She's not 'small'

Tengah semangat mama bersembang, cerita pasal Aidan masa kecik, sambil tunggu the food being served kat Bachelor's Kitchen, nenek called. 

Out of blue, she said, "Aivey tu kecik je nak masuk asrama. Takpe lah kalau dia tak masuk asrama."

Earlied petang tadi, nenek cakap kat Kedai Kopi KL, "Iris tu apa-apa pun kena masuk asrama. Kalau dia sekolah biasa ni, leceh, mak bapak dia keje, susah kalau tak masuk asrama."

I just got to know that Atuk been fetching her up from school and sent her back home. How often, wallahu'alam. It's not important for me to know. 

I told my mom, " Iris budak pandai, she can deserve to masuk asrama."

The idea me saying that is so that my mom can see, Iris have to masuk asrama because she deserves, it, not because she have to for she has a working parents who can't take care of her and have to depend on her aging grandparents. 

No doubt, Iris is a smart girl. 

...

Yet, that doesn't imply that my daughter is not smart and don't deserve to masuk asrama. 

Yup, I was hurt by that quick phone call that my mom said to me. 

Yup, I was so speechless, defensive and maybe a bit 'angry' that I cried a little. Alhamdulillah, I'm glad that I am able to put myself together and not to breakdown and say something I might have regretted. 

...

Aivey is gonna sit for her UKKM exam on this coming 28th. 

She did her PKSK test, alhamdulillah. 

And I can never be more proud than I could be for her. 

Alhamdulillah. 

I will not start with saying, she not as smart as her brothers... for she is just as much. Alhamdulillah. 

All three of them have different level of achievements in academic. 

My mom didn't see it. 

All she saw is Aidan is the brightest one, for he got into MRSM, secured straight As and maintained his dean's list, and Insyaallah secured his covertible loan to scholarship to further his studies in France to pursuit his dream in becoming an engineer. 

So, my mom can only justfied and labelled that as being smart. 

Less that she knew both Aimar and Aivey are two smart people too. 

To my mom, for Aimar is not in the mainstream as he picked to choose in the Tahfiz, his future is not as bright as his abang. Less that his grandmom knew how difficult it is to memorize 25 juz (alhamdulillah, hadza min fadhli rob) in 3 and 1/2 years. And if my mom knew, how Aidan won't be able to do what Aimar did, will my mom change her mind? Nope, I doubt it. 

As for Aivey. She didn't get all Band6 results in her exams unlike Iris. Less that my mom knew that grading of the Band is totally not the same for every school and every students. Being KMS which prioritise character and intergrity rather than on-paper educational, vs a public school who would want to raise their rank in the PPD list so that they could get the extra budget for the school. are two different things! Aivey can be as critical and analytical students as compare to many kids of her age. She is not 'small' as nenek might think. 

Yup, I'm being defensive, not because I'm a mama. Just because, I don't think its fair to judge any kids according to what is in their grade and what the public perceived. 

It just hurt, when the remarks came from you own flesh & blood.