An unparalleled love

Becoming the best man or woman that you can be is a common aspiration among men and women. There is nothing wrong in striving to become the best possible version of yourself and it is in fact a noble aspiration. It takes a completely different tone though when you want someone else to become better than you and that takes a special kind of love – a love that is often, if not always, found in parents for their children.

As young children, we set foot into an unknown world where there are so many different paths in laid down before us. It is as if we are an empty canvass, waiting for a painter to unravel a unique work of art. Though we alone paint the picture of our life, who we become and the choices that we make are greatly influenced by our parents or those who play a similar role in our lives. We follow their instructions as we paint our pictures, but they give us advice and tell us which strokes to take and what colors to use based on experience so that we do not repeat their mistakes. It is because of this that we are often bound to become similar to them, but our parents do their best to make us better than they could ever be.

Some may not want to admit it, but we are who we are because of our parents and we owe them so much for that. Children are also bound to mimic their parents’ habits and actions over time. It is inevitable for young ones to idolize their parents. A young boy often tries to copy his father and a little girl usually blooms into a mirror image of her mother. For those whose parents don’t spend much time with them, who they become and how they react to the situation are a product of these actions as well.

I can personally attest to the clout that a father has over his sons and mine has had a profound influence on my life. At a young age, I learned how to treat people with kindness and equality from my dad. He would treat a colleague in a suit in the same manner that he would interact with a friend’s driver wearing an old t-shirt with holes. Then, at the age of eight, my dad began to bring me to UAAP and PBA basketball games, and it started a lifelong passion. He wasn’t always getting me into things though and sometimes, it was actually the complete opposite. My dad is an avid smoker who loves cigarettes, but he always told my brothers and I not to get into it, citing that his addiction as one of his biggest regrets. My dad wanted his children to be better than him, not just mere copies, and it is in instances like these where we see love at its finest. Though it may be a light example, there are many other stories from other people that can help me prove my point.

We’ve heard about parents who use older models of cellphones, drive beat up cars and wear faded clothes just so that their children can enjoy using brand new things. Others scrimp on personal expenses and luxuries in order to pay for the tuition fees of their children, whom they want to send to the best schools possible. There are others who even work and toil abroad just for the sake of providing a better life for their children.

Most parents probably have the same mindset when it comes to this and they would love nothing more than to see their children become better than them. There was this photo going around social media sites recently which had a poor boy holding hands with his parents who each gave him one of their shoes to walk in. It also had an unforgettable caption which said, “Never complain about the things your parents could not give you, it was probably all they had.” This photo gave me a new perspective of how much love parents have for their children and it was definitely an eye opener.

After putting much thought into it, I now truly believe in the popular saying that goes, “There is no greater love than that of a parent for their child”. I’ve seen it with my mom and dad, and also with the other parents that I’ve encountered in life, which is why it pains me to see people who dislike their parents. Of course, we are all humans and it is natural to have shortcomings, so it is inevitable for our parents to make mistakes too, and we must keep this in mind and be ready to forgive them. It is also important that we do not forget all of the times that they’ve forgiven us or shrugged off the bad things that we have done. I’m sure that there are a handful of people who irritated their parents through mischievous deeds or accidents, such as scratching the family car or setting a piece of furniture on fire among other things.

Romance comes and goes, and people move on from relationship to relationship, while friends sometimes fall out and are eventually replaced with new ones. Family, however, cannot be replaced and just like anyone else, our parents grow older and older by the day. Before we know it, they’ll be gone and no amount of money will be able to bring them back. The love of parents for their children is unparalleled and it’s a shame that it takes us so long to realize it. With that in mind, it should be even easier for us to love our parents, whom we’ve known for all of our lives. When they’re no longer around, we’ll regret all of the chances that we missed to love them back and show our affection, so why can’t we start now? A simple hug or kind gesture can go a long way.