Little brother O (弟弟) started 3rd grade this year. We’re not too worried about O for a few reasons: 1) he’s been in Taiwan schools since 1st grade so he already has a solid foundation, 2) based on our experience with C, 3rd grade isn’t too stressful yet, and 3) thankfully, O was assigned a fairly relaxed teacher. He is known to organize a lot of field trips. Last week we went to a treasury/finance museum.

Homework is reasonable, on average 30-40 minutes a day. But O’s teacher has been giving more challenging homework than I remember C getting in 3rd grade — things like sentence composition and short essays. Thank goodness for ChatGPT! 😅

Starting this year, O has 3 long days of school a week, so I miss having the little guy around at home in the afternoons. For the last two years, he’d come home around noon, have lunch, finish his homework, and spend the rest of the afternoon on his hobbies. It felt so carefree. Now, on top of the longer school days, O has after-school activities everyday: Minecraft, swimming, and art — so we don’t see him until almost 6 pm on most days.

Outside of school, O practices Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, plays Minecraft, and loves to read — especially fantasy novels. He’s become hooked on the Harry Potter and Percy Jackson series! Recently, I’ve noticed his writing becoming more expressive and imaginative, so over the summer, I encouraged him to write his own book (since I have a little experience in that area 😏). He decided to write a story about overcoming the fear of trying new things, something he is still personally working through. The result is a cute story called Bowie the Brave, now available on Amazon!

We couldn’t be prouder of O. He used to be really hesitant about trying new things, but we’ve seen how much his confidence has grown. Recently, he read his book in front of his class — something that would’ve seemed unlikely not long ago. Although he was nervous at first, we’re so glad he pushed through and did it anyway. My SIL also shared his book with her school principal, who then invited O to give a presentation about his book to a group of 2nd graders in December. It will another big challenge, but O is willing to take it on!

Sometimes I miss the summer, when Baba and I could take on projects like these with the kids. During that time, the boys seemed their most creative: building fun Lego and cardboard creations, C experimenting in the kitchen, and O working on his book. We had time to slow down, to wonder and create together. Now that school is in full swing and schedules are packed with homework, there’s little time left for personal projects like these, and I can’t help but wonder if their creativity gets stifled a bit. Still, I’m grateful that Baba and I get to spend so much valuable time with them. Not every parent gets that opportunity, and I don’t take it for granted.