The Importance of Parents (Updated)

Cause who used to hold you

And clean you and clothes you

Who used to feed you?

And always be with you

When you were sick

Stay up all night

Holding you tight

That's right no other

Your mother

My mother

It's a chorus to Yusuf Islam's "Mother", which I have shared before in my post "What Women, Mother Nature and Ibu Pertiwi Have In Common".

My baby sister shared a lot of stuffs with me after he came back from her 2-day training at The Nury Institute. On top of goodness crying and jumping (here) and playground (here), the founder of the said Institute pured her heart out on her disappointment on how the society and the government of the days have been adamant, ignorant and insensitive to inculcate and provide conducive policies and environment towards building this nation's building block.

As proven by Mr. Glenn Doman, the founder of The Institutes for the Achievement of Human Potential, parents, in particularly mothers, are the best teacher, by nature and by nurture, for our children. This renown Institute is a nonprofit educational organization, that serves children by introducing parents to the field of early child development. Parents learn how to enhance significantly the development of their children physically, intellectually and socially in a joyous and sensible way.

"If there is anything that we wish to change in the child, we should first examine it and see whether it is not something that could better be changed in ourselves" ~ C.G. Jung, Integration of the Personality, 1939

One person's aspiration, hope and efforts could not move mountains. After her retirement from LPPKN, she resoluted that she couldn't wait for the right men and women to listen to her sure-fire early child development program (Kak Jat pun buat tak dengaq). She once taught illiterate parents in one village in Baling to speak English in a month. For my sister, this petite aged lady is a treasure - one who could help many desperate parents out there to enhance their children's quotient in both intelligent and emotion.

"Parents often talk about the younger generation as if they didn't have anything to do with it" ~ Haim Ginott

So, I am delighted to read about NUBE ("National Union of [Clerical] Bank Employees") urged the government of the day to increase the maternity leave from current 60 days to 90 days (as reported here). Like every other aspects, our Ibu Pertiwi lags in this area of great concern too.

Do you know why I could do jumping jack in jubilation? Last year, I was startled when one of the delegate of our foreign business counterpart asked me why he hardly see men in the office, where are they? Yes, most offices tend to have higher female staffs.

For me, female workers are more responsible, hardworking and resourceful than men who seem to grumble more than women. OMG - this world has really turned topsy turvy! Even with kids, they are willing to work long hours and actively participate in any discussion - simply because they have better listening skill, highly empathic and stronger!

"Each day of our lives we make deposits in the memory banks of our children" ~ Charles R. Swindoll, The Strong Family

Sadly, their rights in this Ibu Pertiwi are served, mostly below the belt. They suffer in silence. Medical instutions are not willing to issue MC to moms of sick children - because these institutions have been told not to by the employers. If they go to work, do you think they could concentrate doing their works? I am not a mother but I feel for my fellow colleagues because every woman is born a mother.

Still, they pull through, unfortunately at the expenses of missing a lot of things about their children. Most of this Ibu Pertiwi's building block are raised by Bibiks and no wonder some of us claim that they are 'Tuan'.

"Your children need your presence more than your presents" ~ Jesse Jackson

Brain development of a human being stop around the age of 4. If parents are to be given the opportunity to raise their children accordingly - via sensible policies and thorough enforcement for all to benefit - we could have children as great as ones in The Little Red Dot.

I am hoping for a working society that sees parenting as God-sent enjoyment, instead of punishment that gets them to be labelled as less productive, less committed and less desirable. In addition to promoting enviromental friendly and corporate social responsibility, maybe it is high time to gear up for parenting-friendly corporate culture.

For that, may all the dads and the moms fight for their rights to raise their children in better, safer and rewarding environment.

"The guys who fear becoming fathers don't understand that fathering is not something perfect men do, but something that perfects the man. The end product of child raising is not the child but the parent" ~ Frank Pittman, Man Enough

p.s. I found a cute letter from a father to his son here.