Lesson

"Raising a girl takes two parents: A mom to show her how to be a woman. A dad to encourage her to be fearless."

That's what I've learned from Harry H. Harrison Jr. I think he's right. I am not as touchy-feely as my wife, who has been truly amazing at giving our daughter pillow talk. I have absolutely no such magic power to guide my child - zilch, zip, nada!

You probably want to know my way of sharing with Jasmine. Well, there is a part of me that believes that reading could be a gift for her, and a salvation for me. And this simply works for us. So I'd sit next to my daughter and read, weaving life lessons together with those stories.

This morning, we read about an African girl named Mariama who takes a long journey by car, by train, and an iron bird, to study in a new school. A whole new experience with kids nearly "as white as the African moon that shone over the village where she used to live." Story, or narrative, or whatever you want to call it is our bedrock of learning. We began to talk about the challenge of boarding school, and she wondered if she could cope.

Then another piece of reading tonight gave her even more thinking: Pomelo Begins to Grow (if you haven't read it, it's adorable and funny). I can't tell you how many giggles we had musing over the story of a tiny pink elephant Pomelo facing the challenges of growing big, growing up, growing strong, and growing old. Pomelo, like all young children, doesn't seem to be aware of his growth. Instead of realising his getting bigger, the elephant goes long stretches of time trying to figure out the reason his favourite dandelion is getting unusually small.

I'm sure nothing would ever be a better way to learn about growth.