Love thy parents!

These days I am becoming more and more aware how hard my parents work in order to keep me happy and satisfied; and how hard they have worked in the past, and will probably work in the future – the past is a great witness to that. When I look back - and forward- I realize, there is so much I owe them. Really...there is so much I need to return... the list is endless: the money, the love, the affection, the wisdom, the teaching, the entertaining trips to parks –which were never complete without an irritating trip to the bicycle repair shop – the schooling, the whole ‘bringing-up’ thingy, the delicious food (my mom truly makes meal times fun and magical), the ‘pick n drop’ routine from school, tuitions, friends’ houses, tuitions again, school again. And not to forget all those sleepless nights they (mostly my mom because dad had office in the morning) spent, trying to shush an obstinately, crying baby- which, by the way, still cries occasionally! The baby blues comic strips probably sums up the entire parenting experience

All the way from cradle up to college (yes, this period is a long and expensive one, excluding the marriage which probably costs as much) they have done everything to provide me with whatever I need, no matter how big or small. Along the way, they have, miraculously, even kept up with all the unreasonable tantrums and moaning I have thrown their way. Wow! I wonder where they got so much patience from. When I think of their patience, I cannot help but feel like a total spoiled brat who never really appreciated her parents as much as she should have. I do help around, yes, but I don’t think the stuff I do is enough recompense. So what if I wash the dishes a couple of times? So what if I wash my own clothes and socks –a difficult task indeed, but don’t pity me since I am greatly blessed with a two-tub washing machine. So what if I help out with the cooking and the cleaning sometimes? So what if I try to keep my room clean and tidy so that my mother doesn’t get angry? Am I really paying her back by doing all that stuff? No. A simple no because: I was already supposed to do all that. It’s nothing extra I’m doing by doing all the aforementioned stuff.

The bottom line is that I need to do something more in order to repay all that hard work, the hard work that has made me what I am now. For now, I don’t really know what I can do apart from, well, being grateful and doing all I can to serve them. Cups of hot, tea served on time, brewed and sweetened to perfection. Making them proud by becoming a good dentist and trying to repay some money (will probably only be able to return an infinitesimal amount) of all that they have spent on me. Hhmm…will have to rack my brains and come up with more ways to make em’ happy. For now, Cheerio!

P.S I know how cheesy that ‘making meal times magical’ sounds but that’s how I feel when I sit down for breakfast, lunch and dinner. :)