Wen (shiwen)

Wondered to this local art museum near my parents’ place in Beijing where I paid (semi-involuntarily) 48rmb (about 7 usd) for my 3 yo to make a fan by dipping it in a bucket of water with drops of special paint. It’s totally cool and fun except that… 1. The museum lady’s understanding of my daughter making the fan by herself is her picking up the sticker she (the museum lady) thinks pairs well with the fan and put it exactly where she (the museum lady) thinks fits in the picture. 2. Grandma telling my daughter that she will buy something for her the moment this kid even glanced at something. Conclusion: I need to breathe…

• 0 replies
• 0 recasts
• 1 reaction

Lucked out in Shanghai with @jachian when the weather was as cool as it could be for July. It’s been over 25 years for both of us since the last visit.

• 0 replies
• 0 recasts
• 0 reactions

Caught Kusama Yayoi in Shanghai near our hotel

• 0 replies
• 0 recasts
• 1 reaction

Posting about my take on “learning” vs. “acquiring” a language reminded me of Stephen Krashen’s influential theory on language acquisition — comprehensible input. My first exposure to this theory was in grad school when I was studying Bilingual/Bicultural Education. When LEARNING a language, especially as an adult, we might rely on various external tools (dictionary, translation, teacher, textbook etc.). When ACQUIRING a language, all tools come from ourselves — our five senses, the will to communicate, and potentially the interests toward the topics being discussed.

• 3 replies
• 34 recasts
• 70 reactions

Wow! It’s cool to earn the $5 from my first few posts here. Just want to say thank you to everyone who welcomed me and shared your thoughts with me. I wonder…what about my posts that you find interesting/relatable? 😊

• 3 replies
• 28 recasts
• 54 reactions

I don’t tell my toddler to “share”. Why? First of all, toddlers are just not developmentally ready for the concept of sharing. Even as adults, are we really cool with sharing??? @jachian one time got upset with me because I ate the top of a croffin that we were supposed to be “sharing”. 🤷🏻‍♀️ However, we hear these a lot: “You gotta share with your friends.” “Be nice. Share it with your sister.” Kids are being DEMANDED to share. If we tell them “sharing is caring”, then does “not willing to share” mean “not caring”? Does it make them bad kids? Not at all. I don’t want my child to take sharing for granted. Yes, it’s ok if you are not ready to share YET. Yes, it’s ok when someone else is not sharing. Yes, it’s ok to say “I prefer playing by myself”. Yes, it’s ok when someone says “no” to you. Yes, ALL of these are OKAY.

• 5 replies
• 9 recasts
• 14 reactions

Raising our daughter bilingually has always been the default to me. Not because it’s more beneficial, but because it’s simply what’s natural to me and my family. There’s a difference between “learning” a language and “acquiring” a language. (掌握/身につける) No one feels like they “learned” their first language, because we all acquired it as we grew up. Things learned can be forgotten when not used. Skills acquired tend to stick for longer or come back easier. My hope for my child is not just about learning a certain number of Chinese characters or being able to hold conversations with grandparents. I hope it will be part of her life, and impact her life in a positive way, for as long as she lives. At the end of the day, my hopes are my hopes and her life is her life.

• 5 replies
• 3 recasts
• 18 reactions