All Talk

One (Saturday)

"Let him throw up. It'll make him feel better.", she said as she was sitting comfortably watching from afar. That I know, and I was letting him throw up all over my body and hair. How was that 'encouragement' about to help anything, I wondered.

Once he was done puking, I passed him to Mr Liow to change into clean clothes before I changed him.

While Mr Liow was tending to the grouchy and stinky toddler and I was getting out of dirty clothes, I thought (too highly...) that she would help clean up the mess a little, or help remind AN not to go near.

But what I saw after I was done changing and ready to wash ER up, was her soundly asleep on the couch. All talk, no action.

I went to clean ER while Mr Liow cleaned up the mess after that.

Only after ER was changed and cleaned up, she 'woke up' (suddenly) and offered to help carry him so that  I could cleared the stuff from the table. Even then I noticed how she would carry him away from her each time he coughed so bad that he looked as if he would throw up again.


Two (Sunday)

We had to bring ER out together with us for AN's music lesson. We already know it's too much to ask of granny to stay home to care for sick toddler who may throw up on her. I won't want anything to happen to my baby if he did throw up on her.

We came home immediately after that. Mr Liow went to park the car while I took the kids back home first.

MIL was home just minutes before we got home. She came over to comment that ER looked flushed (he was having a fever, WEREN'T YOU AWARE after being around for 2 days??). I put some stuff down and said I'd take him in the room to nap, again assuming (too positively) that she would stay around with AN, just to keep her company while I was away.

AN DIDN'T need her. I just thought a grandma usually wouldn't leave a 5 year old by herself. You know, just in case curiosity gets the better of her like that 6 year old boy who fell out of the house and died (a story she likes to bring up to remind us to be watchful!).

The moment I left AN, I heard her telling AN: "Nai nai's going to bath."

Yeah. Go.

ER took a while to doze off and my sweet girl came in to ask: "Mum, is everything ok? Is he ok?"

That entrance woke ER and he didn't want to sleep anymore. Mr Liow was home by then, and grandma was still BATHING.

So relaxed. The highest level of nonchalance I've ever seen.

I'll panic if the rest of the family is in some level of chaos (like in the case of yesterday when one is cleaning up, one is watching a dirty toddler, there's a mess right outside the kitchen and a chance the 5 year old may be too inquisitive for her own good or can't wait to get something from the kitchen and step on the puke.)

But she could sleep while we were rushing about.

I'd never leave a child all alone AND GO SHOWER until or unless I'm sure she's outgrown that age when curiosity is still a danger. SHE ALWAYS EMPHASIZED ON BEING CAREFUL WITH CHILDREN BUT THAT'S ALL SHE'S GOOD AT: Telling others to do it.

患难见真情

That chinese idiom sums up what I DO NOT SEE in someone whom we are supposed to respect. I see no 真情。