This is one topic I commonly share with my batch mates. Usually those in the top 10s will never get anything in return.
Dulu kan mak aku slalu tipu. Dia kata kalau aku dapat no.1 aku dapat hadiah ni ni ni..
Translation : Last time my mum used to lie to me. She said when I get number one (in class) I'll have something as a present.
And amongst me and my friends, the gifts never happens. I could still remember my wish list. I wanted a Walkman than a disc man (mp3s were barbaric those times), I wanted a new bicycle, and I wanted too a Rollerblade.
It's not that I never got top 3 in class. I used to. But than mummy lied. =P
And my friends who got number 40 out of 40 in class got to have vacations overseas, a new schoolbag and so on. *sulk*
When I was back last year, I heard tales of when I get number 20 or number 15 in class. 0_o not fair!
Elder sister : My papa said he'll buy me a laptop.
Younger brother : Ya you know. Papa said he'll buy me a handphone with a camera. (you're in primary 3 ok..)
How times change. I didn't even get pass a roller blade that costs around rm50 during my time. And now they're asking for high end electronics. How?? In the future, my children will ask for a car (which some of my friends got), a house, a plane, the moon!!
Which ever way it is, I never got anything special for having a good number. I was just another ordinary day. And school ended and I still go sour about my ''presents''.
As the year comes to an end (like now, not that I'm still in school), school holidays starts and family reunions are always so often. The comparison comes in. Uncles and aunties will ask of your positions in class and compare you to other cousins, second third fourth.
Comparison ends up in competition which leads to jealousy most of the time, sometimes negative sometimes positive (next year I'll beat that cousin game!). On the long run actually it makes a child bitter about themselves because not everyone is born with the same IQ level and of course different people are blessed with different things.
The thing is as a child I was, I would really like to get something out of my hard work instead of being beaten out of my self esteem. (dahlah tak dapat hadiah, kene compare lagi tu). I'm not asking for a Tokina 12-24mm lens *but if you're being soo nice*
For children, little things mean a lot (maybe in the past), but too much would spoil them. But I think if they get number 1 every semester in class, award them with something that they will treasure instead of bragging about their no.1s to the family.
Like the saying goes, Diam-diam ubi berisi. In silence, the tuber grows bigger.
No comments:
Post a Comment