GIVING UP THE GIVING-UP

 

Some days ago, a parent had come to me to enroll her young son in my class. 

“Ma’am where is your son?” I asked her, “I wanted to talk to him.”

“Sir, he doesn’t listen to me," the lady told me sounding a lot irritated.  She continued,"For the last one week, I have been asking him to come along with me; but, he is simply not bothered... Finally, I came today."  She declared, almost defeated, "I have given up on him!”

I smiled and consoled the lady, “Don’t worry, ma’am... he will do well in life.”

“I hope so,” the mother took her handkerchief to her welling eyes, “I am sorry sir.”

Has the mother really ‘given up’ on her young rebel?

No… Definitely not.

Will the young rebel really ‘do well in life’?

Oh yes! He will… 

Who says so?

I do.

How am I so sure?

Well, I am sure, because: every mom had, has and will have a rebel son or daughter!

And, I am sure: every young son or daughter has a mother or father who said, says and will say – “I have given up on you!”

And, because my mom and dad 

had said it to my brothers and me, 

and, because 

they haven’t actually given up on us… 

and, because 

we sons adore our parents for whatever 

and however they had been for us…

Yes, because we have not remained rebels in life, and, because our parents did give up on their ‘giving-up’…

Yes, because Life has been this way for almost all of us… yes, almost all…

I have the rightful reason and the rocky confidence to vouch: that mother’s young son WILL do well in life…

And, to dismiss that burdened mother’s declaration as just a loving mom’s growing-up tantrum!

That’s the way it had been always… and, for all of us!

That’s the way a young son and a young daughter had ever said to their “I-have-given-up-on-you parent – “Thank you mom, thank you dad… I love you!”

And, that’s the way a fatigued mother or an angry father had ever said to their rebel young-offspring: “We are there for you… We love you!”

“So, ma’am, don’t worry… Your son will do well in life… Rest assured, he will.”

Because, I have!

“And, ma’am, yes, yes. You WILL give up on your ‘giving-up', as well… I bet!”

Because, my mom has. My dad had!

GERALD D’CUNHA

Pics.: Lionel Saldanha