beijingkids Magazine

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When I studied Chinese formally for a year at Beijing Language and Culture University back in the halcyon, pre-fatherhood days of 2003-2004, I was one of three swotty types who sat at the front. We had the unfair advantage of having native Chinese speaker spouses (by the way, I always think the plural of "spouse" should be "spice", don't you?), and the dubious qualification of being "maturer" than the rest of the class. After we had done battle with the language for a while and discovered that the more Chinese characters we learned, the less we remembered. I recall a conversation in which a fellow square and I asked ourselves whether we would still have set out to climb the mountain that is Chinese if we had known what we were letting ourselves in for. "No," we concluded.

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With the advent of e-readers such as the Kindle and devices like the Apple iPad, the humble paperback may seem a thing of the past. The question should be asked: Are books still relevant for a generation raised on laptops and cell phones? We went to the Canadian International School to ask students about their reading habits.

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Moms can spend hours browsing stores picking out the perfect pair of pajamas, the perfect bottle and the perfect mobile to hang above the crib. But ask them to name the perfect age to have a child, and they probably couldn't give you an answer.

The Golden Age

Doctors and psychologists have an equally hard time pinpointing the best time for women to have children. Some say it's as early as the late teen years, when the body is physically prepared to deal with the tolls of pregnancy, while others will claim that the late 20s are the golden period to ensure emotional stamina. Statistically, the age of first-time moms is on the rise. According to the US National Center for Health Statistics, the average age of first-time mothers in the US has jumped from 21 in 1970 to 25 in 2005. The UK Office of National Statistics reports a similar increase in the average age of first-timers, rising from 26 in 1971 to 29 in 2005.

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1. Giddy Up
Saddle up and ride a horse at Equuleus. Whether you're a beginner or an experienced rider, qualified bilingual instructors can guide you through the basics or help refine your skills. Daily 7am-12pm, 2pm-6pm (call ahead). Equuleus International Riding Club, Sunhe Zhen, 91 Shunbai Lu, Shunyi District (8459 0236, 6432 4947, equuleushorse@yahoo.com.cn) www.equriding.com 顺义区顺白路91号孙河镇

2. Tango with Life-Size Dinos
Get up close and personal with some of history's largest and fiercest reptiles. At Dino Dream Park's three exhibition halls, kids can oogle a collection of fossils as well as interact with life-size mechanical dinosaurs. Closes August 31. RMB 90, RMB 60 for children under 1m and senior citizens. 9am-8pm. 300m north of National Stadium (Bird's Nest), Olympic Green, Beichen Lu, Chaoyang District. Tickets on sale at Piao.com.cn (400-610-3721, ponypiaoen@hotmail.com) www.en.piao.com.cn, www.dinodreampark.com (Chinese only)朝阳区北辰路奥林匹克公园

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