A digital covenant

 COVID-19 - School Closure - Day 157  School Reopens - Day 8

Been struggling mightily the past week on Parenting in a Digital Era.  It's not NN's fault... it's not bad parenting... it's not her influential friends... it's none of the above.  It's all of the above.  It IS what it is. 

Came to a breaking point the other day when I was so pissed... I smashed a water bottle onto the floor out of frustration and anger.  It was not right.  This is not right.  The enemy's stronghold on my family was suffocating, debilitating, life-threatening.  Earlier today.. we decided that it will take our family bonded together to get pass this bump in the road. 

 

It’s beyond the thumbs

COVID-19 - School Closure - Day 157  School Reopens - Day 7

What happened to my carrots!?!??! Aye..... 

 

For Forever

COVID-19 - School Closure - Day 157  School Reopens - Day 6

Pandora greeted me this morning with “For Forever” followed by “For Forever.” Back to back. Same song. This hasn't happened in...  For forever. 

All we see is light for forever
'Cause the sun shines bright for forever
Like we'll be alright for forever this way
Two friends on a perfect day

愛、回家

COVID-19 - School Closure - Day 157  School Reopens - Day 4

Epilogue: Something went wrong with the recording and my voice didn't come through.. shucks.  A bunch of folks in our congregation missed out.  But unexpectedly... Dad has been watching and I haven't seen him this proud of me in years.  Using his phone to take a selfie with me and PT on his iPad. Glad I made him proud... if at least... those 20 minutes.   

When life gives you lemons...

 COVID-19 - School Closure - Day 157  School Reopens - Day 3

SW had a Minecraft birthday party yesterday... and the sad thing is... one of the more advanced, older players built a campfire INSIDE his house and destroyed his creation.  SW was so appauled... he quit Minecraft, ditched his party, ran into his room and cried underneath his covers.  What's a father to do.. when your child is THAT CHILD.  The one that gets picked on... the underdog who sooner or later needs to grow up and stand up for himself.  I immediately got sucked in.. thinking of ways to reprimand that kid... of getting revenge.. of teaching that kid a lesson.

SW....being the glorious child that he is.. didn't seek vengeance. He was sad...he was hurt... but he took it in stride. Famously claiming, "I have a good temper." 

Today.. he announced that he built a secret passage way between 3 of his houses... so if it happens again..  he has an escape route.  

What a kid... dunno where he gets it.  He's so resilient.  Able to bounce back from adversity and find new ways to bounce back.  My son... when life gave him lemons... he was able to make lemonade.  His father, today, learned so much from his son. 

A new beginning

 COVID-19 - School Closure - Day 157  School Reopens - Day 1

158 Days later, school finally reopens, for NN at least.  SW's school doesn't start for another week. 

I was a nervous wreck.  A new school.  New rhythm. New teachers.  New technology Major shifts and transitions. And I hate to admit it... a new way of parenting.  And then at night... we checked NN's online activity during school.  Google Hangout.  Scratch.  Safari.  Word Matt.  Things that she shouldn't be doing...but who can blame her.  She's easily distracted and the temptation is too hard to resist. 

SW on the other hand was free as can be.  Woke up and ate breakfast and started binging on X-Men.  Then around 9AM, he switched over to Minecraft.  After multiple Hangout sessions while Minecrafting, he walks into a birthday party he wasn't initially invited to - cuz today was "Minecraft Day."  By the time dinner rolled around... he logged in almost 8 hours of screentime.  Aye....

Ended up locking down her iPad and disabling non-school related apps.  She's going to be so pissed when she finds out tomorrow - the hard way.  And as for SW... what do we do with him??

Day 1 of a new page in the Leung History.  How do we combat this? What do we do or say? How do we parent? How do we teach? I have no clue.  Greater parents before us have tried and failed.  What can we possibly do that will top what they've tried or done?  Can only 見步行步, 睇餸食飯。 And really... 定睛仰望耶和華。

本性難移

COVID-19 - School Closure - Day 157

We celebrated the kids' successful first day of Chinese school..... by letting them get a game on their iPads.  And SW couldn't hold it in anymore... he once again asked for Minecraft.  Something he's wanted all summer.  But we've refused to get for one reason or another.  It's addicting.  It's poor graphics.  It's a predator's dream come true.  And it costs money.  Yeah... you heard that right.  It costs money!!!  

And the past two days.... the kids couldn't be happier (including NN!!!)  They're building houses.  Hunting for food.  Going into creative mode.  And survival mode.  SW quickly told his friends he's on Minecraft and they jumped on a Google Hangout meeting for hours.  Poor NN.... none of her friends play. But she's enjoying it nonetheless.  So long Animal Crossing.... 

I finally ask... "How much did it cost?"

Joyce's response... "You don't wanna know..."

I don't wanna know.... aye...

Another year...

COVID-19 - School Closure - Day 155

Another year... And this year... I got quadruple blessings. Joyce and the kids did a mini-treasure hunt for me. They hid stuffed animals with a blessing on each. 

 我 赤 身 出 於 母 胎 ， 也 必 赤 身 归 回 ； 赏 赐 的 是 耶 和 华 ， 收 取 的 也 是 耶 和 华 。 耶 和 华 的 名 是 应 当 称 颂 的 。 

And the Lord blessed me so much today... an amazing breakfast followed by my favorite lunch and dinner. And we got sushi and sashimi for the kids. Life is good... nay... life is great.  Capped off the night with a Zoom Session with the Guys followed by a Google Hangout with Nita, Geoff and Anderson.  

Tired... can't do this anymore.  Ain't young anymore. 

鬓影星星知否

COVID-19 - School Closure - Day 154

Woke up in this morning and my left arm is sore... like I've been weight lifting or something, which I obviously haven't. Did I sleep on it? Was it from when we went to the beach and I overused it from hauling the wagon?  Then it finally occurred to me.  I'm strained it while playing Wii Boxing with SW Aye.... 

Stop and smell the roses

COVID-19 - School Closure - Day 152

Orientation Day for NN at TKA yesterday. She got her student ID, met some new friends and retrieved her textbooks for the coming school year. And with that... it kicked off my efforts to clean the house in preparation for school restarting.  As I started picking up our mess... I started tearing... starting crying... and started bawling.  

5 months have gone by.... Zoom.  Google Classroom.  Distance Learning.  PE in the garage. Scanning and submitting homework.  Followed by a strict summer curriculum of Khan Academy.  Those nightly struggles of learning and practicing Chinese.  NN's 5th grade Reading Comprehension workbook.  The failed attempt at an Economics Lesson. And of course.. those trusty Costco Notebooks.  

You blink... and it's gone.  5 months of precious family time.  Cooking breakfast.  Before they swallowed their last mouthful... you start thinking about lunch.  And right after lunch is served, "Bah-B, what's for dinner?"

That pizza that big bro delivered.  Ordering delivery from Cheesecake Factory for Joyce's  bday. The Wing Stop that came on SW's bday.  Mother's Day spent eating cold, wet sandwiches outside Grace's house.  Followed by Dad coming in for Father's Day.  

Tuesday nights of carving up Amazon cardboard boxes for recycling.  Binge watching Slamdunk... followed by the Amazing Race.. then Perfect Strangers.. followed by Full House and then Fuller House. 

Calling PAL chicken for cancelling CNY. Making door hangers with the kids. Planning a Evangelistic Meeting for CS - which was cancelled before it even started. Countless Prayer Meetings and FOTA.  Youtubing our pre-recorded Sunday Service with dad posting on the boards every Sunday.  Followed up by dad joining us for Saturday morning Bible Study. 

Ping Pong.  HIIT.  Running a 10 minute mile.  Badminton.  Followed by touch football on our artificial front lawn. And back to badminton. 

Google Hangout playdates. Pokemon Go...that led right into Brawl Stars... that swung back to Pokemon Go... to finally getting a Switch and Animal Crossing and eventually... flipping Double Dragon (with a little bit of modern day technology's help). 

Beach Day... followed by another beach day... and another... until we finally hit the jackpot of 90 degree weather.  Only to walk into wildfires all across the Bay Area leaving a scent of soot and smoke in the air.  

I was bawling... cuz everything slipped by and we did not capture these moments.  10-15 years from now... everyone will have their version of what happened.  But just like the earthquake of '89... or 9/11.... or whatever monumental event of your generation... they will all slip away.  Like the sand from a beach through your fingers.  Where you can only wish and hope... your fingers did not have holes for the memories to leak.  

Why didn't I spend more time capturing memories....?? And then I scroll up... and realize... 152 days later... I did capture these moments in time. 

生活點滴

COVID-19 - School Closure - Day 151

What matters most in a tweenage girl's life?? When you walk into her room and ask, "What's going on?" And she says in the most pressing serious tone, "I don't know to wear tomorrow!"  Orientation day.  Oh geeez.... 

And then there's the other child...

"Bah-B, is it true that Dawn Ultra Detergent can remove any stain?"

"And is Bounty really the quicker thicker picker upper??" 

"If there really are aliens...and they came and saw us... will they think WE'RE ugly?"

I'm watching Netflix and he crawls up next to me.  I'm chuckling at some off the cuff joke... and SW goes "Huh-huh-huh.... (short pause) Not funny."  

Sigh... these moments in time... wish I can capture them in a bottle. Instead, I have this.