My Longkang

Many years ago, I saw a neighbour’s son behaving weird.He was just 12 years old then. I discussed with Mrs Bengbeng as to whether we should interfere with regards to the boy. After much deliberation, we decided to wait and see. He would go to hide in a bush near my house and later come out looking stoned. The mum is famous for being loud and ‘rough’ and has a very young one to take care of.

Things got to the point where I had to interfere when he tried to stop a lorry in the middle of the road with his hand. The lorry stopped in time. No one was hurt but something terrible could have happened.

With utmost courtesy, we( Mrs Bengbeng thought it best we go as a couple ) called upon his parent for a visit and gently suggested to the mother that perhaps the kid needed more attention. Looking back, I realize now we did wrong. We should have told her point blank. She stood up and practically chased us out of her home. We explained why we came but she accused us of many things too @@%^$$ to be put in a family oriented blog like this.

I write this story ecause I heard today that the kid is trouble with the law. After dropping out of school, he tried to be a ‘big boss’, was beaten up and later turned to petty crime. Recently he ran foul of the law.

Parents. The children are our responsibility. Sometimes when people come to us with good intentions, we should thank them instead of dismissing them as ‘busy-bodies’. Do we know what our children are doing and where they are. Do we know them as individuals?

Are we missing out on their childhood? Will they one day look back and accuse us of not being good parents?