Things Money can’t buy …
In a world where ‘having lots of money’ is often perceived by many as ‘necessary’ in order to ‘enjoy life better’, it is undeniable that the search for money and material comfort has somehow (consciously or unconsciously) taken precedence over … family.
I’ve heard and read about couples who said, ‘We’ll leave the kids to mostly be taken care of by someone else right now, especially since we need to concentrate on our career. Our business / career is taking off at the moment. And when we both have saved up quite a bit of money in a few years time, we’ll slow down and spend more time with the children. We’ll all get to enjoy the money that we’ve worked very hard for. We’re doing all this for our children’s sake. We want them to have a better life. We want to afford better education. We can even travel together as a family to far away places!’
…
Both Wilson and I attended a series of parenting classes recently, and there’s this general principle that I will always remember : Relationship is built OVER TIME.
A close relationship between parents and their children where there’s trust, love and respect can never be achieved WITHOUT the investment of time.
[We all know of (too many) cases out there where children grow more and more distanced from their busy parents as they grow older, and by the time the parents wish to know more about their children’s lives, they choose to spend their time with their teenage friends away from home instead. And that’s where many family conflicts begin]
…
I tell and remind myself all the time that in the eyes of my two little children, I’m just a mom.
They don’t care about how much (or how little!) money we have in our bank, how many branded goods we have in our wardrobe (or if we had none), or, how much their toys and clothes cost.
What they long for is, our time spent with them.
Whether we listen to their stories and giggle when they go silly.
Whether we play catch with them.
Whether we have a routine and spend time regularly each day, like reading them stories before bedtime.
Whether we genuinely appreciate their drawings or LEGO brick creations.
…
One’s childhood will be over sooner than we think.
Time will fly.
And there’s nothing we can do that can turn back time.
So.
While we still can, and while we still have time, let’s remind ourselves to treasure our children and their growing-up years (however tough and often challenging our moments with them are).
Because really, there are just way too many things in life that money can’t buy.
And one of them is, time.
…
What are your views and thoughts on this? I’d love to hear from you.
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Samantha:
awww … he misses having you around. Hope work situations get better for you all …
I know baking is secondary, but I like to get Cayden involve when I bake. Yes! He is constantly happy when I am around. So sad, recently he been telling me that he miss me because I always work late.
aiwei:
awww, your mom is so sweet to still remember what you made 🙂
thanks for the sweet note too!
Swing by the blog often yeah … 🙂
Sam:
The baking part is actually secondary, if you ask me… Just as long as you’re there with him, I’m sure he’s all happy! 😀 Hope CK is all well soon!
Till now my mum still remember my lego creation haha I am a lucky child.
I haven started to work yet so I look forward for working days, i duno whether i can sacrifice the job i love (in case i find one LOL) for my kid. I truly hope i can be a great mum JUST LIKE YOU. 🙂
Sigh Leonny:( Boss on leave that whole week, then this week he is MC whole. Been working late, CK sick, so I can’t even focus on the cake making. Will definately bake something for him.
Grace:
Hi Mom of Three!! 😀 Great to hear from you! 🙂
I get asked about something like that too, btw! (ie. whether I’ve ‘wasted’ my years of education and degree when I chose to become a ‘fulltime mom’)
Hand-me-downs? Bring them over … they’re always welcome at our home too 😀
Ruiting:
Thanks for sharing your views and thoughts …
When we look back on our own family and how we were brought up (regardless of how it could’ve been ‘made better’ by our parents), I sincerely believe that everything that happened had made us what we are today. Like what you’ve shared, how you’re more independent too etc … I too feel the same way …
Bing:
Hi hi … thanks for sharing too!
“All the money we bring home matters little to the kids if we are not there for them.” >>> totally agree!
Angela:
Oh yes … I really feel sad for those who get HFMD. Really hope it goes away real fast…
Thanks for sharing your thoughts too, Angela.
Stay in touch!
Samantha:
Hey … how’s Cayden’s birthday? Love those shots of him and lil bro walking hand in hand! 😀
Jennie :
Thanks for sharing, Jennie!
I can only imagine how tough it must’ve been for working moms like you to juggle everything, … to still be enthusiastic, to cope with the demand of ‘cries’ and perhaps ‘seemingly unreasonable requests’ upon reaching home and meeting the little ones. It’s challenging, but … possible to do by some, I guess.
(I don’t think I can manage … I’ll probably end up being a very grumpy mom every day 🙂
Yen:
Hi hi … thanks for sharing!
Juggling between no.1 and no.2 will have its own ups and downs, but like you said, during your maternity leave, you’ll have that time, fully, to spend with the little ones… which is just great!! Hope everything goes real smoothly for you all … and hope you’ll discover what works best for you and your family yeah …
Take care.
kkf:
Yep, … juggling work and family is surely challenging …
Hi Leonny,
What a wonderfully written post! And I definitely couldn’t agree more. People asked me if my medical degree and all those years of studying “would go to waste” if I don’t use it. I don’t have a single regret and wouldn’t change a thing. Our children are a blessing, and the opportunity to spend time and bring them up ourselves is the greatest fortune! Even if we have to wear hand-me-downs! 🙂
Keep writing! You are such an inspiration… 🙂
XO
Grace
I couldn’t agree more with you in this line:
A close relationship between parents and their children where there’s trust, love and respect can never be achieved WITHOUT the investment of time.
I wish my parents did spend more time with us in the past, despite being independent also helps me a lot that I don’t have to rely on anyone for my own problems and be self-responsible.
Thanks for this post! It inspired me to jot down my own thoughts too. http://www.storyofbing.com/?p=6502 I completely agree with what you said. Relationship is truly built over time and I see so many parents get so absorbed with work that they spend very little time with their kids. All the money we bring home matters little to the kids if we are not there for them.
I agree with the post.. i tink everyone will need to do their best in their own aspects. every happenings are about give and take..
enjoyz our parenthood in our own ways of interpretation regardless of working/ full time SAHM..
bless all the children with good health.. it will ease off parent “workload”.. chase away the HFMD dieases..
Totally agree!
Hi Leonny,
MThks for sharing, I’m always visitg your website for news, tips on parenting…
As a working parent, can be really draining to continue my enthusiastic at home after a long day at work but I ALWAYS REMIND MYSELF, since I chosen this role to be a Mom, I must ensure I carry out my duties diligently like spending time with them…such “time” is something money can buy…
Even though I have my Mom-in-law staying with us, my HB & me ensure we’ll take over the care-giver’s role from her as she needs a break after helping us to look after my kids during the day while we’re working…
Let’s continue to enjoy our parenthood ;P
Hi Leonny,
I couldn’t agree more. I am blessed with in law living close to us who love their granddaughter so much. But whenever I can during the school holiday (I’m a lecturer), I always take a day off to do nothing with her during the weekday. Even though it’s just a trip down to 7-11 to buy some ice cream.
And- I know this is crazy- I am so looking forward for my number 2 to come out and having time off with my child-ren.
I’m still contemplating what I’m supposed to do once I’m done with maternity leave next year. Whether I should continue to work full time, or change to part time. I hope God will shed some lights for me 🙂
i agree totally! but sadly, we still need to slog to survive. 🙁
I admire those working parents who can spend quality time with their kids most…