Em was baptized today, almost 3 months after she was born. Siu kindly agreed to be Em's Godma as well. I'm so grateful she agreed. I'm not the greatest mum around and the girls will have someone else to turn to if they ever need advice or help. We had to go for three preparatory classes beforehand, which I thought was a bit of a drag as we only had to go for one session at St Anne's Church when Meg was baptized. However, the sessions were an eye opener and our facilitator, Gerard, said something that I agree with wholeheartedly.
On the issue of parents not having their newborns baptized but preferring to leave it to them to choose their own faith when they grow up, he had this to say: How is it that we don't 'ask' our children which school they want to go to when they turn 7 or ask them if they want to take piano or ballet lessons? Instead, we decide as parents to put them in the best school, enroll them in the best enrichment classes which we think will benefit them. So why is it that when it comes to the religious well being of our children, a major step they take in accepting to be a child of God, a God who will help them along in life and watch over them, we hesitate to give them the best and allow them to 'choose'? I agree entirely with this view and think that if there is only one gift we can give them at birth, it is to give them the gift of being God's child. I am grateful that my parents 'gave me no choice' in that sense, not because I don't think I would've become a Catholic later on in life if they had, but I grew up with God around me, in school, in my home, with my friends, with God always watching over me and I feel privileged to be a Catholic. I definitely want the same for my two kids. Hopefully before the end of our lives, MJ will also convert and find solace in God's arms.
If you're wondering why the priest who baptized Emma has been 'chopped' off, this pix was taken by Meg as I was carrying the babe and MJ and Siu were standing beside me. It's a decent picture I must say...a job well done! That was Father Peter Koh who baptized her and as he poured holy water over Em's head three times, it startled her a little but thankfully, she did not cry.
How time flies! The little one turned three months old today and I'm back at work. Of course there's more excitement about the former than the latter. I've mixed feelings about going back to work. Like any mother (even second timers), I feel an anxiety that I'm leaving my baby in the care of someone else...in this case, my mum, fortunately. Even so, I wish I could take care of her full time in the first part of her life, definitely more than just 3 mths. I worry that my mum can't handle her on her own. It's been a trying three months but I hope our prayers are heard cos both my mum and I have been praying that all goes well. We'll see...
