Those of you who are moms will know what it feels like when a child insists on doing something which you know could put him or her in danger's path.
This doesn't end at any point in life, not even when your child has grown up into adulthood.
This was how I felt when my younger daughter announced that she was off to Bali for a few days with her friends. She had been travelling to different parts of South East Asia and now she wanted to visit Bali and in December, of all time.
Do you remember Bali and the spate of bombings during one December when so many young people, out there for just a brief holiday, were killed by crazy zealots? Shivers of fear ran down my spine when her voice over the phone told me of her plans to go to Bali. I tried to rationalise with her that December wasn't a good time to go when there would be many Caucasians there and these would be targets of terrorism.
She merely said that everything had been arranged and paid for and she didn't think there was any danger as she and her friends weren't going around Christmas time.
What could I do? What could any mom out there do? I PRAYED that she and her friends would be safe, that the Almighty would cover and protect them during their stay in Bali and be with them throughout and bring them back home, safe and sound.
She returned last night. Relief flooded through me as she SMSed that she was in the train leaving KLIA and would take a taxi back home and that we needn't fetch her from the train station.
Her dad and I had flown into KL just to be there when she arrived home. Somehow I had to see her in person. Do you think it is silly and paranoid of me? Are other moms like me?
This was also the case when my elder daughter said that she and her hubby would be driving together with their two young children from Singapore to the East Coast of Peninsular Malaysia. I reminded her," But it's December, the period of monsoons and heavy rainfall and floods!" The newspapers had been full of daily reports of floods in the East Coast and evacuation of people to safer ground.
But my daughter was adamant. She said that December was the school holiday and that it was the only time they could travel. So off they flew to Singapore and then they drove to the East Coast ( Kuantan to be exact ) as planned. Yes, even as they flew off, my prayers went with them and I was very happy when my daughter SMSed to say that the journey was a very pleasant one, and that they had good weather except for one day. Praise the Lord!
Prayers DO work and I think moms' prayers are special to the Almighty because He always listens. The children He gave to us are also His children and we are here to fulfil our roles as parents, to nurture them and care for them always, even though they may already have their own families. Right?
Parents' roles do not cease the moment their children become independent or have started their own families. More so when a child is still single. I remember my father telling me that as long as any of us were unmarried, we were to stay in the family home. In his opinion an unmarried offspring is still a child.
However it's totally different these days. Children leave the family home when they begin working, especially when their work takes them away from their hometowns.
Where I now live, are homes occupied only by elderly parents as their offspring have left for the big cities where the opportunities are. It's the parents who go to visit their children every now and then as their children only return during the New Year family renunion which is once a year.
So as long as I'm mobile and capable, I will continue to visit my children. I'm blessed that my grandchildren live with me, and they only go away on holiday during the school term breaks and the year-end long holiday. They will be back after Christmas and the tree that they decorated before they left will be waiting for them, with all their presents under it. That is the moment I'm looking forward to, when they will come in the door and say "Poh-Poh, we're home!" Safe and sound.
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