the new generation

have you seen a mother sitting quietly by, watching her son hungrily devour his lunch, not finishing her plate of food just in case little johnny wants to have a little more? or her friend, the mother who grabs all her son's favourite food onto the plate, even before other people have a chance to take a tiny piece and definitely not leaving any for others, so frightened that her little precious will not have enough to eat eventhough he looks and weighs like an elephant. how about the one who emerged from school, with his bag on her back and her hands full with his art bag and lunch box like a slave whilst little billy hopped around carefree and light? perhaps the man who surfed the net for days for his son's favourite toy for his impending birthday and then forsake all business meetings to pick it up personally from the airport when the item finally arrives?

all parents are devoted to their children, perhaps even more so than several decades ago. an act of love back then would have been the lashing of the cane followed by the scolding 'if i didn't love you, i wouldn't even bother to hit you'. that was as close to a 'i love you' as we got. parents nowadays are of a different species and i'm not disillusioned enough to believe i'm not one of them. it is a hard balance between doing what's right and doing what's easy.

for some reason, of which i have yet to understand, parents of present time seem to regard their children as the products of the golden hen, regardless of their financial conditions or the number of siblings. perhaps it is genetically programmed that all parents are selfless and giving but if i were to hear another whiny and patronising 'you're doing great! go on, you can do it! well done!' when the boy is obviously sucking big time or carrying out an activity of questionable integrity, i'll start to lose my sanity. imagine the elderly mother standing next to the burglar, who is kneeling on the floor and is busy trying to unlock the safe, and going 'come on, little billy. i know you can do it. just listen for the click. wonderful job, honey! i'm so proud of you'. i've seen its analogy, albeit a milder version.

perhaps it's for the protection of the young that we seem to have this inborn trait to serve and please but i don't seem to remember any of our elders behaving in the same way, falling around our feet in their eagerness to provide. are we rearing a new breed of selfish and self-centered army of dictators? for my peers, filiality has always been a big part of the education process. we are always mindful to be respectful, to please the elders and to provide in return when we are of the capability. will the new generation take care of their old as we did when everything seemed to have centered around them for their entire life? it has always been about what they like and what they want. cars and houses laid down before them even before they step a foot into the employment category. will they honour us, respect us and be there for us when the time comes? i have never known self-centeredness to be reversed overnight. the philosophy that has been taught to them since young has been to take, take, take. do they know how to give? not just to their parents and their elders, but to the community, their partners, their families and their work? can they comprehend responsibility when everything has been done for them?

i don't have any answer to the questions. i can only watch with my eyes as they grow up and time reveals the answer to my curiosity.