Son : Mom…..my bag is so heavy….

Mom : Eh, fren, you live next door to the school, be thankful already. Your school mates have to walk don’t know how far and some have to take a bus somemore.

Son : You know hor, one of my friend school bag strap already koyak today. Soooooo heavy….

Mom : Eh, complain also cannot help. All your brothers, all your schoolmates, every kid also must carry.

Son : But why they make it so heavy? Why need so many books?

Mom : Somemore hor, you are lucky you are not in Chinese school. If not lagi chialat.

Son : You tell them lah, don’t give us so many school books and so heavy books.

Mom : You ask all your school friends to write to the Education Minister lah.

Son : How to write?

Mom : Aiyah, in that case, I blog it better. Come, come we take photos.

My eleven years old (yet to be 12, only in Nov 2008) weighs this much. About 90 pounds. He is lucky he is of the average size. There are some really thin and scrawny kids who really struggle with their school bags.

The school bag weighs 11 pounds. (I know we use metric system but in pounds more dramatic mah) This is after he has pick and choose only the necessary books to bring to school.

These are just part of the workbooks the students need to buy. I think we need to spend RM50 just on workbooks. The textbooks are given free by our very *generous* Government.

I won’t complain about the heavy school bag. There is enough complaints already so what’s the point of talking about it? I had my share of worries when my eldest son went to Primary One. He had to take a school bus all the way from Air Itam to Bayan Baru and normally, he even had to run to catch the school bus plus fight off the crowds to get on the bus. That was like eons ago as he is now already 18 years old. This same problem exists today. I am still seeing poor little thin kids struggling with their school bags and risking their lives getting on moving buses.

Sad, huh? I am thankful we got a home next to the school and I am at home the whole day to layan the tired kids who got home from school.

Schools related stories :
Hot gucci mamas

Kids travelling on public buses

Suffer the little children

First day at school

Anyway…..I know all these heavy bags, tight schedule and etc helps to build characters for our kids. But seriously, those of us who are from the much earlier generation who didn’t have to endure such heavy bags and so many crazy co-curriculum activities didn’t do too badly too.