Every moment spent with our children is a precious moment. But there are certain milestones and special occasions that we especially cherish, for example, our little one’s first graduation ceremony, first day in Primary One or simple, the first time DS or DD says ‘Thank You’ to us.

As 2016 draws to a close, we asked KiasuParents members to share with us their best moment of the year with their kids. Here are some of our favourites.

*Contributors of these 10 featured stories win themselves an outing to KidZania. May you create more wonderful memories with your child there!

Jo-Ann Wee: My 7 year old daughter, Kirsten and I were on our way home from the Bukit Timah Community Centre (BTCC) one Saturday afternoon when a car parked at the side road near BTCC.

The driver came out and asked for our assistance.  She helped her blind mother out of the car and requested that we bring her mother up to the 3rd floor of BTCC to attend a talk while she went to find parking nearby. We readily helped the blind old lady; she held on to my arm while Kirsten held hers, guiding her slowly to the venue.

It was the first time we helped a blind person and it really felt good.  It taught us how important our eyes are and the episode instilled the important value of lending a helping hand. This was a good learning opportunity for Kirsten to not to be afraid and turn away those who need our assistance, especially the old, handicapped and poor folks.

Yvonne Ng: DS gave me great support and maturity when a loved relative passed away – it smacked right in the week of his PSLE examination papers.  I have always been his mother, his friend and tutor throughout his 6 years of primary school but during that period, I had absolutely no mood to teach him anything.  I was busy running in and out of the wake and taking care of funeral arrangements.  But I remembered we had many nights of heart-to-heart talks, during which he assured me that he will continue his utmost at the PSLE.  That was most memorable… imagine a 12-year old at his stressful period consoling me so that I can continue my sad period in peace.  My son, mummy loves you no matter your results.  


Pauline Tan: A memorable moment with my younger child was during her preschool’s year-end concert when we performed a short story-telling with hand puppets together in front of a big audience. Usually schools will only choose the outspoken and eloquent kids to be the emcees or solo performers for events, but my girl’s school deliberately chose some of those kids who are more shy to have a slot for solo performance time (with a parent) to boost their self-confidence.

It may just be a short story-telling which is not very impressive but it’s such a big achievement for these kids (like my girl) who always prefer to keep quiet in class. More importantly, kudos to teachers who do not just focus on the best outstanding students but also care deeply for those kids who need additional encouragement or “push” in order to shine.

Tricia Tan: I’ve always taught my daughters how to delay gratification by not giving them things the instant they ask for them. I believe it’s an essential life skill. So, when I returned from Guangzhou sometime in July this year, I had bought a super cheap but pretty pink water bottle for S$2 that I knew my little one would like. Such a bargain!

 When I gave it to my 6-year-old, she asked, “Is this for primary 1?”

I was pleasantly surprised! She knew she has an existing bottle and thus the new one must be for a special occasion that is in the future. I felt so proud of her for having learned delayed gratitude.

Lim Tianai: 2016 marked the first time that my 4-year-old daughter turned to me and said “Thank you Mummy for cooking a yummy dinner for me, I really appreciate it”. I was so touched as it showed that she had really matured a lot since her baby/ toddler days.  Even though there are still plenty of frustrating moments in our relationship, I can tell that my daughter has begun to understand the effort that a stay-home mother makes in order to take care of her and the household. I hope that bringing her to KidZania will open her eyes to other jobs in society and teach her to be grateful for all the work that people are doing around her.

Amy Tan: The most memorable moment for me was when he cried over the phone when he told me that he was likely to fail his Maths SA1 exam. He did fail the paper but I encouraged him to work harder. Together with his school teacher, my coaching, and of course his own effort, he managed to score a band 2 grade for SA2. I am proud of him. He has asked me to bring him to Kidzania and this will be a good present.

Julia Pok: It must have been the eve of Teacher’s Day. My 4-year-old eldest daughter and I tried to prepare homemade cheese cupcakes for her six nursery school teachers as a token of appreciation for their whole year’s effort to educate my child. It was challenging as it was our first time making cupcakes and we were running out of time having to let the cakes chill in the fridge for a few hours. Moreover, we don’t have a baking oven at home and had to use the microwave oven.

Despite going through several rounds of trial and error recipes adopted from YouTube channels, my daughter enjoy the learning process of identifying the ingredients and the baking steps, including having to test the initial tasteless and overcooked cheese cupcakes! Seems like we need to enrol ourselves in a baking class next time. Anyway, the teachers enjoyed the cupcakes and praised my daughter for her efforts and heart for them.

Benjamin Lim: I am blessed with a 6-year-old boy – Joel, who I had the opportunity to bring to Boracay for the first time. My most memorable moment with my boy was when we participated in the Helmet diving where Joel had to wear a heavy metallic helmet with an oxygen tube which supplied the necessary oxygen for him when he climbed down the long ladder into the ocean bed. I went down first and was very anxious for my son as he was the youngest participant to dive into the ocean for his very first time. We truly enjoyed ourselves during this event to feed and see the colorful fishes in Boracay.

Jasmin Hong: This year, my 9-year old son, Zachary, welcomed the arrival of his baby brother, Gregory, into our family! We were most touched when Zachary wrote us a note to thank us for giving him a brother, and that he will love his brother forever! As an older brother, Zachary has also grown to be more responsible and caring.  We are really proud of him!

Parvathi Tamilsalvan: I have always told my daughter to try her best in everything she does and to never give up. When she does not do as well as expected in her tests, I will tell her that there is always another chance to do better.

Recently I was sharing my workplace problems with my mum and recalling memories of how much I wanted to get into the teaching profession but could not do so because my application was turned down. Unaware that my daughter was listening to our conversation, I told my mum it was my childhood dream which will never be fulfilled. My daughter suddenly asked me “Why didn’t you try to apply for the interview again?” I told her I already did try twice but was rejected. She said “You always tell me there is always another chance if I don’t do well. You could have tried applying for the third time and tried again until you get the job.”

What she said took me by surprise and made me ponder. Now I have decided to pursue my interest soon. It was the most memorable moment for me because it not only made me think about my career choice, but also made me feel proud that my daughter has the ability to influence others with her positive thoughts.

Phoebe Sim: One night when we were lying on bed, I asked Kayden why he is always so happy. His reply to me was: “Last time you and daddy always quarrelled and he would just walk out of the house and never come back. Now you don’t quarrel and we are happy family.”

Kayden is only a five-year-old boy and I really didn’t expect that I would hear this from him as that issue happened when he was three years old. My tears just uncontrollably flowed out. What we have done actually has such a huge impact on a kid.