Do we appreciate our parents enough and understand what sacrifices they went through to bring us up?
In order to fully appreciate a parent, one has to become a parent themselves. Holding that little bundle of joy that depends 100% on you makes one feel the heavy responsibility, of having brought another living being into the world. If you are told that you need to give up your life to save your own flesh and blood, I bet that most parents would not hesitate more than a few seconds to make the ultimate sacrifice.
I remember that my sisters and I really loved the chicken dish my mom used to cook occasionally when we were young. It was made up of only the smallest part of the chicken wing, the sharp tip. Years later, she scolded us when we questioned why she didn’t make it anymore. With only my dad as the sole breadwinner and 8 of us in the household, she had to stretch her food allowance budget. Periodically, she would save enough to buy us a little meat for dinner. The wing tip only cost $1 for a big pack and that was the only meat she could afford.
My parents are in their 80s now, still blessed with good health and mobility. We cherish them even more now, as we reach middle age and confront our own mortality. With the limited time we have left with them, we go out of our ways to create special moments for them and make it a point to spend more quality time together.
The quote below is ironic of a child not valuing his parent and then suddenly realizing how wise they are :
“When I was a boy of fourteen, my father was so ignorant I could hardly stand to have the old man around. But when I got to be twenty-one, I was astonished at how much he had learned in seven years.” – attributed to Mark Twain
My condolences to the family of SR Nathan, a true son of S’pore who had given his all to serve the country. He lived a rich long life long till 92 and had an exciting memoir that we normally only read about in storybooks. RIP, Sir.
Leave a Reply