BAMBI News September 2016

View PDF Dear members, When I was young, September was always a special month for me. You can call me a nerd, but I liked to go to kindergarten and school. Following a structured schedule suited me and I had always fun there. So every year I waited and prepared for the first day of school with anticipation. Unfortunately, when you grow up, many special occasions and holidays lose their importance. Now, September is for me like any other month, Christmas means mostly crazy last-minute shopping with no idea what to buy and birthdays I would like to forget altogether. It's sad how age squeezes out of us the ability to enjoy the simple things in life. Luckily, when we have children, it all comes back. We can relive the joy of buying new colorful notebooks for school or counting the days until Christmas :) For our family this year, the school bells, more exactly the kindergarten bells, did not ring yet. Lia is now 1 year and 5 months old and we discussed long whether it's time to put her into kindergarten or not. For us, the question was not 'Is Lia ready?' but 'Is kindergarten really necessary for her now?' I can't wait for Lia to start kindergarten and have some routine and structured activities in her days. But as an opposite to me, my husband doesn't believe in the school system. For him, it's too restrictive and doesn't allow kids to shape enough their own personality. He believes we should allow more flexibility for kids to be inspired by their own life experience and to gain self-initiative. So in the end, what is really better for kids? Strict school structure or learning through life experience? I guess the truth lies somewhere in between and it's up to each parent to find the right balance for their kids. For us, finally my husband “won” and we are keeping Lia out of kindergarten for some more time. And at the end of the day, mommy is happy too, I was not ready to give up playgroups and playdates yet :) After a long summer sleep, BAMBI is also ready for the new school year. We will kick off this year with the Yard Sale on September 24th. Don't miss your chance to come hunt for good bargains on used baby, kids and maternity items. At the end of October, be ready for our Halloween party. This is the biggest event of BAMBI and this year we are working hard to bring it to you even bigger, better and scarier! Summer also brought some changes to our Committee. I would like to thank Akiko T (Events Coordinator), Roz (BAMBI News Editor) and Leenah (Secretary) for the amazing job they have done for BAMBI during the last year. Now Ema, former Assistant Editor, is stepping up to become the BAMBI News Editor; Josephine, Yard Sales Coordinator, is changing to Events Coordinator, and Emma, Bumps & Babies Co-Coordinator, takes on the next Yard Sale as an additional project to her already-busy Bumps schedule. I wish them luck with their new adventures! Happy September and see you around! Cheers, Tini  View PDF