Why cant people be normal. Why cant families be like my family? Are people flawed to that extent? Isnt wanting the best for your family the most important? Imagine coming home everyday to ur wife and kids. Yea. It will turn a drab after 5 yrs or so But isnt that the point of raising a family the whole parcel of a "complete life"? I dont think hitting an obstacle, nevertheless a big one, entitles you to not coming home early just to see your kids. Working 7 day weeks which i think half of the time isnt exactly "work" either. Who the hell has so much work to do even! To show favouritism to your son and at the end of the day, isnt gonna make you very proud as your "under-achieving" daughter who in fact turns around and SNUBS u in the face by making it proud. Would you then swallow your pride and acknowledge her then? Funny. I think not. Sadly. Its a pity such pregrudges and outright hostility is just shown like that. "But i am showing Love." Yea right. Traumatised childhood i would say.

Sorry. Maybe i dont deserve to say all that. But its pretty frustrating to stand as a outsider and being unable to do anything or give any advice. After all, i am not part of them. How would my methods or advice help? Not very much i would say.

I am proud of my parents. My family. Really. I must admit they are a pair of bright folks. For both who under their own "family" circumstances only made it to 0 levels. Having a financial backgrd today does allow them to have certain kudos. Like my mum sticking all these long yrs at Motorola and finally getting her not-so-bad paying job now. Or my Dad paying for his own DEGREE in marketing while part-working. They do hav the spirit that we lack nowadays. All these while they had us. Me and my sister. Most people would have given up the educational line and get a job to support the family. But sumhow they managed. They managed in a sense to govern US to THEIR circumstances.

Governing us by keeping rather strict money control. But always being generous in overseas trips or chinese new year. Never allowing us to buy toys but yet there will be one new toy every year even if it was bought ONLY on "sale".

We never had strict curfews or groundings to begin with. They trusted us to do the right stuff such as "not going out on a wkday" or "be back before 12". These unwritten, unenforced curfews were practised by our own intiative. I guess its what we could do before feeling guilty.

They nv pressured us into studying Science or being a doctor. They allowed us to pursue our own choices but always supported them with words of advice. I guess tts why i am in my course now. There was never any objection. When i said "i want to try". They went "Go ahead. It's your choice". It was either this or business. When my sister graduated with a psychology degree, i could still rmb my parents asking my sister whether she was absolutely sure she wanted to choose that. She said yes. Somehow, without any restrictions or influences, me and my sis kinda took rather "beyond the norm" paths of career.

Why or how? We dont know. All we knew was that wherever we went, there will always be support behind us. That protective net we know we can fall back on if we failed. Maybe i am not someone of that status to say this. But my parents have done a marvelous job of parenting. Or at least thats what I feel. Putting the iron fist down but always having a softer sponge to clean up later. Nagging over the phone but leaving a Brand's essence on the table. Always complaining abt money but giving allowances on time.

Parenting is all about compromises. Wait. Isnt that wat marriage is about. Hangon. Let's take things to a bigger scale. Isnt LIFE like that? I love you Mum and Dad. I do. Just that i dont say it. Or dont seem to show it most of the time.