1:15:45 – 1:17:17

This is entitled “Caleb’s Maturity”.

Even as a child, I was always impressed by Caleb’s maturity. My favorite example of this was something I noticed during our 2014 visit, of course while Caleb was still living in Singapore.

For almost 3 weeks during that trip, I enjoyed daily routine of walking, which I rose early enough in the morning to walk Evan to school, walking around 1km each way, or a little over half a mile for those of us who are more used to US measurements. In the afternoons I would walk perhaps three quarters of a kilometer, or half a mile, in the opposite direction to accompany Caleb as he came home from school.

During this time, the kids would be queued up, or lined up for those of us who speak US English, outside their school, and would not be released until the crossing guard saw the adult who would accompany them to their homes. I would wave to the crossing guard, and at the next cycle of the light, Caleb would be released and we would walk home.

During these walks, we would talk, sometimes about his day at school, other times about various family plans or even the upcoming holiday of Chinese New Year. I was always impressed by his views or comments to the point that once, I told another family that talking to Caleb, who was 7 years old at the time, was not like talking to a kid. Instead, it was like talking to a very short adult.