By Sambhav Khetarpal:
I recently came across this story of a 73 year old lady, whose husband, a retired professor, had passed away 4 years ago. She had a son and a daughter, both of them were married in affluent families in the UK. After her husband’s demise, she started living with her son, but soon realized that the fast-paced, cutting -edge lifestyle of her son wasn’t something she could match up-to. Her ideologies were passé and her way of living – plain boring. Even her substandard command over English had become a cause of embarrassment for her son, and soon, she got desolated within her own family. The situation got so worse that she abandoned her son and came back to India. This is just one of the many stories of working class adults abandoning their parents just because the parents cannot ‘adjust’ to the frantic lifestyles their children possess.
This leads to the question – Why do we forget that we weren’t born as these educated, suit-clad, English speaking individuals whom we are today. It was our parents who taught us how to stand, to walk, to speak and to read and write. The top notch MBA degree you boast off today was not served to you on a platter. It was your parents unwavering and determined efforts which made you what you are today. So do they really deserve this treatment?
Some adults may sight the frenetic work schedules as the reason for ignoring their parents. But this isn’t only the working class adults. This situation is even more bizarre among the teenagers, especially in the urban cities. The reasons for this unruly behaviour of adolescents towards their parents can be put on various factors like teenage infatuation, mood swings, hormonal changes and various other factors. The real problem starts when teenagers start considering their parents as a hindrance in their enjoyment. They don’t realize that the high school girl they fascinate day in and day out wouldn’t be there for them when tough times arrive, instead it will be their mothers.
I feel sorry for those parents who spend plenty of money, tons of energy and work selflessly to educate their children to a level where they become more than self-sufficient and when those children go onto forget them for their deeds. What those children forget that life is a circle. What goes around must come around. Their deeds of today will always come back to haunt them later in their lives. Parents are the roots on which children build their foundation. You cannot expect to cut those roots to grow in lives.
Your parents will irritate you at times, give you ‘unwanted’ suggestions, ask you to dress up like a complete jerk or may bug you with constant questioning, but remember, parents are an epitome of unconditional love, selfless care and faith. So to all of you out there – your next promotion, the next big house or the next car can wait. Go out there spread a smile on your Mum and Dad’s face. Happy Mother’s Day everyone.