This is the 1st week of pre-school for our boy (20 months old). We are doing half-days and managing both the drop-off and pick-up for now. The pre-school is about 5 mins drive away from our place so it’s convenient enough for us to do so. There is another pre-school that is located closer to us (within 5 mins walking distance) but it doesn’t have any outdoor space because it’s located in a shopping mall. We prefer the current pre-school, which has its own grounds and plenty of outdoor space for play and sports activities. Not surprisingly, this is reflected in the school fees as we are paying more than S$1,000 after subsidy every month for the full week half-day program.
Anyway, my wife could accompany our boy for the first 2 days of pre-school on Mon and Tues but he was on his own from Wed onwards. He’s still crying and looking for us occasionally but it’s slowing getting better with each day. It’s a tough transition and we understand he needs time to get used to it. My parents-in-law have been missing him at their house since he has always been going there for the day from Mon to Thurs. So they have been checking in on him (through us) every day and came over yesterday to take him out to the park. They are offering to do the pick-ups so our boy can spend the afternoon at their place instead.
This will work out better for us even as we are working from home since it can still be difficult for us to focus on work when he’s around. And considering how we may potentially go back to the office to work in the next few months (probably a few days each week). It’s a difficult balance as we try to figure out a schedule that works for everyone. Meaning we all get to spend time with the boy, him to have more play-time & friends at pre-school, while we get our work done and have time to ourselves without over-taxing anyone. With time to rest, exercise and run our errands in between. It’s like a daily juggling act of priorities and we are just doing what we can not to burn out.
Coincidentally, I also read in the news this week about Lion Global Investors and OCBC Securities listing a new China-focused ETF early next month. This Lion-OCBC Securities China Leaders ETF tracks the Hang Seng Stock Connect China 80 Index and will be Singapore’s 1st China-focused ETF to pay annual dividends to investors. My guess is that the ETF will be included as an available selection under the OCBC Blue Chip Investment Plan (BCIP) once it’s listed. When that happens, I will initiate an automated monthly investment into it as part of my overall ETFs Dollar Cost Averaging strategy. Good to have more diversification of my investment portfolio through the inclusion of Chinese stocks.
By the way, I have reduced my automated monthly investments for StashAway, OCBC BCIP and POSB Invest-Saver. Just because I don’t have as much cash on hand for investing now after the property purchase. And I’m trying to rebuild my cash balance by saving more of our monthly salary income. Operating without a sufficient cash buffer as a family is like living on the edge and it’s not my style. I’m still investing every month but just not as aggressive as before. At least for the next 2 years until I get comfortable with my asset allocation again. In the meantime, I’m also buying into dips for the stock and crypto markets but the position sizing is smaller than before. I’m hoping the markets don’t crash anytime soon when I’m out of cash because it would be a wasted opportunity.