What’s The Message?
What’s the message here? That someone who has done some good in the past is licenced to be difficult and unreasonable? What’s wrong with our MCYS these days? Instead of portraying our elders in a positive light, deserving our care and respect, they choose to tell us that no matter how difficult and unreasonable they are, we must still care for them because we would not be here without them.
A friend once commended me for being a caring father. I casually said: “Which parent wouldn’t be.”
Then, I remembered something about this friend. Her parents were separated when she was born. She had no idea who her biological father was. When she was in primary school, her mother decided to give her away. She lived with her adoptive parents, “married” to their son.
She hated her mother from that moment. Her adoptive parents treated her well, but the pain of abandonment by one’s own mother must have been devastating. Her bitterness is not difficult to understand. But what if her mother had once rushed her to the hospital when it was pouring? Would this pain and hatred have been unjustifiable? Would the mother then have the licence to be demanding, unreasonable and willfully destructive?
Times have changed. The cane wielding teachers of yester-years are now extinct. The barking drill sergeants of yester-years who made recruits do push ups on the hot parade square are now smiling security guards at your neighbourhood mall. Shouldn’t authoritarian parents take a cue from these folks? Shouldn’t they also bear some consequences if they refuse to change?
Once again, what is MCYS’ message? That our government will not be responsible for any selfish, misbehaving, irresponsible elderly citizen who has earned his/her children’s disrespect? Good or bad, contributing or destructive, they are still the children’s responsibility? Whatever costs and emotional burden there is









