‘Ibu’ has been having a fever, has not felt energetic at all so Diya has had a great time exploring everything that she could see in this home.
She would place things that she found interesting onto my palm and wait patiently to be entertained by me. I would basically analyze what things she had given me before deciding whether or not she was going to be granted what she wanted.
Astonishingly, as if she could understand her mother’s condition, she accepted being ignored. The very first thing she wanted me to give her was a sweet drink from a bottle ‘ayah’ brought to home, received as a wedding door gift. It was rejected.
So, Diya proceeded searching for other items. They kept getting rejected and she just coped with it. Until… she found these things.
(Sigh…) Just this time, she just could not resist it at all. She did not nag by having a whimper or tantrum like she used to. But she kept pushing the things onto my palm while saying, “Nak!”, giving signals that she would not let herself being ignored, not any more.
I took an attempt to glance at those items, trying to identify them with my blurry vision. Oh, no! They were a toothbrush and a toothpaste, belong to her father. I struggled, and got up from my rest slowly. I guessed she had her point. She has not had real dental cleaning lately, despite having a mother who is always obsessive about teeth.
Diya loves brushing her teeth, only if she is allowed to do it on her own. ‘Ibu’ does not like it. I mean, the idea of her doing it by herself, because it means the teeth will not get cleaned properly and entirely.
I noticed that some of her teeth have a bit of discoloration and stains, even though they are not obvious. I am disturbed by it, really! But I hate forcing her to let me clean them for her instead. Therefore, I decided to let her clean them herself, while I will continue leading by example. Eventually, she will learn doing it correctly.
After all, parents are responsible for their children’s fun play, education, well-being, protection, and the like, including oral health. END.
~Karangan seorang ibu yang sedang demam. Sambung layan anak pulalah, demam-demam pun. Hopefully I get better by tomorrow, for my routine as a paid child carer will start, insya-Allah.
