This morning, I read a few short articles which brought tears to my eyes. It happened while I was vetting my younger son's work. He had written 5 articles last night for submission to his teacher on Thursday. I printed them at my office.
I saw him typing away with music playing in the background before I went to bed last night. He told me he was going to finish up quickly and email me before bedtime.
He reminded me again while we were on the way to school this morning. "Please print for me. I wrote really quickly. I hope they're ok."
I assured him I'll check for mistakes before I print. When I got to the office, I opened up the files and what I read touched me in so many ways. What he wrote came straight from the heart. They were so well written, there was nothing to edit. He wrote about his hobbies and his fears. He also touched on friendship, influence of the internet and saving the earth.
Now, my younger son is the quiet one at home. As a mother, I know where his strengths and weaknesses lie. I also know he is compassionate, kind and systematic. He has also proven to be very sensible for his age.
Through his articles, he managed to articulate his fears (of death and being a failure in life) and thoughts on friendship so succinctly (like recognising that friends are human and like all human, they make mistakes), it made me realise he is more insightful than I've ever known. The things he wrote about protecting the earth and how the Internet has influenced people in good and bad ways allows me to see another side of him.
When he talked about his love of drawing from young and how our encouraging words had spurred him on, that was when I realised how important a parent's influence is on a child. He wrote about his fear of failing exams because he doesn't want to let his mom down (as she pays alot for tuition fees). I feel a tinge of sadness when I discovered that he misses his childhood, especially the days when he went pond fishing and to the arcade with his father. These are places that I don't bring him to anymore.
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16 comments:
It's always the quiet ones that surprise you.
You must be really touched to read those words from your boy's writing :)
Why not make a trip this weekend to re-visit those places that he mention? ;p
CH - Speaking for yourself? ;-)
Janice - Thanks for the suggestion, Maybe I should but to be honest, I don't support fishing and cruelty to animals. I think he doesn't enjoy this anymore too because he loves animals.
Noah's Ark visit!
Gosh, I was touched just reading your post about it. And I agree with CH, it's the quiet ones that springs loads of surprises.
Still water runs deep. It does resonate with my thoughts and consciousness. You sure are a wonderful mom who works to the bone to make a house into a home, who never pries nor judges but always there to support and guide.
You have brought them up well, very well, indeed!! Well done Ting! =))
SK is turning out to be a fine young man.
You must be so proud of him, and it's credit to you. He sounds a sensitive, intelligent and thoughtful young man.
As for the childhood bit, try not to feel sad. We can all reflect on stuff from our pass and miss it...
Nick - I remember reading about the generosity of your younger son in your post. You've raised a good kid!
EE- Yah, still water runs deep. Sometimes they surprise you with their maturity.
Huier - Thank you. I hope he grows up into a good adult.
MH - He's pretty grown up now too, with a low voice and all.
World - I'm happy to read his thoughts because from there, I feel like I know him so much better.
I've got a mixture of emotions when I read this post. But I think it's very touching that he asked you to read his articles. He trusts you that much. :-))))
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