+ Son | Day Two

Second day today since my son went off on a school "business trip" to Desaru Malaysian.

Like a responsible son he is, he called us once he reached his destination and was settling down at his hotel. They were bunking 4 students to a room.

Both Wify and I were kept busy with the new stocks for her shop that arrived on Friday. We were unpacking, counting and checking each items for correct quantity and workmanship before we brought these new arrivals to her shop.

The whole day was busy with reorganising and shifting display items here and there to make room for the new arrivals, that we quite forgotten about how our son was doing in Malaysia today.

Like ESP of some sort, while we were talking about him in the shop, he called us on my cell phone in the afternoon. Sounded a bit down.


He was excited about the many visits they went and saw, but he nonetheless missed home. He said he missed us, playing with his hamsters, his PC and his Xbox...

The major reshuffling of items to accommodate new arrivals and the fact that it is the second day of The Great Singapore Sale - with so many eager shoppers at the shop, it took our minds off him so quite a while, but we deeply missed him too.

That set me thinking...

I am happy that he thinks of us and misses us. That means our bonding is strong as a family. Then again, I wish for him to learn to be independent.

Not independent totally, because he is still a kid and because we are still dependent on him emotionally too, but to be responsible and depend on himself when he is away from his parents.

Even his hamsters, Puffy and Buddy miss his human touch as the two will be brought out of the cage and get "man-handled" by him for hours, playing.

We notice this when both hamsters come out of their hideouts to the side of the cage facing the door when we enter the house. They will poke their little pointy noses out between the bars for us to touch them and keep doing it until we hold them in our palms and give them cheese treats.

If we deliberately choose to ignore them for a while, these two will keep watching us while standing on their two hind legs until we approach them, pat them and give snacks to them.

Just to spend a few minutes with them before they "retire" back their cosy den. A routine, our son has "trained" these little rodents unknowingly while playing with them.

It dawned on me that this trip not only teaches my son about the world of business, but holistically, teaches him to appreciate his parents, his home.

He has to trust his instincts and care for himself in a different setting with no parents to guide him. He has to depend on himself.

At the same time, this trip teaches my wife and I to appreciate him too and respect him and his presence. We miss him very much too, I felt it, Wify keeps saying it.

Though it is only for a few days, the house is still very lonely without his presence.

Our precious and only child, growing up.