how many decades of quality time do i have for dad

Life is a beautiful cycle of continuous re-generation for the purpose of survival. It is mysterial and yet beautiful for all living things and especially more so for the human race - what can be more heart warming and touching then seeing the birth of your own baby to this world.

But beyond the joy of watching the little one growing up day by day, there lies a lingering thought of worry, this thought of worry of the little one leaving to live a life of his own one day, just like grown-up chicks leaving the safety of their nest to explore this worthy world one day. What's left will be the lau kok kok (pardon me for the crude dialect description) parents. Doesnt this sounds so very real? Do you now share this worrying thought that my dad has? Yes?

You see my dad's rationale is this. For the 1st decade of my life, dad and mummy are everything to me. I get to spend all my time with them. We go thru the very most intriguing stages of my life from infancy to being a toddler right up to school life. Dad and mummy are there for me during the good times as well as those testing times.

From the 2nd decade, i began a very important stage of my life where i began establishing my own circle of friends, striving to become more independant, and have my own ideas of managing my life, from PSLE and O levels and beyond, National service and my preferred type of career.

The 3rd decade will have me establishing my own career, have my own steady love life and working to settle down and forming a family of my own. From then on, i will be spending less time with dad and mummy though my thoughts of them shall always be in my mind.

So, in truth, i probably have about 10 good years of my life devoted solely to dad and mummy, and that's from my 1st 10 years. And these 10 years are what my dad hopes to make good use of, spending each and every moment of my time with him and mummy.

I trust that dad has everything planned out cos time really flies. I know cos dad has this regret, a regret of neglect of his parents (my grandparents) during all those early years of his adulthood that placed much emphasis of his time and money spent on friends.

And i shall not repeat what my dad has gone thru, thru a time when he sat down and looking at the backview of his parents watching tv, and suddenly realising how frail they have become and how the strain of ageing have bleached their hair white.

Just as you are reading this, give it a thought. And if you should realise that you have not done enough for your parents, now is the time. We can never repay them for all that they have done for us. Nonetheless, a show of care and concern is never too much for us to give, for everything that they did for us so selflessly all these years.