Gripping about pencil grip

Now that CH is walking, things are getting messy at home. I sometimes find it difficult to spend time with CY on his work (now I know why parents send their children to school so young), and find it also tough to work alone with CH...

With CY, I am trying to get him to start tracing his letters. Ok, parents' views differ here. I am just trying to model what schools do at this stage: trace letters. But CY has abysmal pencil grip and I just cannot seem to correct it. He can do complex mazes but just cannot seem to hold his pens with the proper grip :P

I found myself getting frustrated with him a couple of days ago over this pencil grip. Due to his lousy grip he kept 'crossing the line' (a term I use with him when he, out of 'convenience', takes short cuts) when he does his mazes.

M: CY, you crossed the line...
CY: No, I didn't!
M: Yes you did!
CY: Noooooooo.. I DID NOT!
M: Looks, what did you do? (pointing at the part where his marker touches the line)
CY: I said I didn't what!!!
M: Ok, I'll keep this, we'll work on it ag...
CY: Noooooooo I want to do it!!! I want I want!!!!!

Sometimes I wonder if I did something wrong when I was pregnant or if I fed him too much food with high lead content :(... He must the only three-year old who does not hold his pencil properly. In Singapore at least.

I am trying to do the flashcards with CH, just like what I attempted to do with CY. But her attention is soooo fleeting at this point I gave up quicker than she. The only saving grace is she loves to bring me books to read. Sometimes she sits through it, sometimes she does not. But she is not talking yet. I guess both my children are late talkers :)

See, I am trying to avoid the Icarus effect in child rearing, and yet am totally lost.

Notice those parts he crosses the line? :(

Funny thing is, I started him with mazes because I thought it might help him develop a better pen grip...