We looked at the sky on National Day with some dismay.

Rain was coming down and we had gotten up extra early to get ready for our outing to the Jacob Ballas Children's Garden with the kids and our friends, the Teos.

The wife had arranged this little outing with Jo, the other mommy and only told me about it the night before. Being the obedient husband, I could only say "Of course, what a great idea!"

I had great plans for the National Day holiday, which involved patriotic things like sleeping in. So out went that grand plan. But a man has to fulfill his Duties to Fatherhood so I made the necessary sacrifice. Also I didn't want to get another lecture on how I should spend more time with the kids from the Boss and Director of Parental Guilt Trips.

For a moment, I saw the rain and thought, perhaps I could crawl back to bed while feigning great disappointment. But the wife was already on the phone, calling Jo to see if it was raining at her side of the Singapore.

"Jo says it is not raining a drop at her end. So I think we should just go," the wife said optimistically after she hung up.

So we piled into the car and drove towards the Botanic Gardens.

One of the annoying things about the Botanic Gardens is the sheer size of the place. It is like a little country by itself. You never really know which side you should enter from in order to minimize the walking. I remember one time, we were supposed to meet our friends at the Symphony Lake to watch a free orchestral concert, and I parked at the furthest possible end of the Gardens and had to walk forever to hook up with them.

Well, true to form, this time I had to park at the Botany Centre end, along Cluny Road, when I should have parked at the Kheam Hock Road end where the Jacob Ballas Children's Garden was. This meant that if we walked, it would take 30 to 40 minutes to get there. We had three kids with us, the sun was out and shining, so this was not an attractive option.

Fortunately, the Teos had also parked at the same spot (we must have checked the same Google Map in our iPhones, which told us Botanic Gardens is 1 Cluny Road), and they too, agreed it was probably not a good idea to trek all the way there.

Anyway, we had the Teo's dog with us and the brochure we picked up said no pets were allowed at the Jacob Ballas Children's Garden. So good thing we did not walk all the way there to find this out.

A garden is a garden is a garden, and since we were not particular which part of the Botanic Gardens we should go to, we found a shady spot with lots of space and a big tree or two and laid down the mats.

The beauty of the Botanic Gardens is that it is pretty much lovely wherever you go. We took out the sandwiches and sausages, simple picnic food for the kids to munch on, and just chilled.

My plan was to let the kids run themselves ragged on the grass, and then when they got home, they’d be so tired they would just nap, leaving the afternoon to me.

It was fun to catch up with old friends. The adults chatted and updated each other and the children played. Isaac and his best friend in the whole wide world, Matt, were kicking a ball around. Joy was playing with Ori the dog. My nine-year-old, Faith, just liked being out on the grass, the open space agreeing with her particularly sensitive autistic senses. I was taking photos like a deranged Japanese tourist who had never seen a botanic garden before.

Some kids were sitting on the branches of a big tree, with parents taking photos. This seems to be a Botanic Garden ritual: grab your hapless kid and plonk him on the big branch, trying to convince him that it is not THAT high and please don't move while we try to take a picture of your somewhat terrified face.

I wonder if the Tree minds. Every day, kids just climbing on its arms. It must get tiring to be the centre of attraction. If I were the Tree, I'd tell the kids to go play in the rose bushes for once.

The Botanic Gardens and I go way back. When I was a kid, I fell into one of its lakes and almost drowned. My uncle fished me out of the water. Now I am back, as a parent, and my kids are enjoying its lush greenery too.

I am, of course, vigilant that my children do not repeat the folly of my ways and fall into a random body of water. I did not bring any spare clothes for them and it would totally ruin my camera if I had to dive in after them.

 

About mrbrown
mrbrown aka Mr Kin Mun LEE is the accidental author of the popular Singapore website, mrbrown.com, and has been documenting the dysfunctional side of Singapore life since 1997.

Affectionately known as the Blogfather of Singapore, his readers follow his writings closely, which these days range from current affairs, his family, and even his trips abroad.

Currently, mrbrown also hosts the mrbrown show (mrbrownshow.com), probably Singapore's best known comedy and satire podcast.

mrbrown is married to Ginny, his long-suffering wife for 12 years, and is father to three lovely kids, Faith,  Isaac and Joy.