The Gift Of Gratitude

My memories are flawed, but I think I have shared this particular story in one of my blogs; the time my parents made a huge sacrifice for me. 2020 was not a good year for everyone around the world. The Covid-19 pandemic dealt with business owners, the health sectors, and the country at large. Business was slow for my dad and throughout that year, we mostly depended on my mom. That same year, in the closing months of the year, my sister gained admission to study Nursing in a private university. One thing about private universities is that they are very expensive. It had always been my sister’s childhood dream to study that particular course. She had put in a lot of effort in previous years and now that it had finally come through, my parents made sure they did everything to secure the admission.

My mom and dad had already spent almost all their savings during the COVID-19 lockdown. My dad, a business owner, wasn’t working because of the lockdown. So, nothing was coming in, but they were still spending. Despite being in a financially tight position, they went as far as borrowing loans from a corporate bank, where my mom works. Eventually, they were able to gather just enough to pay the necessary fees. It was at the time I also gained admission to a program; JUPEB. Talk about bad timing. My parents had not finished settling my sister’s bills and then I came with mine. To be honest, I thought about forfeiting it, but my mom wouldn’t let me do that. That night, my parents had a talk and they did something I would never have seen coming- they sold our only car. They made enough money to complete my sister’s fees and mine as well.

Looking back at this sacrifice, all I can think of is to pay them back not just for that single sacrifice, but for everything they have done for my siblings and I. Do we owe our parents everything or just gratitude? The Real Talk community asks us this question. I have heard and read discussions about this issue. No child indeed asked to be born. It is true that we didn’t come to this world on our own accord. Our parents brought us here. And the fact that they brought us to the world means they should be in charge of taking care of us. It is only right that they satisfy our needs, right? As long as they are the ones responsible for us, it is only right that they take full responsibility for our needs and wants. I agree with that. However, if the parents perform their responsibilities well, shouldn’t the children also take good care of them when they grow old?

For me, my parents are good people. Ever since I stepped into the world, they have made it their priority to take care of me. They make sure they satisfy my needs and whenever they can, my wants. I can’t count the number of times my parents have made sacrifices for me. One of the reasons why I work really hard is to pay them back for everything they sacrificed for me. Not just pay them back, but I will make sure I do it in multiple folds. Of course, this might be different for other people. For some children, their parents were not there to take care of them. Whenever children like this decide not to take care of their parents, we shouldn’t blame them. We should only pray to God to soften their hearts.

It's true that some parents pressure their children to follow an unwritten rule. The rule states that since they took care of them when they were young, their children should, in turn, take care of them when they start working. We've heard stories of how parents pressure their children to send money home or take care of their younger siblings, even when they're struggling themselves. In my opinion, this shouldn't be the case. Parents should stop putting too much pressure on their children. The truth is, sometimes they feel they don't have a choice. We can only pray that we'll make it big enough to take care of our parents and siblings without them having to pressure us.

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Thanks for reading.

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