Parental Advice

Now i'm not going to win any prizes for the best son of the year award but i will tell you one thing. I may never call my mum (just like every other son out there) and frequently lie to them about almost every single detail in my life but strangely enough, the thing a friend once said about me is probably true - i'll always be a mummy's boy.

I called my step-dad to wish him and his twin sister a happy birthday tonight and it made me realise something. You may have never thought of them as more than simple restrictions to fun, terrible motivational speakers and even worse life experience or advice givers. Yes, and they are probably the most embarrassing people in the world but they are and always will be your parents and for me at least, it's reassuring to know that at least two people in the world truly care about you.

It's weird that just a few months ago i was planning to leech off my parents until around my 21st but now i am still leeching off them, just in a completely different state. Just months ago i was still being fattened by my mum's absolutely terrible cooking and kept up by my step-dad's atrocious snoring. I find it still hilarious that last thing my mum did that day i left to a completely new life was actually cook the biggest meal she could - and pack some of the left-overs for dinner on the train. She didn't shed any tears like i thought she would - and it kind of reminded me of a more grown-up version of going to primary school where she was glad she finally got rid of me from her hands, and i was crying because i didn't want her to leave. Of course, this time, there wasn't that much tears on my side of things.

It's funny that i look back on her advice about moving: "you can't handle it, you're not strong enough, you're too emotional..." Actually, now that i think about it, she said that every time about anything i tried to do over the years including high school tests, sports and even my medicine career dreams. I love to think that she did it because she knew that i'd try harder and it was really her way of motivating me and saying that she cared about me; rather than just degrading and putting me down. Of course, her method i think is quite common for Asian parents with shouting along the lines of "Only a B+? Where's my A?!"

Flashback to so many moments where it'll be just me and my step-dad because when mum's away, the boys come out to play. Seriously though, we had so many talks over the years where i would just talk about my problems and hear the most suspect solutions that were ridiculous to even consider. In retrospect, although he may not be academically gifted, he was the one person who knew everything - how to care for a car, how to fix assorted objects and how to manage social relationships. Next comes the cut to awkward moments he comes out half-naked to my friends with just a towel on, then to the time he walked into the apartment while me and my ex were at it, then to the other socially awkward moments along the way - you realise at this point that he was truly the male role model most sons seek in a father. Someone you respect but can only hope you never become but ultimately become anyway.

So all my few readers, give your parents a call if you haven't in a while because chances are they still care about you and will always have time for you - even if you don't for them. And for all those still with their parents, know that despite them being annoyed as hell that you're a thirty year old "musician" doing nothing with your life, they still love it that you're at home with them.

Happy Easter! (technically said on Sunday but will probably (hopefully) be busy getting wasted with friends) so bye.