One complication of training a kindergartener is that it can’t be too intense, said Mr Zikri.
“We can’t go too fast, and I need to tone down the intensity for him so that it’s still fun for him … (so the challenge is) keeping it fun for him and getting him to stay motivated.”
Ms Lwin Tun said that there are times when the parents set the pace for Abyan, but there are also days when his father asks the boy what he wants to do.
“Actually he’s a very driven child,” she said. “Sometimes he surprises us, like we say three times is enough, but he does, I want to do (the slope) one more time, can I do it one more time? And we’re like, are you sure?”
They have also received some backlash from others who think they are “crazy” for attempting this, said the couple.
“When we share this news to people around us, clearly we get a lot of ‘lashes’. Are you sure you want to do this with a five-year-old? Are you crazy – even adults may not handle it very well,” said Ms Lwin Tun.
“Me and Zikri, we are quite aligned, thankfully, in that sense. So we want to try and Abyan wants to try … I think support your child, mitigate the risk as much as possible, if they have an interest like climbing.”
On Saturday morning, after climbing 101 floors at Skyville@Dawson, Abyan went on to play with monkey bars and the balance beam at the fitness corner – barely pausing to take a drink and have a lollipop.
When asked if he was sure whether he could reach Everest Base Camp, he said “yes”. And what will he do on the mountain?
“I want to play with the snow … and build a snowman,” said the five-year-old. “I will bring a carrot to be the nose.”
