There is a play corner Ewan's kindergarten classroom that comes with a kitchen playset. After school this afternoon, he told me that he played family today with his classmates. He proceeded to list down his friends in this family and their roles. Ewan is daddy, and there is a mummy, a sister, a brother, a baby and 2 (!) maids. I asked him how the roles were decided and he said it was on a yell-out-what-you-want-to-be-and-you'll-get-it basis.
So, what did you do as a daddy?
Nothing much. It was my birthday and we baked a cake and I cut it.
What did the others do?
Mummy looked after the baby. The maids washed the clothes (jackets the kids bring to school) and mopped the floor. The brother helped the maids to mop the floor. Then the children sleep first, followed by the maids and then mummy and then daddy (because parents don't sleep early)
Er, was it fun?
Yap.
I'm quite sure maids didn't figure much in kids' play in the yesteryears. We don't have a domestic helper but my kids have many friends who have. When Ethan was younger, he wasn't able to tell a mummy from a maid. He would think that mummies send and pick up children from school just like his own mama does. Now coming to 8 years old, he is beginning to be sensitive to differences. Like he was chatting with his swimming mate, he asked whether the lady beside him is his mother or maid and then without waiting for his friend's answer, he concluded "maid, right?" (much to my embarrassment). His young friend confirmed it enthusiastically "Ya, Ya, she's my maid" and the domestic helper was obviously none too pleased. Ewan is not able to tell the difference yet. He has mistaken many domestic helpers to be his kindergarten friends' mummies.
While I can't possibly catch and correct each and every stereotypical view my children hold, I hope that they will grow up to embrace differences and be respectful to all. It's not just masak-masak.
