won't allow denial. Because sometimes she doesn't finish it, and sometimes we try to leave enough for me to have it with my lunch the rest of the week, we'll try to offer her other things. "How about Yaoyao's cheese?" Grandma will call. "Come eat watermelon," Mommy will coax. "Kylie, get your head out of there," I'll yell from the sink two feet away, where I might be doing dishes if my mom is lucky. Our words always fall to deaf ears. Kylie will ignore our sadly inefficacious work and toddle up to someone. She'll hold up the cheese stick and plead, with her eyes, for it to be opened.
This pepper jack cheese isn't exactly the world's mildest. Even our mom thinks it's a bit too much. Today, just a little bit after dinner, Kylie spotted it and asked for it. Our grandmother tried to distract her, but finally relented and held it just out of Kylie's standing reach. Kylie actually jumped to grab it, giggling the whole way and and down. Honestly, I didn't even know she knew how to jump. Ah, well, there's one more cheese stick in the bag. She can have it. I'll eat an apple with my lunch tomorrow instead.
-Chichi
First published: 5-7-12 at 10:28 PM EDT
Chinese food, Indian food, Moe's queso, Flamin' Hot Cheetos. What do all of these have in common? They're often considered spicy. It's nothing extraordinary that a Chinese teenager would have a fairly high tolerance for spicy foods. After all, spicy food is delicious. However, it is a bit odd that an 18 month old baby loves spicy food almost just as much as her big sister. There are some things that I can handle but she can't, but she's 18 months old, for goodness sakes.
Target's brand, Market Pantry, sells these pepper jack cheese sticks. I personally think they're the most amazing things on the planet. I eat one with my salad for lunch every week day, if there are enough in the refrigerator. Kylie has her own cheese. Kraft American, 2%. After dinner, if we're wrapping up leftovers and the refrigerator gets open, Kylie will undoubtedly poke her head in. She'll eye the contents for a moment, ignore our requests for her to come out and close the door, and turn to look at us sweetly. "Cheese," she'll assert, pointing at the pepper jack.
Once she sees it, she won't allow denial. Because sometimes she doesn't finish it, and sometimes we try to leave enough for me to have it with my lunch the rest of the week, we'll try to offer her other things. "How about Yaoyao's cheese?" Grandma will call. "Come eat watermelon," Mommy will coax. "Kylie, get your head out of there," I'll yell from the sink two feet away, where I might be doing dishes if my mom is lucky. Our words always fall to deaf ears. Kylie will ignore our sadly inefficacious work and toddle up to someone. She'll hold up the cheese stick and plead, with her eyes, for it to be opened.
This pepper jack cheese isn't exactly the world's mildest. Even our mom thinks it's a bit too much. Today, just a little bit after dinner, Kylie spotted it and asked for it. Our grandmother tried to distract her, but finally relented and held it just out of Kylie's standing reach. Kylie actually jumped to grab it, giggling the whole way and and down. Honestly, I didn't even know she knew how to jump. Ah, well, there's one more cheese stick in the bag. She can have it. I'll eat an apple with my lunch tomorrow instead.
-Chichi
Monday, April 9, 2012
Being A Good Influence
Transferred from my other blog: The Adventures of Sisterhood.
First published: 4-9-12 at 10:27 PM EDT
I have a friend who has a little sister also. A while ago, we had the following exchange:
Me:
Your sister is freaking adorable. Be a good influence :)
Him:So I taught her how to open a safe without getting caught today.
He said this as sarcastically as he could in an IM (at least, I'd hope it was sarcasm), but this reminded me of an issue that should have some light shone on it. How much can you do around a babbling, wordless younger sibling without being a bad influence? And how much does what you do really influence your sibling at all?
When I understood absolutely nothing about how life and the world worked, even less than I do now, I looked up to my parents. I watched them, observed, asked questions, learned, picked things up subconsciously, etc. As parents, they had the ability to pretty much control everything I did and all the habits I have now. Between always remembering to turn off the lights when I leave the room and putting my dirty dish in the sink after dinner, good habits are the things that remain clearest and most automatic.
As Kylie is growing up, I'm going to strive to prevent myself from accidentally teaching her bad habits or letting her pick up on my bad habits. From baby habits to big kid habits like speaking before you think, I've done all the bad stuff and corrected most of it. No yelling or screaming or loud noises in the house, no complimenting her or encouraging it when she makes such noises, and never say swear words. As a high school student, I obviously have potty-mouthed friends. Whatever happens, they will not be the ones teaching my baby sister foul language. I think she'll have the power to resist it as a habit even once she does get to that age. I have faith in her.
More recently than the first exchange, another question came up between the two of us. "Where do you get your moral compass?" I'm a very non-religious person. In fact, I avoid religion almost at all costs. My family is not affiliated with any religions either. I, personally, am an advocate for LGBT rights, and would categorize myself as one who bases her ideas off of proof and science, not divine intervention. Freethinker. However, with a childhood education that sprouted in a college town in the Deep South, Christian influence was extremely prevalent until I was about eight. From ages eight to thirteen, last summer, we lived in a suburb of Atlanta, Georgia that had up to 6 churches on a major street. Where we live now, where Kylie is going to grow up, I've only counted 3 churches in the area total. Of course, my parents were stronger navigators of the moral compass than the community around us, it probably would be beneficial to have the extra reinforcement of the common sense kind of right or wrong within the community.
-Chichi
First published: 4-9-12 at 10:27 PM EDT
I have a friend who has a little sister also. A while ago, we had the following exchange:
Me:
Your sister is freaking adorable. Be a good influence :)
Him:So I taught her how to open a safe without getting caught today.
And she almost has the word "[expletive]" down.
I'm so proud of her.
He said this as sarcastically as he could in an IM (at least, I'd hope it was sarcasm), but this reminded me of an issue that should have some light shone on it. How much can you do around a babbling, wordless younger sibling without being a bad influence? And how much does what you do really influence your sibling at all?
When I understood absolutely nothing about how life and the world worked, even less than I do now, I looked up to my parents. I watched them, observed, asked questions, learned, picked things up subconsciously, etc. As parents, they had the ability to pretty much control everything I did and all the habits I have now. Between always remembering to turn off the lights when I leave the room and putting my dirty dish in the sink after dinner, good habits are the things that remain clearest and most automatic.
As Kylie is growing up, I'm going to strive to prevent myself from accidentally teaching her bad habits or letting her pick up on my bad habits. From baby habits to big kid habits like speaking before you think, I've done all the bad stuff and corrected most of it. No yelling or screaming or loud noises in the house, no complimenting her or encouraging it when she makes such noises, and never say swear words. As a high school student, I obviously have potty-mouthed friends. Whatever happens, they will not be the ones teaching my baby sister foul language. I think she'll have the power to resist it as a habit even once she does get to that age. I have faith in her.
More recently than the first exchange, another question came up between the two of us. "Where do you get your moral compass?" I'm a very non-religious person. In fact, I avoid religion almost at all costs. My family is not affiliated with any religions either. I, personally, am an advocate for LGBT rights, and would categorize myself as one who bases her ideas off of proof and science, not divine intervention. Freethinker. However, with a childhood education that sprouted in a college town in the Deep South, Christian influence was extremely prevalent until I was about eight. From ages eight to thirteen, last summer, we lived in a suburb of Atlanta, Georgia that had up to 6 churches on a major street. Where we live now, where Kylie is going to grow up, I've only counted 3 churches in the area total. Of course, my parents were stronger navigators of the moral compass than the community around us, it probably would be beneficial to have the extra reinforcement of the common sense kind of right or wrong within the community.
-Chichi
Monday, March 26, 2012
Sisterhood in the Hunger Games
Transferred from my other blog: The Adventures of Sisterhood.
First published: 3-26-12 at 11:12 PM EDT
This weekend, some friends and I went to celebrate one of their birthdays by seeing a movie that just recently came out, the Hunger Games. The movie itself drew a ton of hype. Honestly, it really didn't live up to my expectations, but that's not my point here.
In the book and movie, Katniss goes off to fight as a tribute in the 74th annual district Hunger Games because her younger sister was at first chosen as the tribute. Katniss volunteered to replace Primrose as the female representative from their district. It is because of this action that eventually leads to a revolution in the districts (sorry, that's a spoiler for Catching Fire and Mockingjay!). Today, I was speaking with the birthday boy, and he asked me if it were me and Kylie, would I have volunteered for my baby sister? Would I volunteer to replace anyone?
Without experiencing what is going on in the fictional world that Suzanne Collins created for us, I can't accurately predict my own actions or judge the actions of the characters. I'd like to say that I'm sure I would volunteer for anyone younger than myself, anyone with more promise and opportunity and deserves to live to see as least as much as I have. However, I can only truthfully say that the only person I'm positive that I'd undoubtedly volunteer to replace is my baby sister.
Assuming that I'm 19 and she's 7 (not in the age eligibility range in the series). If, out of oh so many names it's hers that is chosen, though I wouldn't be nearly as dramatic as Katniss, I would not allow, under any circumstance, my baby sister to go into cruel, blood-shedding combat with other kids. There's so much violence, danger, and thirst for fame and power that even if she survived and won, she'd be traumatized out of her mind or turned into a monster. What little kid wouldn't, if they were to watch people get decapitated by spears?
If it were your sibling, what would you do?
-Chichi
First published: 3-26-12 at 11:12 PM EDT
This weekend, some friends and I went to celebrate one of their birthdays by seeing a movie that just recently came out, the Hunger Games. The movie itself drew a ton of hype. Honestly, it really didn't live up to my expectations, but that's not my point here.
In the book and movie, Katniss goes off to fight as a tribute in the 74th annual district Hunger Games because her younger sister was at first chosen as the tribute. Katniss volunteered to replace Primrose as the female representative from their district. It is because of this action that eventually leads to a revolution in the districts (sorry, that's a spoiler for Catching Fire and Mockingjay!). Today, I was speaking with the birthday boy, and he asked me if it were me and Kylie, would I have volunteered for my baby sister? Would I volunteer to replace anyone?
Without experiencing what is going on in the fictional world that Suzanne Collins created for us, I can't accurately predict my own actions or judge the actions of the characters. I'd like to say that I'm sure I would volunteer for anyone younger than myself, anyone with more promise and opportunity and deserves to live to see as least as much as I have. However, I can only truthfully say that the only person I'm positive that I'd undoubtedly volunteer to replace is my baby sister.
Assuming that I'm 19 and she's 7 (not in the age eligibility range in the series). If, out of oh so many names it's hers that is chosen, though I wouldn't be nearly as dramatic as Katniss, I would not allow, under any circumstance, my baby sister to go into cruel, blood-shedding combat with other kids. There's so much violence, danger, and thirst for fame and power that even if she survived and won, she'd be traumatized out of her mind or turned into a monster. What little kid wouldn't, if they were to watch people get decapitated by spears?
If it were your sibling, what would you do?
-Chichi
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