Children

It was just a Thursday afternoon, when I got a email and it was from an old friend who I haven’t seen in quite some time.  She told me some news which brought some tears of happiness, and I’ve never been this emotional for anyone who’s expecting to be a parent, let alone the second time around.  She’s going to be doing some tough times, as once again, she’ll have to go through the symptons of pregnancy.  I hope to see her in December when I swing by New York, but it won’t be like the old days when I last saw her, since she’s already got enough on her plates.  I know it in my heart that she’s already a wonderful mother, and the pictures that I see tell me so.  I miss her and I wish her well.

However at the same time, I also heard that my niece just recently left home, and she’s only 16 years old.  What worries me the most is that she is following her brothers footsteps who too left home at a early age.  She previously ran away from home once before and was lectured heavily by my aunty (seeing as it’s un-asian to do such things and our culture expects us to just deal with it).  But what my aunty also forgets is that we’re in Australia and times are changing, I hate the old fashioned way of the oldies do things sometimes.  I managed to call my niece before and spoke to her briefly, she doesn’t know when she’s coming home and I don’t think that she would like to.  I asked her if she wanted to meet up for breakfast tomorrow but brushed off the invitation since she was more concerned about what her friends were going to be doing.  I bit my lips and just didn’t want to say a word, I’ve got no right to say anything and its her parents who should be doing the talking. 

I can’t exactly blame them either since bringing a child into this world is hard work and requires a lot of attention.  More sacrifices have to be made on both sides and if the time and care is not invested, then the child suffers.  A perfect example that I see, is of my cousin who is currently raising his 8 year old son and his 1 year old daughter.  He and his wife do a wonderful job of parenting, and they show so much love and understanding to their children.  It makes me envious at times and wish that I could be a child all over again in that kind of environment.  From that I hope to do the best I can when that time arises, but talk is cheap and it’s only when I get there, that I’ll be truly tested.

We worry about what a child will become tomorrow, yet we forget that he\she is someone today.  ~ Stacia Tauscher

Picture courtesy of this link