A Parent's Investment

Do you remember the time when you were a kid and your dad will carry you on his shoulder? Do you remember the time when you kept looking out at the classroom door, searching for your mum, who stood there for the entire day, watching you going through your first day of school, just to make you feel safer in the new environment?

How is it like, for parents to watch their kids grow, from crying babies to crawling toddlers, to mischievous kids, to unpredictable teenagers, to mature grown-ups? From barbie dolls and remote-control cars to perfume and gadgets.

It involves a lot of patience, heart-breaks, faith, love, tears, fears, protection, and hope.

That a parent would do anything, to make sure his child has the best of everything, or at least, the best that they can afford, even if that means he has to sacrifice so much that he has lost count of them. Well, he never intends to remember his sacrifices since the beginning anyway. That he will wait in the rain with that umbrella in his hand, so that when the school bus arrives to send the kids home from school, his kid will not get wet, not even a little. 

That a parent would invest a lot of faith, believing that everything she does will enable her child to grow up to be a better person, even if that means she has to bear the heart-breaking thought of what if that stroke on that tiny palm she gave her child earlier will make the latter hates her. The fear of their kids unable to adapt well to the outside world, yet having faith that it is the best way for their child to grow, and their kid will make it through.

The anticipation that, after all the sacrifices, the child will be a successful person, standing tall among others, and make the parents proud because of the good value showed. The prayers every night that the child will be wise and humble as they grow up, that they will be strong to face the challenges, to fight the battles gracefuly like how the previous generation did, and overcome the storm victoriously. 

The hope that, the child will never forget the values the parents taught, and will reciprocrate all the patience and love to the latter when they get older.

I'm going to work hard. I have a mission, which is to make my parents proud of me, that I fought the battle gracefully. And I will remember the day my dad stood outside the classroom, watching me going through my first day of school, hoping that one day I will be who I am today.