I get bored easily and the thought of sitting down for hours, watching some children perform when I could be doing something more interesting, made me develop cold feet that Friday morning.
It was “Speech and Prize Giving Day” at my son’s school several years back and I just was not interested in spending too much time there. Based on my calculation, I planned to get there towards the end of the program, so I would not be accused of being a “no-show”; unfortunately for me, I could not make it to the program until it was all over. I got to the school to meet my son who was not too pleased that I did not make it on time. “Mum, you were not there when I was called to receive my prize. Other parents were there to take pictures with their children; I was all alone,” my son said to me in a sad voice. To make matters worse, another parent whom I am friends with, berated me for missing my son’s special moment. His class teacher did not mince words either. I apologized to my son and the two adults and tried to leave the venue as quickly as I could. Yes, I felt sober as I realized that all he wanted was to share that wonderful moment with at least a member of his family. I resolved within myself never to take such moments for granted again; afterall, it is not an easy task winning an academic award.
Sometimes we take things for granted, especially when it relates to our children; not because we want to deliberately hurt them, but because we feel it does not really matter. After all, we are trying our best to pay the bills, clothe them and put food on their table. However, those seemingly little things are most meaningful to them because they see it as a show of love and care. They want to see that proud look on our faces when they win a competition or make a presentation in the midst of other children and parents. When we are nowhere to be found, they get discouraged and many times, lose the drive to forge ahead. A sister told me how her son lost interest in sports because she missed the school’s inter-house sport, where he competed and won a medal. She could not make it to the event on time to cheer him up despite her promise and the young boy was not happy about it. He expressed his dissatisfaction immediately he saw her and since then, he has showed very little interest in sports.
I am sure we all have our individual experiences at some point or the other, where we could not attend events involving our children. We sometimes give excuses while we expect them to understand but the fact still remains that if we actually place enough value on such moments, we will find a way to share it with them knowing that such moments are infrequent and our children would not be kids forever. That little girl or boy in primary school today will soon be a university graduate and before we know it, they will outgrow our protective wings. The ones we wake up to see daily, will someday become visitors in our homes. It is therefore important for us to create time out of our busy schedule to experience and share pleasant memories with them.
I made up with my son after this unflattering episode. Several months later, he had a long presentation to make during their ‘International Day’ event and I made sure I sat in the front row where he could see me. When it got to his turn, I gave him a thumbs-up and I could see that confidence in him as he made his presentation boldly. I was so excited, and I knew he was too. I could not help but smile after the presentation, as he pointed me out to his friends as if that was my first time visiting his school. Parenting is not a walk in the park but we trust God for grace and strength to help us make good use of the moments we have with our children.