The first thing I ask the maid on a daily basis when I get back from work is, ”is he okay today?”  One cough and we’re all edgy, wondering what that would lead to.  And I’m not joking that we have disputes when he falls ill because his dad is always telling me not to send him to school while I’ve been totally against that idea.

But now, I seriously don’t know how this early childhood education is going to benefit him if he’s falling ill every other week.  And it’s even more worrying when we read about these outbreaks and how quickly these virulent strains are spreading. 

Are we pushing our kids too hard?  Sure this is the age where their brains are developing and we should be giving them ample learning opportunities.  But, at what costs?   As it is, the entire kiasu-ness about this preschool education is getting ridiculous and to top it off, we have to put our kids in learning environments that constantly challenge their immune systems.  Falling ill frequently is certainly not a feature of quality life!

In fact, this is one of the reasons I’m even more determined to delay his P1 enrollment.  While he can afford to skip classes on a regular basis now, it is not so easy come primary school.  And really, he should be going to school only when he’s 7, not when he’s only 6!

Yes, I’m peeved.  Peeved that my son is sick again.  Peeved that they’re forcing me to send my son to school even before he’s physically and emotionally ready for it.  And peeved because we’re caught in a system that is so blardy wrong.

Will someone please tell the newspaper that there’s a proper name to this virulent strain?  And the name is early childhood education strain!