Merepek

Kak Teh asked:-

“…have you ever wondered abt children's concept of time? For example
- Get off the phone! - In a minute! (read- half an hr later)
- Do the dishes! - In a minute (half an hr or an hr later!)
- When are you coming home? In a minute . (three hrs later.)

Has time really changed that much since we were young?”

Hmmm…….I don’t get answers like those above from my no. 2. His usual would be the flexi-and-all-convenient ‘SOON’.

- Please mop the floor. - Answer : SOON

- Can bring in the laundry, please? – Answer : SOON

- Go and shower. - Answer : SOON

- Have you posted the letter? - Answer : SOON

Arrrghhh…he drives me round the bend with his non-time specific answer. He is the ‘hang-loose’ type whereas I am the ‘hold-the-clock-to-your-face’ type and often times, we clashed because of this. Last time, he would tell me he’ll get certain things done or come home by a certain hour and when I don’t see the things done or see him come through the door within 15 minutes grace time, I get all wound up and was ever ready to spring on him. And sprang on him, I did, many times too! He smartened up and came up with a literally correct but to me, a technically flawed answer - 'SOON'.

My no. 2 has some ‘unconventional’ and 'skewed' views. For one, he does not understand why would I be so willing to part with good money to get some overpriced mechanism on my wrist. And do I really need to be reminded of the time through out? You sure don’t need to know the time every other minute, right? So why carry something on your body, as if your life depended on it?

You guessed it. He does not wear a watch now and I don’t remember when I last saw one on his slim wrist. But when he was little, besides his Lego and Transformers, he wanted a watch. Everybody else he knew had a watch. He pestered and badgered me for one and I finally relented and got those mickey mousey types for him and of course, he initially could not read the time. We would be traveling back to the kampong and he would be asking repeatedly, “Are we there yet?”/ “How long more before we arrive, Momma?” and I would reply, “In another 3 hours.” And then he’d come with, “Oh, but how long is 3 hours, Momma?”

I would hold his little hand in mine and patiently point to the watch face. He could read the numerals, so I’d say, “Okie, its 8.45am now and we will arrive at Gramma’s when it reads 11.45am.” This would make him happy for a while until he comes again with, “But Momma, the number takes so long to jump.” He learned fast and soon enough, he picked up the concept of time….how time is measured and how we are controlled by time, so to speak. He must have found it stifling and then thought he could just get away with his smart-alec answer, ‘SOON’.