Children are a Poor Man’s Riches

The router is up and running since last night and this means, I’m back. Anyway, I suppose it is still not too late to be wishing all mums around the world “Happy Belated Mother’s Day”. Luckily it was on a Sunday. So, everyone was at home. Guess what I did the whole Sunday…. house cleaning, rearranging the furniture and laundry management. Free and fun way to sweat…. ;)

My brother took the trouble to fly up from Johor Bahru to Penang to celebrate Mother’s Day with my Mum. She was very happy indeed. They spent the day shopping.

Talking of mothers, I am reminded to last week’s encounter. My son’s school bus’ driver, a single mum, approached me to start teaching her daughter English Language. (I used to be a part time teacher for Accounting & English Language to the Forms 4 & 5 at a tuition centre in the neighbourhood last year and decided to stop doing so since I had to follow my hubby abroad.) I declined politely as I may be going off to another country in the near future. I suggested that she signs up with one of the tuition centres.

For the sake of her child, she pleaded to me and I could not refuse once I noticed that she was in tears. I guess every mum would do anything in her child’s best interest, even if it needs her to put aside her pride. Eventually, I agreed to have her kid at my house for two hours every Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays, for free. I had never done it for the money anyway. Just for the love of sharing.

Know what I call that thing which the single mum has? I label it the Power of Motherhood. Naturally, motherhood grants a woman, no matter how young and naïve she may be, the unimaginable power and strength to ensure that her children are loved, happy, healthy, safe and successful. That’s why, since the beginning of time, as early as the first month of pregnancy, mothers would go through the unthinkable for their children. I did that once. I had to forgo my college degree to give way to the pregnancy of my first child. Ten years later, I found myself to be one of the oldest in the class full of youngsters when I resumed my quest for a college degree. Ha..ha..

I was just wondering, with the current lifestyle and only God knows what’s coming in the future, can a child do the same for a mother? I suppose, that’s one of the reason why I started this blog ~ to remind my children and other youngsters about the values and attributes one should adopt in order to live a civilised and decent life. Even if they had the best accomplishments in life, it still means nothing without any values and good attributes.

It’s actually the karma of life. What goes round comes around. I remember a Malay saying that states “A mother can care for ten children, but a child may not be able to care for a mother.” It gives me the chills to even imagine if one day my children decide to keep me away at an old folks home. (They’d better not…or they’d be scraped off from the will!!!)

All in all, maternal instinct is natural in any woman. Even those who are unfortunate enough to conceive one, there are so many ways to be a mother. Bottom line, never give up. On a negative note, I am still annoyed with reports about mothers ‘throwing away’ their newborn babies in the dustbins, by the roadsides, in the toilets et cetera. Please…. If those babies aren’t welcomed, just give away properly. There are still people who would love to raise them as their own.

As for me, I’m blessed with two children, and it looks like that’s it. Since being diagnosed with PCOS last year, I have put a stop to dreaming and hoping for another child, a girl maybe. For now, I’ll just look forward and settle for a daughter-in-law! Overall, I am a happy woman and I am grateful for that.