PLKN Revisited...

Went to visit Son again over the weekend, even though he is due for his semester break tomorrow...

For parents who worry for their children attending PLKN, it's actually not bad-lah. Consider this... for the first time in years my son's BMI has fallen within the normal range. He says one of his friends put on over 10 kilos! Actually, I can't ever remember him being ever in the normal range, being a picky eater and all that. Now he tells us he is hungry all the time. Not that they don't eat enough. They are fed 6 times a day! All the outdoor activities seem to have done him good. He's tanned and actually looks so much better.

And for the first time too he observes that the 'abnormal' people at camp just don't seem to understand the need to be obedient, even after repeated 'punishments'. As a result they've had many of their privileges removed. Theirs was one of the few camps where handphones were allowed. But that went after the 2nd week cos some of them couldn't stop texting even during lectures! And that repeated offences have increased their marching frequencies from 2 to 6 times daily! LOL! We told him, we too had to put up with his 'abnormality' that he observed among his PLKN mates. Nothing like real life experience as the teacher.

He reads his BM papers now, he says cos there is nothing else much for him to do. He has reread the 2 novels he brought with him thrice! That's super cool! Cool not because BM papers provide balanced news... Cool is because he is doing it because he sees that he needs to.... plus the fact that there is nothing else to do. I think our papers like Berita Harian and Utusan suck at news reporting.... kinda speaks volume the kind of journalists they have. One must have a little bit of time sometimes to force one into doing some reflection.... 8)

And frankly speaking, it was actually nice to be able to sit down with him for a whole hour and have a real conversation about his future.... that would not have been possible at home with the computers taking up his attention as well as time..... Oh yes! He plays football there too... All the staying at home, with the computer there ever to distract, a kid actually narrows his world to that realm of the digital world that eats them up...

So, yes! PLKN does have its pros... it helps to bring their little feet a little closer to earth. The cons still need some addressing that's for sure. But there is good that one cannot deny too.