Thursday, November 8, 2007

My family

There are 4 persons in my family, my father, mother, brother and me. In 1980s, the government of china set up a new policy that "one family, one child" to reduce the huge population problem when my mom was carrying me. My mom’s boss tried to convince my mom to get rid of me in order to follow the new policy. However, Because of my father’s insist, I was born in this beautiful world. I should say thanks to my father and mother; otherwise I will not be here writing the blog any more. As the punishment that having two children in our family, my mom and father’s annual bonus was gone. I always pay double of the school fees and medical fees than my classmates since I was born. It is because there are no subsidies for the 2nd child either from government or my mom’s company. So when my brother was young, he used to call me “the extra one”. My parents will scold him when he calls me that; it is because I will never be “the extra one” for my parents.

My father raised my brother and me in different ways from what other parents do. He is a strict person, when we were young he asks us to learn some basic skills that he thinks are useful for a person, such as, riding a bicycle, swimming, forming a good study attitude. When other parents are busy finding tutors for their child for extra tuitions, my father told us “It’s kind of wasting money, if you never pay attention or learn well in the school, you will never learn well at home”. However, he encourage us to find out more hobbits, he teach us how to skating, playing badminton and ping pong, send us for courses on playing instrument. He never scolds me for my bad results that I gain in the school, but he will scolds me when I am not working hard for my exams. One thing he is emphasis most is “cheating is fooling yourself, you will never know how well you are doing really, if you are not cheating, I will not blame you for the bed results even you failed the exam”. So I never feel afraid to tell my father my results although sometime they are really bad.

My mother is a typical kind of Chinese woman, who kind, quite, scanty and beautiful. She taking care of us since we were born in every detail. She might not making many decisions for us in our lives but she do influence us in the way she behaviors. Both my mom and father are working, my mom still need to rush back to cook breakfast, lunch and dinner for us everyday, and she never complained about that. My mom has a very good temp, she never scold us loudly, but softly telling us when we do something wrong. My mom is always thrifty, she rather spend on my brother and me than spend on herself.

My elder brother is 4 years older than me, he is a very naughty boy when he was young, he always go to outside play with his friends and get back home with wounds on his body. I remember there are many times that my mom brings him rushing to the hospital to get rid of his wounds. Like other children, we also fight a lot at home, and of course I am always the one lose the fights. I will always go and tell my father that my brother bullies me, and then just sit there enjoy watching my father scolding my brother. As the time goes by, we grow up and there are less fighting, but more understanding between us.

I am just a normal girl, who happily spends my days in NUS right now. Hope that one day I can graduate successfully from NUS.

I love my family and I miss all my family members. I hope I can stay with them everyday.

they are my parents, the two persons with sun glasses, have you find me in the picuter?

8 comments:

ching said...

You have good parents :)
And your parents have good daughter of course for knowing their good.
Your article reminds me of my parents too ...
Wish you all the best to you and your family...
By the way, are you the one at the back of your parents?

Sin said...

You are very lucky to have parents that insist their love regardless of whatever will be the price. I am sure that many parents would have aborted their second child due to the population policy. I personally think that this is not right, how can you kill the little life just because of penalties? We still drve our car no matter how the oil price rise, it make no sense that we have to kill our children just because we have to pay double school fee...

problem of the future, TODAY!!!

Ma Li said...

hee hee.. thanks for your comments ching and sin, yes, i am the one sitting at the back of my parents. ha ha.. and yes sin, i also think that is not right to ask somebody to kill their baby, although they have not come to this world yet.we has been chosen to come to this world, we have rights. but this is not only the policy or money issue, this is the law in china.by the time when i was born, this law just started, so not that strict, after that it's even strict. so almost all of my friend are the only child in their family.

Aung Thein (sammy) - EG1471 said...

Your warm family story touched me. I also always fight with my siblings that is kind of enjoying when you think back.
ya, wish you all the best also.

Cao Mengwei said...

For your information, that picture was shot by me!!!haha

JIAN said...

A happy family! A lucky girl.

Brad Blackstone said...

This is a very poignant story about your coming into the world, Ma Li. You are not the "extra one," but the "lucky one."

Thank you for sharing this with us.

NANG said...

Hey
Your post makes my heart warm (copy Mr. Blackstone's words :P)..it is really touched..