From Fidgety Little Girl to Fearless Young Woman

If there is one child who continues to surprise me throughout life, it is my middle girl, Sherilyn. Today she is a university undergraduate in Architecture, sleep-deprived, rushing assignments, juggling dance gigs, dance classes and still manages to work part-time at the café (with wonderful bosses) whenever she has the time. But her journey to this point has been nothing short of remarkable.

When she was young, I used to wonder if she had ADHD. She could never sit still. Everywhere she went, she moved, fidgeted, climbed, and experimented. She couldn’t stop yakking and prattling until her grand uncle called her 7-11 (a mouth that talks 24 hours). She was so mischievous and had so many minor accidents before turning one year old that I bought her an accident insurance.

One unforgettable day at Tesco Ipoh, she placed her water tumbler on the escalator railing. Predictably, it rolled off and fell from a height. Thank God it didn’t land on anyone. My papa was fuming and lectured her on the spot. That was Sherilyn – curious, restless, and always testing boundaries.

Schoolwork, especially BM, was a struggle. Revising with her before exams used to make me want to cry and pull my hair out. I persevered year after year, guiding her through pre-school and primary school until Standard 6. The effort was worth it. In SPM, she proudly scored a B for BM – something I once thought might never happen.

But Sherilyn’s magic was never in textbooks. It was in her hands, her creativity, and her determination.

Around the age of 9 or 10, she suddenly announced she wanted to bake a cake – all by herself. I hesitated, imagining the mess. Reluctantly, I said yes. To my surprise, she was laser-focused from start to finish. Every measurement, every step, every detail – done with full concentration. Of course, there were many minor accidents where she cut her fingers with the knife. That was the moment I realized: Sherilyn didn’t have a lack of focus. She simply needed something that she loved to activate her superpower.

Her first cake turned out wonderfully, and from there, everything changed. She baked birthday cakes topped with beautiful decorations, pies, cookies, pastries, tarts – all self-taught through YouTube. She even made gorgeous handmade dreamcatcher charms and sold them to friends. Her talent with her hands was crystal clear.

And then came dance – her biggest passion. She joined competitions and collected medals over the years. Today, while studying Architecture (a course as tough as Medicine), she also earns side income dancing at shows and events. It is exhausting, but she keeps pushing.

I pray that God continues guiding her, giving her strength and protection. I have no doubt that one day, Sherilyn will graduate, build a successful career, and still dance her way through life. She is proof that a child’s “weakness” can become their greatest strength when they find the thing that sets their soul on fire.

Below are some of the bakes Sherilyn experimented with in 2016 at age 11.