Childhood

 Salam. 

It is just amazing what a four year old kid can teach us (me). I am close with my niece and nephew, especially my first nephew. He just turned 4 last September and I am the emergency contact his mother registered in case if something happen to him at school. I am one of that obsessed aunty. Haha

Since COVID-19 started, it brought me back to my childhood dream of becoming a doctor. From my age of 12 till 17, I had always wrote down doctor as my preferred job, I specifically work extra hard for Biology subject at school and as a result, I got A1 for Biology and A2 for Pendidikan Agama Islam (Islamic Studies) for my SPM, because I paid less attention to subject that I thought did not matter then. Come to think of it now, if only I gave my best in all SPM’s subjects, I would feel better.

Okay, back to my nephew story, Daffa (not to be confused with Dahfa - the fish snack that won some international award), we met almost fortnightly. When we meet, usually he will conquer the TV and my phone, so I don’t have other option except to talk and communicate with him. Seeing him so happy and cheerful in current COVID-19 pandemic, I tried to instill some good sense to him, my unachieved dream of becoming a doctor. So I told him, ‘Daffa, later you need to become a doctor, so you can help to treat and take care of people when they are sick, and make sure COVID-19 will go away.’ 

His reply was innocent, as expected from a kid, ‘No, I don’t want to be a doctor’. So I asked him what is his ambition then. Last month, his answer was Chuck Chicken, and yesterday, Blippi. I think he thought that is the coolest job in the world, for now. 

What I felt interesting was, the conversation that we had, of me persuading him to be a doctor - Daffa told about this to his mother, in which later his mother told me. He said CikDak (me) asked him to be a doctor, but he don’t want to. His mother had a good laugh while telling me this. I thought this is interesting because for me, that was just a passing remark, a conversation to fill the silence or just me bugging him when he was too focused watching screens. I did not expect it will bother him so much that he will tell his mother on this. I mean, he is only 4-year-old to actually weigh between becoming a doctor or Chuck Chicken or Blippi. 

This whole thing about my nephew do not want to be a doctor just make me realize that pressure can be experienced from a kid as young as 4-year-old, and I kind of promise to myself to talk better to my niece and nephew and other kids, so they will have a healthy mindset and enjoy their childhood to the fullest. Sorry Daffa, I promise I will support you, be it Chuck Chicken or Blippi (for now). 😆