tonite we ended up discussing the pro's and cons of s'pore city life for kids growing up now, vs life in south africa when i grew up.

this was a totally impromptu conversation started tonight after lights-out, by one thoughtfull little boy.

and it began with a question, or rather a statement:
"mum, daddy doesnt like animals does he?" :>

so i had to explain how daddy grew up in a very different environment to mummy...

which led to kynan's 'if only'.... ie if only we cd be having that kind of childhood...

but i explained how fortunate they r to be exposed to animals and the great outdoors *inspite* of their environment. :)  which wasnt convincing enuff for him...

so for almost an hr we talked abt all the things they're exposed to now in s'pore, which i never had as a child... aside from fab experiences (such as our annual camping trips).... i had to point out that at that time, we had 8kids in the house at 1 point, so there wasnt always that much of everything to go around... eg new things were only seen at birthdays and Christmas... oh and did i mention there were no roller-skates, skateboards, bikes etc, and pls dont mention gym classes, archery, rock-climbing....and daily treats?

yes, it makes them sound totally spoilt!  they are indeed very fortunate here... fortunate to hv more than 1 pair of shoes... toys galore, and no shortage of fun trips all over the island.  

hopefully it's balanced out the draw of a large house, rambling garden, pool, and a yard full of 2-and 4-legged feathered furry friends to pet. 

convinced? gotta wait-n -ee!