In a restaurant, a group of people were happily sharing their parenting experiences.
“Previously every Friday night, I couldn’t help but drink. Even though I got my driving license suspended, I couldn’t stop. But in the past six months, because every Saturday morning, I wanted to drive my son to swimming lessons. If I drink too much the previous night, I won’t be able to get up the next morning. Friday night at home, I will naturally stop drinking, and my feet will naturally walk me back home. It’s amazing!”
“Me too! It’s amazing! I used to play with my mobile phone every night until I had insomnia. The doctor warned me that I would become mentally ill. I was so scared, but I couldn’t stop. A few months ago, I saw my daughter become more and more addicted to mobile phones with no interest in books. Then suddenly there was a magical power possessing me. I went to buy idiom story books and read a few pages after dinner. After that, I could fall asleep so quickly… You have to speak Chinese well. You have to truly enjoy Chinese culture…”
“I feel so amazing! My wife used to yell at me all the time. She said I closed the door too loudly, disturbing her. She thought that behavior was rude and uncultured. I knew I was wrong, but I couldn’t change it. But since Baby learned how to walk last month, I feared I would crush his fingers when I closed the door. Every time I close a door, a gentle voice appears in my mind to remind me to use less force.”
What kind of magical power is this? Such “magic power” comes from the most beautiful relationships. What is a beautiful relationship? A relationship that makes both parties better people is beautiful. In the eyes of parents, a child is someone they love to death, someone who makes their hearts flutter just by looking at them. He is my little prince; she is my angel Amelie. All efforts and sacrifices have infinite meaning. There is no need for calculation or explanation.
It is the human brain’s nature to pursue meaning. The desire to find meaning is sometimes stronger than the desire to survive. The threat of death cannot make us surrender, but meaning makes us surrender. “Make your children become better people” is full of meaning, giving you the power to break mountains and rocks, changing you unexpectedly into a better person. Therefore, even if childcare is extremely hard, there are still hundreds of billions of people who are happy to do it and face difficulties.
(Details of the story have been modified to protect patient privacy)
Written by: Dr. William Chui
Translated by: Cheuk Long Chan
