A family member passed away last week coincidentally during a long weekend on which a public holiday fell on Sunday. A simple memorial service was conducted during that Sunday night followed by a funeral the next morning. The deceased, my late aunt was considered quite senior in the family, and probably also due to the fact that it was a funeral during a long weekend, many relatives came back to pay their respects.
Now is a time in my extended family where there is an exciting number of babies blooming. ALL of my cousins are working adults. Many of them just got married within a decade and they are doing a good job multiplying. When everybody gets together, Grandpa's house becomes lively and filled with food; now we can add milk powder to the list. I spent the long weekend observing the little children and babies. Not forgetting the happy adults, by the way. It seems to be fun having babies around the house, as far as I could tell. Haha.
Now, the funeral is over, so is the holiday. People are moving on and getting back to their work and routines. I spent the rest of the week thinking about how is life like raising children. There must be a great deal of responsibilities that I could not possibly observe in just one weekend however long the weekend might be. I did not see any babies pooping in their pants, all had diapers on though; but I am quite certain that they do not wear diapers 24-7. Have you any idea how much those things cost? I, for one, would use washable napkins in the house. God save me if I do not learn from my mother how to wash them as I sometimes have trouble doing my own laundry now (it could be just laziness). I did not see any parents bathing their child(ren). This is an area that I have not really explored, during my 2-week paediatrics posting to a hospital in Singapore only one mother allowed my to bathe her newborn girl, under the guidance of my clinical instructor. Do I really look so dangerous? Hahaha! Hope I do not drown my own baby one day.
What about other responsibilities besides mundane matters such as cleaning and grooming? The thought of raising children to become good men and women seems frightening to me at this point of time. Anybody can make babies and feed them, but parenting is a whole different story. What if my children grow up and pick up all my bad traits and/or habits? What if they become a nuisance instead of a blessing to society? What if my Peter Parker decides to become Venom? What if my Skywalker succumbs to the Dark Side and never turns back to restore balance to The Force? I wonder why was I so skeptical or worried. Lack of faith or just being realistic(except for raising Parker and Skywalker), maybe a mixture of both. Looking at the way my life, money and time are organised, I most certainly do not view myself as a worthy candidate of being a father now. Haha!
Now I am child-free, however will a time come when I am eventually ready for fatherhood but cannot bear children with my wife? Whatever the reason may be. Why am I worrying about this when I am not even dating yet?
There are married couples out there who might desire children but cannot bear their own, I believe. Child-free or childless? Well, I am open to adoption, personally, although I wish I can have the privilege of not needing to turn to that option one day.
Now is a time in my extended family where there is an exciting number of babies blooming. ALL of my cousins are working adults. Many of them just got married within a decade and they are doing a good job multiplying. When everybody gets together, Grandpa's house becomes lively and filled with food; now we can add milk powder to the list. I spent the long weekend observing the little children and babies. Not forgetting the happy adults, by the way. It seems to be fun having babies around the house, as far as I could tell. Haha.
Now, the funeral is over, so is the holiday. People are moving on and getting back to their work and routines. I spent the rest of the week thinking about how is life like raising children. There must be a great deal of responsibilities that I could not possibly observe in just one weekend however long the weekend might be. I did not see any babies pooping in their pants, all had diapers on though; but I am quite certain that they do not wear diapers 24-7. Have you any idea how much those things cost? I, for one, would use washable napkins in the house. God save me if I do not learn from my mother how to wash them as I sometimes have trouble doing my own laundry now (it could be just laziness). I did not see any parents bathing their child(ren). This is an area that I have not really explored, during my 2-week paediatrics posting to a hospital in Singapore only one mother allowed my to bathe her newborn girl, under the guidance of my clinical instructor. Do I really look so dangerous? Hahaha! Hope I do not drown my own baby one day.
What about other responsibilities besides mundane matters such as cleaning and grooming? The thought of raising children to become good men and women seems frightening to me at this point of time. Anybody can make babies and feed them, but parenting is a whole different story. What if my children grow up and pick up all my bad traits and/or habits? What if they become a nuisance instead of a blessing to society? What if my Peter Parker decides to become Venom? What if my Skywalker succumbs to the Dark Side and never turns back to restore balance to The Force? I wonder why was I so skeptical or worried. Lack of faith or just being realistic(except for raising Parker and Skywalker), maybe a mixture of both. Looking at the way my life, money and time are organised, I most certainly do not view myself as a worthy candidate of being a father now. Haha!
Now I am child-free, however will a time come when I am eventually ready for fatherhood but cannot bear children with my wife? Whatever the reason may be. Why am I worrying about this when I am not even dating yet?
There are married couples out there who might desire children but cannot bear their own, I believe. Child-free or childless? Well, I am open to adoption, personally, although I wish I can have the privilege of not needing to turn to that option one day.
No comments:
Post a Comment