I always find it an amazement that my family is full of dragon ladies - educated, successful women. The women in my family are generally more successful than the men. Maybe we do not have that many men in the first place to begin wth. And by family I mean my entire extended family. There are so many females in my family that it is a surprise that the males did not grow up to be effeminates!
My parents are both the youngest in their families. My father's sister has 4 daughters and 1 son, the son being the youngest. Of the 4 daughters, 3 of them hold Masters degrees. They are all established in their own careers, 2 lecturers, 1 of whom married an eye surgeon, 1 teacher who married a businessman, 1 banker who married an accountant, and the son is a lawyer married to another lawyer.
My father's brother has 2 daughters and 1 son, with the son being the youngest (why is it always this case?). 1 is a trainer married to a computer engineer, 1 is a civil servant with a Masters degree once married to a banker, and the son is an IT analyst who is getting married next year.
Everytime I see my father's side, I feel so stressed. But when I take a look at my mother's side of the family, I feel even more stressed. My eldest uncle is in Australia, and my 3 male cousins are a banker, a physiotherapist and a bioengineer in that order. My mum's sister has just a daughter, and she was an auditor with a Masters degree in Business, now married to a Computer Engineer, who also holds a Masters degree. My second uncle has 4 daughters, and all are younger than me, but they come from very good schools and score very good grades. But these girls are very fun to be with, as they are smart and fun-loving at the same time. Besides I always like a younger sister, so these girls are the closest I can ever get to having younger sisters to take care of. And I am not even mentioning my half cousins (children of my mum's half siblings), who all received scholarships to study overseas.
Judging from this scenario, is it any wonder I feel so stressed? Although I admit it is self-induced stress, but to see all my female cousins being so established and marrying equally established guys, no wonder my parents think I am a good-for-nothing in comparision. Ironically, my parents both have Masters degrees, the highest educated in their generation. So technically I should be the one that is even more established, as my parents always have the idea that children should be better than parents. Yet I feel as if I am the least successful of the lot. I cannot help but feel I have let my parents down. Maybe that is why they are always so curt to me - they are probably disappointed in my (non) achievements, and it pains them to see their nieces and nephews doing so much better than their own children.
My parents are both the youngest in their families. My father's sister has 4 daughters and 1 son, the son being the youngest. Of the 4 daughters, 3 of them hold Masters degrees. They are all established in their own careers, 2 lecturers, 1 of whom married an eye surgeon, 1 teacher who married a businessman, 1 banker who married an accountant, and the son is a lawyer married to another lawyer.
My father's brother has 2 daughters and 1 son, with the son being the youngest (why is it always this case?). 1 is a trainer married to a computer engineer, 1 is a civil servant with a Masters degree once married to a banker, and the son is an IT analyst who is getting married next year.
Everytime I see my father's side, I feel so stressed. But when I take a look at my mother's side of the family, I feel even more stressed. My eldest uncle is in Australia, and my 3 male cousins are a banker, a physiotherapist and a bioengineer in that order. My mum's sister has just a daughter, and she was an auditor with a Masters degree in Business, now married to a Computer Engineer, who also holds a Masters degree. My second uncle has 4 daughters, and all are younger than me, but they come from very good schools and score very good grades. But these girls are very fun to be with, as they are smart and fun-loving at the same time. Besides I always like a younger sister, so these girls are the closest I can ever get to having younger sisters to take care of. And I am not even mentioning my half cousins (children of my mum's half siblings), who all received scholarships to study overseas.
Judging from this scenario, is it any wonder I feel so stressed? Although I admit it is self-induced stress, but to see all my female cousins being so established and marrying equally established guys, no wonder my parents think I am a good-for-nothing in comparision. Ironically, my parents both have Masters degrees, the highest educated in their generation. So technically I should be the one that is even more established, as my parents always have the idea that children should be better than parents. Yet I feel as if I am the least successful of the lot. I cannot help but feel I have let my parents down. Maybe that is why they are always so curt to me - they are probably disappointed in my (non) achievements, and it pains them to see their nieces and nephews doing so much better than their own children.
4 comments:
Moore's Tech Web Reader
"One of the complaints about the first-generation PowerBook G4 is that the rubber feet easily wear ... Major manufacturers such as Dell, Hewlett-Packard and Apple Computer are smart about this.
stop smoking now find out more at stop smoking now
Anonymous : Thanks but I do not smoke.
Shakespeare, that Anon is a spammer.
I feel that while it is one of a parent's duty to bring out the best in their children, they also have to know that everyone has different limitations.
I mean seriously, what is the point of comparing your child to other people's like a throphy?
Remember that things that appear to be succesful on the surface might not be all what it seems.
I know, but I guess Chinese parents geenrally want "face", so they will forever compare and try to outdo each other when it comes to their children. Every parent wants the child to be successful, but a pity most parents do not realise the effects this can have on the child.
Post a Comment