"Aristotle says that the aim of education is to make the pupil like and dislike what he ought." -C.S. Lewis
Number 2 is a budding artist. All the boys have shown love and desire for art, but my almost 9 year old is the one who is the most enamored with painting and producing beautiful work. He asked for a Chinese calligraphy set at Christmastime and saved it for my mom's visit this last week.
My boys are eager to soak up their Chinese heritage, especially because they have such little exposure to it here in the Southwest, with no Chinese family nearby. It's sweet to see their responses to Chinese calligraphy, dim sum, hot pot, Chinese holidays, the language and the culture. They love to listen to tales of my childhood as a new immigrant to the states--of how I took fried rice in plastic yogurt containers while peers packed bologna and cheese sandwiches. I tell them of how all the kids would laugh at me in the lunchroom, wincing at what they thought was "gross" and strange. And, of course, those same kids became adults who loved Chinese takeout, no doubt. So much is skewed through the immature eyes of childhood, and so often what we don't understand becomes what we miss in opportunities. I'm thankful that perhaps, for my boys, it will not pass them by.
