National serviceman needs maid to carry his backpack
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Hello all;
I am new here and this is my no:2 post = )
I know the picture of the NSF and his maid carrying his fullpack for him has raised many eyebrows.
Here’s a short encounter of a similar situation!
Approximately 11 years ago, I was a sergeant in NS in charge of training recruits during the Jan intake.
There was this one recruit who seemed rather sickly and accident prone. He was assigned to my section.
On one of the final Standard Obstacle Course tests, this guy fell from the Jacobs ladder and hit himself in the delicate regions when his legs slipped through the gaps of the logs.
After that, he was sent to Tekong medical centre which proceeded, upon the doctor’s recommendations, to send him to the mainland hospitals for treatment.
When he came back, after a week of Medical Leave, he was on permanent light duties for the rest of the course due to a testicular torsion (it means his ‘jewels’ got twisted) during that accident from the SOC. He was on permanent light duties for the rest of the course.
Towards the end of the Basic Military Training course, I received a call from his mother in camp.
"Hello Ma’am, this is Sergeant J here"
"Hello J, this is Mdm Y. I’m recruit Z’s mother. I need to know, during the end of the course, would recuit Z be required to carry his equipment out? Is there any help you all can give him?"
"Yes ma’am, the end of course means recruit Z needs to carry his items out, including all his gear, it’s like moving house as he would be posted to the next unit. "
"Hello J, yes, but you know, Recruit Z has this accident and he is our only child. The doctor has recommended that he not carry heavy loads around! It might affect his reproductivity and this would be very important for our family. Can you have any other people help him carry his items out?" (items are fullpack and duffel bag)
"Ma’am I don’t think we can do that, every recruit is supposed to carry his own items, at least to the pier"
The mother was rather insistent though, so my PC, who was nearby indicated that he would like to speak with her.
"Oh wait, my PC would like to speak to you" *note that the PC here eventually was promoted and became RSM of NDP 2010. (OT a bit)
PC and mother discuss.
Eventually:
PC said - "Ma’am, your son is now going to be a man. I’m sure he can carry his own fullpack and other items"
I talked to Z about it. I think Z said like "my mother is like that, don’t worry Sergeant, I will take care of myself and carry my own stuff"
Anyway, the course went on and the recruits all did well in their passing out parade. Recruit Z was excused from the parade (I think he was permanently excused)
I do not know whether he carried his own items from the bunch to the ferry, but I’m sure his mother was there to receive him from the ferry point at Tekong on his final day at Tekong. In such a context, it would not be a stretch for the maid to come along with the mother and help carry Z’s duffel bag and fullpack to the car, and then from the car to their home, right?
So that’s my experience of a maid and mother carrying the recruit’s duffel bag.
Now the equivalent of the duffel bag issued to NSFs is this luggage looking like black bag with rollers. Simply wonderful and a cheap luggage alternative. -
I'm not sure if anyone saw today's ST but the newspaper was (still) running stories on similar topic and in today's story they quoted a mum (who identified herself as a teacher). I can't remember her exact words but she said something like times have changed and washing and cleaning etc are now the maid's job.
I'm just glad my husband and I make our kids wash their own school shoes when each of them started P1. We told them they are now \"big kids\" and had to start looking after themselves. My 16-yr old has to iron her own school uniform - white shirt and pinafore. If she doesn't do it, she will have to wear crumpled uniform. She also washes her own undergarments and my son will have to start washing his own undies and iron his own school uniform next year.
These are life skills that I believe children need to learn. Why take for granted there will always be someone else cleaning up their mess. Don't want to clean up a mess? Then don't create one
A girlfriend of mine told her kids the maid is there to help her, not the kids. She went to the extent of having her kids ask for her permission before asking the maid to do anything for them.
Different strokes for different folks but I do feel sorry for kids who are not taught basic life skills and will continually be dependent on others to look after them. -
dramamama70:
:offtopic:She also washes her own undergarments and my son will have to start washing his own undies and iron his own school uniform next year.
I totally agree with the majority of posts here; which is we should not pamper our kids too much. It makes them weak. However, I've a query here regarding something that I came across a few times in this thread; something that is quite unrelated to this topic actually.
So just to satisfy my curiosity, what's this thing about making kids wash their undies but not other clothing? This aroused my curiosity because I recalled my grandma used to separate man & woman's undies when she got the helper to wash them. -
nowdays people brain not same liao.
boys who wash dishes, underwear and shoes are better, wah lao eh…
no wonder cannot carry army fullpack, only can carry girlfriend handbag. -
Joule:
I hv never heard of a commissioned officer becoming a RSM........
\"Oh wait, my PC would like to speak to you\" *note that the PC here eventually was promoted and became RSM of NDP 2010. (OT a bit)
.....
RSM is normally a senior non-commissioned other rank.
Care to elaborate?
OK I rate ur story:
Sergeant J
Politeness: A
Care for soldier: D
PC
Initiative: C
Recruit Z's mother
Love n perseverance : A+
Hope Recruit Z's jewels r working properly n contributing to SG
:salute: -
markfch:
:offtopic::offtopic:
I totally agree with the majority of posts here; which is we should not pamper our kids too much. It makes them weak. However, I've a query here regarding something that I came across a few times in this thread; something that is quite unrelated to this topic actually.
So just to satisfy my curiosity, what's this thing about making kids wash their undies but not other clothing? This aroused my curiosity because I recalled my grandma used to separate man & woman's undies when she got the helper to wash them.
Markfch, my ex-grandmother-in-law claims that my ex-husband clothes and undies to be seperately washed coz she claims that woman's clothes and undies will bring bad luck to the man.. make the man jobless and SUAY!!! :x To avoid further fights with tat old lady.. She wash her dearest grandson's clothes and undies.. claiming it will bring luck!! :siao: sad to say.. till now her precious grandson is still refuse to work.. no career still.. -
Way2GO:
In this case, the PC is a Warrant Officer. BMT sch may still had that system. [quote]OK I rate ur story:
[quote]I hv never heard of a commissioned officer becoming a RSM.Joule:
.......
\"Oh wait, my PC would like to speak to you\" *note that the PC here eventually was promoted and became RSM of NDP 2010. (OT a bit)
.....
RSM is normally a senior non-commissioned other rank.
Care to elaborate?
Sergeant J
Politeness: A
Care for soldier: D[/quote]Thank you for ranking me as care for soldier as D and as politeness A. Incidently, the mother of Recruit Z wrote a letter to the CO of the camp thanking me for 'taking care of her son' because I was the only sergeant that visited him when he was attend c sick bay and take care of him during BMT. But that is another story. [quote]PC
Initiative: C
Recruit Z's mother
Love n perseverance : A+[/quote][quote]Hope Recruit Z's jewels r working properly n contributing to SG
:salute:[/quote][/quote]We'll never know. -
Joule:
OIC.
In this case, the PC is a Warrant Officer. BMT sch may still had that system.Way2GO:
I hv never heard of a commissioned officer becoming a RSM.
RSM is normally a senior non-commissioned other rank.
Care to elaborate?
d rating was just for fun. :lol:
Since u so serious with d follow up,
OK upz ur 'care for soldier to A', swee boh?
Ur PC still get a C for not using his initiative to arrange transport to
d pier.
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Hello.
Orh thank you thank you
Anyway this is the kind of context that maybe the unfortunate recruit is in. Maybe he twisted 'something' and cannot carry heavy loads so his maid got to carry for him when they are out of camp.
Side note: Maybe next time the photog can snap a picture of a man carrying handbag for his gf, then there would be a great debate about men carrying handbag for their wive / gf in Singapore...
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Joule:
Hello.
Orh thank you thank you
Anyway this is the kind of context that maybe the unfortunate recruit is in. Maybe he twisted 'something' and cannot carry heavy loads so his maid got to carry for him when they are out of camp.
Side note: Maybe next time the photog can snap a picture of a man carrying handbag for his gf, then there would be a great debate about men carrying handbag for their wive / gf in Singapore...
u r vellcome.
u blur sotong, please see page 8 for my post.
men carry woman's handbag in public - oredi happening.
all dis gu niang, spoil d market! :x
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