I'm not yet a parent, nor am I married, but I have found myself taking up parental duties for my younger siblings and the children around the area where I currently live. There's this particular family I'm close to on our street. They have three young girls who sometimes come to my workspace to tell me stories—and of course, bill me at the end as well. I do laundry for the family, and some months ago, one of the girls had her birthday, which I missed. However, I promised to buy her a gift. She asked me to buy her a story book instead, but when I checked the price of the book in the market, it was quite costly. So I kept postponing the promise, hoping to eventually get her something else.
One day, she came around and said I shouldn't bother buying her a book anymore—that I should buy her a gum.
“A gum? Just a gum? For what?” I asked in surprise upon hearing her request.
“Yes, a gum. I want to use it to gum my book. One of my books got torn, and my mom said she's not going to buy me another one,” she replied in a very sympathetic voice.
I smiled because I already knew the reason her mom refused to buy her another one, even without asking. Her parents are not so poor that they can’t afford to replace a book, but she had been handling her books roughly. Each time she spoiled one, they would get her another. Their refusal to buy her another one this time was simply a way to discipline her and instill responsibility. I confirmed this when I spoke with her mom, and she explained her reason. Well, I bought the gum for the girl because I saw it as a perfect opportunity to fulfill my birthday gift promise—in a very small form. Lol.
This story reflects exactly how my siblings and I were brought up by our parents, and as the eldest ones, we’ve taken steps to instill the same discipline in our younger siblings about how they lifestyle.
It doesn’t end there. Children easily cooperate with instructions or adopt a lifestyle when they see it being practiced by their parents. That principle impacted me a lot while growing up. My dad and mom lived very simple lives. They weren’t chasing after extravagance. All they were after was a comfortable and simple lifestyle. Although we saw it as a wrong lifestyle at a young age—because we were restricted from living like others—when we grew older, we understood the importance of living with less. Not because we couldn’t afford more, but because it’s better and gives more comfort in the long run.
That same girl I mentioned earlier always tells me, whenever she comes around, about her tomato plants, which she planted in the backyard of their house.
The family has a small farm where they grow their pumpkin, tomatoes, and peppers. She intentionally planted hers, following the example of her parents. Although she has never harvested anything from her plants due to rodents that visit the place at night, it’s the thought that matters. When I become a parent, my children will see the minimalist lifestyle practiced in me and follow suit with ease.
Thanks for reading.
This is my response to the #KISS writing idea.
Photos used are mine.