The 'P' Word

The 'P' word. Can you guess it?

No lah! It's not parrot! I don't even know anyone who owns a parrot!

Ahem. The 'P' word. The forbidden word.

Parents.

I've just realized that parents are all first-timers, and with every child that they bring up, they are just experimenting with the best that they can offer. What works for one child may not work for another, and just because two children laugh at the same cartoon doesn't mean they're both happy. Society expects you to never give up on your child, even if he is a lousy character who barks at your every plea or a drug abuser who gets high every alternate day. It's your bloody fault if he turns out like crap; does it even matter that you tried your best?

Being a parent must be quite draining. You know that chicken nuggets and fried potatoes are gonna lead your kid to be an unhealthy couch potato who, soon enough, will face high blood pressure, high sodium intake, clogged arteries with a risk of diabetes, but really, who cares about the future if you get the gratification of watching your kid smile up at you?

Too bad there ain't no rules about parenting. Like the guidebook on rules we have at school.

Then again, parenting would be just too easy.