Happy Father's Day

For some inexplicable pyschological thingy, although others may claim it more as an incurable trauma, parents see their children as forever 3-year olds who are struggling to utter their first words and take those tentative wobbly steps. Be it unconditional love or plain distrust, parents often find letting go of their children the hardest thing to do. Somehow, the memories of their children stumbling along life's rough road scare the heck out of them. On the other hand, it can be downright irritating to those offsprings who want to assert their independence.

I am not a parent so I honestly have no idea why parents are the way they are. And, yes, I also get terribly annoyed when my decisions are questioned. It definitely does not help in proving your maturity when your parents scold you for choosing brewed coffee instead of full cream milk.

But I have a confession to make though. No matter how strong is the need to prove my worth as an individual, I still would gladly remain a clinging 3-year old to my father. Yes, I am a daddy's girl and mighty proud of it.

As far back as I can recall, I have always been closer to my father. In a way, we're not just parent and child. We're good friends. I can talk to him about anything and everything, even the latest entertainment gossip. He's the one person in this world who doesn't judge my mistakes, instead help me understand what went wrong. He would wholeheartedly take away all my burdens and carry them all by himself.

My only regret is that I still can't offer to him the life's luxuries he so richly deserves. I want him to enjoy instead of helping me fight my battles.

Happy Father's Day, Pa! We may not be an affectionate family but we know in our hearts the immeasurable depths of the love and respect we have for each other. One day, Pa, we'll visit your birthplace together and you can regale all your childhood adventures to me again while feasting on boiled yams and steaming black oolong tea.