-- Overall, breastfeeding continues for a longer period of time for children in Vietnam than in the U.S. Again, this is my observation from personal experience. Our group has seven moms with eight children -- all of the moms, except Phuong, breastfeed. The breastfed children range in age from 19 months to 39 months. Actually, all but two of the children are over two years old. Joanna stopped at five months for a variety of reasons. What I've read indicates that moms can breastfeed their children as long as they want and as long as mom and baby enjoy the experience. I'm in total agreement with that.
-- There seems to be more holding and lap-sitting here, and a little less toy time. This is completely understandable since the moms are working and cherish the time they have with their children. But groups of four or five moms will sit around holding their children almost the entire time. It's sweet, and Phuong does this with Joanna, but I since I was a hyper little chimp, it's foreign to me, so to speak.
-- Of course I'm not in the kids' homes at night, but I suspect reading isn't quite the bedtime ritual in Vietnam that it is in the U.S. ... well, at least I hope it's a ritual in the U.S. Phuong reads sparingly to Joanna -- that's my job -- and all but one or two of our children's books are in English. There might not be a wide range or volume of children's book in Vietnam. I don't see many cardboard books here, which are essential for the little ones.
-- Almost all the kids hit. They take a swing at adults, other kids and even toys that don't cooperate. Not sure why this is. One thing I notice is that moms are extremely tolerant of wild behavior, things like random screaming, interrupting, throwing toys. At our daycare, if the child's behavior is physically aggressive, we'll give them a timeout in a chair for a few minutes. Children usually don't like to be separated from the group. We try to redirect if we can to avoid any serious issues. So far, so good.
-- Moms here love to feed their kids rather than insisting kids try to feed themselves. I've noted this before, and it never ceases to amaze and annoy me when I see a mom squatting and feeding a 4-year-old. I don't know why it bothers me so much -- maybe because I can't squat down flat-footed like everyone else here to feed a kid. I just make Joanna and the other children do it themselves, and they all seem happy to cooperate and try. Hey, if you're hungry ...
Bottom line: Watching little kids learn and interact with parents and other children is not only downright fascinating, it's instructional as well. I never thought I'd say this, but I really enjoy it, and I can thank my wife Phuong for that.
* * *
-- A virus is working its way around the kids and adults in our group. Headaches and sore throats abound. Joanna is fighting a really runny nose and sore throat, and she's very cranky. Phuong is starting to get sick as well. I've been lucky so far, which probably means I'll get sick this week.-- I'm weighing a job offer from a language center in Barcelona, Spain, but research tells me the city is crowded and expensive. I'm still researching but can't access much information on the school.
-- After dominating my wife in tennis early in my comeback, Phuong has shaken off the rust and beaten me in two of our last three fun-filled and exciting matches. My foot is holding up, in part due to my new K-Swiss plantar fascia-friendly tennis shoes, and we're having a blast.
-- The U.S. government accepted our petition for a spousal visa for Phuong. That means she should have an interview at the U.S. Embassy in Ho Chi Minh City in the near future -- a month or two -- to determine if and when she can come to the U.S. with her American husband and American daughter. I don't want to say much so I don't jinx us. Our motives are not sinister; they're pure: we want the best schools and opportunities for our American daughter Joanna, and there is no way in hell I could separate Joanna from her loving mom. We'll only come to the U.S. as a family.
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