An earful

For the last two days I have been feeling that my ear is very blocked .. And incidentally my shoulders and neck feel very tight too so I am not sure if it's related. I had carried Cayen for a long while on Sunday. I didn't do anything about it as I wanted to see if it would go away. It didn't. So today I managed to catch a doctor after work.

First of all, I couldn't visit my usual doctor as he was closed for the day, I decided to visit a new one that's still open. Went in and gave a full blown description and the discussion soon turned into a long session of parenting tips by the doctor after I told her I suspected strain from carrying my 19mth old son. Think it didn't help that I told her we brought him to the movies, specifically Godzilla. 

Key summary of her advice: 

- have your kid learn how to swim or at least float as early as possible. His own son nearly drowned when she just turned her head. He was already 4 years old then. 

- don't expose kids to TV and iPad when young. Else, they will likely lose interest in usual school lessons as teacher will not be as animated or entertaining like the tv. In particular, limit any shows with violence or anything bad as that will rob them of their innocence earlier. So Godzilla is really not ideal. 

- be a stay at home parent if you can help it. First few years are precious. They will not need you when they are five years old and even less when they are teenagers. When you are free, they won't be . 

- let kids read and listen to stories. It allows them to visualise and imagine , so it helps creativity. 

- things affect kids more than you can imagine .. His son got scolded by a hawker before when he tried to buy food as a kid (think he couldn't make himself understood as he could only converse in English). Thereafter, he would avoid buying food from hawker if possible , even when he's an adult. Apparently thT incident has scarred him. 

While I was appreciative of all the advice rendered, I really can't help but wonder if the $60 consultation fee (for a published fee range of $40-60) was due to the more than half hour consultation that had ensued due to her incessant sharing. 

While she is very nice and eager to share, I will not be in a hurry to return as the fees are too high for a GP even if she is based out of the high rental novena medical centre. It's also quite an earful of advice which is hard to handle when my ear is already feeling blocked. 


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