Great things are simple

(PLVN) - We often say that children can only be born if there are parents. But thinking about it differently, when a baby cries out at birth, at the same time, the world has an additional father and mother.

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People often say that being a parent is an instinct of each person. But is that really true? Parents teach their children to be good people, but on the other hand, children are also the “teachers” who teach their parents many valuable things that if they were not parents, they would never have learned: the power of maternal and paternal love; patience and sacrifice; putting another being at the center of life and nurturing that being for life.

Instinct helps us become parents, but to become true parents, we need to learn a lot. It is a long journey, sometimes a lifetime.

I learned these things from the day our child was born. People often lump the roles of both into one word “parenting”. But in reality, father and mother are two but one, one but two, each person, from the moment their child is born, must begin to learn their own lessons, opening a new journey for themselves.

From my perspective, I watched my husband begin his journey as a father. It was when I opened my eyes in the operating room after being unconscious that I saw the man holding a tiny baby in his arms, handing it to me with a tearful smile.

From that moment on, it was a happy day - in exhaustion. The first person to change the baby's diaper was not me, but my husband. The first person to bathe the baby was also him and when I was in pain with an infected surgical wound, my husband was also the one who took care of the baby in every detail. The baby had physiological jaundice after birth but refused to lie face down to be exposed to the light, so the father held the baby face down on his stomach so the light could shine on both of them, lying still for hours without moving for fear that the baby would wake up.

He is also the one who patiently holds and comforts the child for hours when the child cries and does not stop, who grimaces when he sees the child in pain due to colic symptoms in newborns, who can spend hours researching which diaper is most comfortable for the baby, who learns all the knowledge about raising children, how to care for them, how to hold them... so that the child can develop best. A father who is willing to become a mother hen with ruffled feathers when he feels that his child may be in danger...

Sometimes, when I was observing that father, I felt so surprised, so this is what being a father is like. And I remembered my father. When I was a child, my memories were so faint, I only heard my mother tell me that at that time she was a teacher, my father opened a private clinic, every time he went to work, he carried me on his back, and when he got to work, he took care of my child and examined patients. When I was just learning to walk, my father sat in the clinic, I sat in a walker with a rope, the other end tied to the leg of the chair my father was sitting on, every now and then my father pulled me over and stroked my head.

Once, an artist guest came to visit our house and took a photo of me that my father really liked. He quickly took the film to the photo shop to develop it. Just because the photo developer thought the child was not pretty enough, my father flew into a rage and scolded the girl because to him, his daughter was the most beautiful child in the world.

That photo was then hung in the center of the living room, accompanied by two lines of poetry that my father had a poet write for me. Until I grew up, before the house was rebuilt, the photo remained in that same position. Perhaps because it was so familiar, I never thought about it. But after growing up and especially since having children, thinking back, I realized how lucky I was to have been surrounded by the love of my father - how great it was.

People often talk about maternal love, about the mother's grace. Because the mother is the one who suffers many disadvantages, many sacrifices, heavy pregnancy, painful childbirth. But the father's grace is no less, nothing can compare. The father is not only an invisible "pillar" but also a person who nurtures the child's feelings, supports the child with all his gentle heart. He is a shade tree that covers the child's life, the one who opens a wide path for the child, the one who protects the child from the rain and wind. If the child has a mother, the child lives in gentle love. If the child has a father, the child can be himself.

… Since having a child, my husband has thought more about his own health. He gave up most of his previous pleasures: hanging out with friends, backpacking ... Before, he lived for himself, now, his child is the first thing he thinks about when doing anything. For his child, he thought of leaving the city to live in a suburb with lots of trees and grass. There, he will make a fairy garden for his child. He will grow lots of clean vegetables and fruits for his child to eat, grow flowers for his child to admire, teach his child to swim, climb, teach his child to be a "little farmer", play with dogs, cats, rabbits. Make a happy child in the love of his parents and in a deep connection with nature. The journey of fatherhood has just begun, but I believe that my daughter's father will give his child the best things he has, creating a solid spiritual foundation for his child in life...

Since having children, I have not only understood the hardships and sacrifices of a mother, but also the nobility of a father. We often glorify “heroes” in many areas of life, but often forget the quiet “hero” who is always by our side, that is the father.

I suddenly thought that every man who comes into this life may not need to build a great career or leave a deep impression on life, but first of all, just needs to be a good father, build a home full of love, and let the child grow up in warm arms.

That's great enough.

Ngoc Mai

Source: https://baophapluat.vn/dieu-vi-dai-gian-don-post551699.html