News of a 9-year old girl who was almost abducted in her school recently sent shivers down my spine. I was waiting with Alycia at the lobby for the driver to pick her up yesterday morning when I read the news in the newspapers. I immediately showed the paper to her and exaggerated a bit to scare her. Kids, you really have to scare them out of their wits to leave an impact in their head…. and you have to be an old granny who keeps reminding/nagging them everyday, lest they will forget. I told Alycia that if anyone, woman or man walks up to her and tells her that I have instructed that person to pick her up from school, ask that person “what’s my mummy’s name?” and “what’s my daddy’s name”. Even if that person knows, don’t follow him/her home. Run as fast as you can to the school office and tell a teacher.
I have been drumming into Alycia and Sherilyn’s head never ever to follow a stranger home, no matter how convincing that person may appear. I told them that they should never accept any food from strangers too and used Snow White and the poison apple as an example. The news yesterday made me rant and rant to Alycia. I don’t care if she liked it or not, my goal is to make her remember to never follow any stranger home.
After nagging and reminding her, I then asked her this to test her if she knew what to do:
Me – Alycia, what must you do if a lady whom you don’t know told you that mummy asked you to follow her home?
Alycia – haiyah…. I will say I AM NOT FOLLOWING YOU HOME! (she was pissed off with my long-windedness haha!)
Me – what else must you do?
Alycia – mu_mmy, I want to buy a long ruler today!
(She was badgering me to allow her to buy a long ruler by herself at the school’s bookstore)
Me – you must run as fast as you can to the office or to any teacher and tell them what happened.
Alycia – ok, ok. Mu_mmy, I said I want to buy a long ruler today!
Me – NO! I will ask daddy to bring you to the stationery shop to buy the long ruler in the evening.
Alycia – That stationery shop don’t have long rulers.
Me – Who says? A long ruler is a very common item. Any stationery shop will sell long rulers. Daddy will bring you to buy this evening. You don’t buy the ruler yourself.
Alycia – Mu_mmy, but I want to buy. My friends can buy anything that they want in school.
Me – NO means NO and you better make sure you don’t follow any stranger home or you will never ever see me again!
And guess what, Alycia came back from school yesterday with 2 long rulers. 2 of her classmates (boys) bought her a long ruler each! She seems to be able to get her classmates to buy her anything that she wants from fish balls to Vitagen, nuggets, mechanical pencil to long rulers and she told me that her classmates willingly bought them for her.
Long story cut short, my mil and I were mad that she has been accepting things from her classmates and told her vehemently that she has to return the 2 long rulers to her classmates the next day. We nagged her till she was in tears. This girl is really sensitive and will be in tears very, very easily, unlike rascal #2 who is the polar opposite.
Ever since Alycia attended Primary, I worry about her in school a lot. I pray to God everyday that she will come home to me safely everyday. Well, that’s one of the things that a mother worries about, that’s one of the throes of motherhood.
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