My Two Precious Gems

Two days ago, I posted a photo of my kids waiting in line at the Yishun MRT Passenger Service Counter. They were there to return an ATM card they had found.

The first thing my son said when he found the ATM card was, “We have got to return this!” … and so they did. Both my gems waited patiently and proudly in line and gave it to the officer behind the counter who in return gave them a thumbs up. And the next thing that came out of my 7-year-old son’s mouth was, “It sure does feel great to do the right thing.”

… Anyway, that FB post have received more than 70 likes and 2 of the likes came from two Singapore ministers, Viviam Balakrishnan and Teo Chee Hean. I've also received very lovely compliments.

Some of the compliments were, “Excellent Parenting”, “You have done good”, “good upbringing”, etc.

It has made me feel so proud as a parent so hear these wonderful compliments. But most of all, I am so proud of both my children for who they are and for the perfect adults they will one day grow in to.

Raising decent, caring, and responsible children is the most complex and challenging job in every parent’s life and an increasingly difficult one in today’s society. I honestly don’t want to steal the credit for the little wonderful people my kids are because if you asked me, I couldn't tell you what I did right when it comes to them being so compassionate. We are not the kind of parents who would keep harping about how our kids need to be kind, blah blablah….  But it’s in our nature and I suppose our kids sees it.

I was the same way as a child. I remember I would take my own money to give it to a beggar outside of Katong Shopping Center whenever I passed him. I would save 20 cents every day from my pocket money because I knew come Friday, my grandfather would get me from school and I would spend the weekend at their house…so by Friday, I would have $1 and it would be enough to buy my grandpa a bottle of ice-cream soda which was his favourite. 

But if I recall, it is not something that was taught to me. It was something I saw happening in my family and it was from there that I naturally followed.

My kids do the same thing today. They would buy tissues from the old folks who sells them at hawker centres, they are very much involved in charity performances when the opportunity is there. Every December, we will clear out their toys and give it to the Salvation Army….

I suppose that being a parent means that you are responsible for laying the foundation of your children’s future. Without that foundation, they will have nothing to build on. We are solely responsible for the education of our child’s early years as this is when they will absorb the most information and habits.

The early years is when our children develop their personalities…how they will treat and respond to other people. So I suppose that’s where my husband and I unknowingly excelled in. Haha….  But then again, that’s the kind of people we are. We are kind and whenever we can afford, we give to charity and our kids watch us do it.

We are not perfect parents but we try. I don’t want my children to just be good as in well behaved but I want them to be well rounded, comfortable in making good decisions and confident in being an achiever in life. Because this will make all the difference as they get older. It’s the beginning years when we want to lay the ground work, for the rest of their lives. How we treat them is how they will treat us when we are 80 years old.

I hope I will have enough time to instill respect, responsibility, and accountability in them.

I love watching my children grow up right before my eyes but wish they would stay small forever. They are my heart and soul, my “best thing that ever happened to me”, the source of many laughs and a few tears.

Parenting to me is NOT all about the trips to the park, playing games and having fun…it is about teaching your children values, morals and responsibility. The greatest gift you can give your children are the roots of responsibility and the wings of independence.

In my life, I have received lots of compliments but the best compliment ever? When someone compliments my children.

“Don’t raise your kids to have more than you had. Raise them to be more than you were.”