Tin bowl tale
Mmmmmm, nice. A three-day weekend. The first Monday in June is always a holiday, for the Queen's b'day. This is one day I don't mind shouting "Long live the Queen". We are all feeling nice and rested. I am relaxed enough to charge into the story of the tin bowl.
#####
#####
This isn't a new story or anything. And I'll bet that most of us have heard of it at one time or another.
It goes like this. There is a family of a husband, wife and their two children. The grandparents lived with them, but the busy couple had no time for them. And scant respect or consideration.
They were loathe to spend not only money, but also time on them. They considered their duty done if they provided enough for the old people to subsist. They'd just chuck them some food in a tin bowl (they didn't want to spend good money buying classy dishes for the old couple to eat from, you see).
And things moved along at this pace for a while. I am not sure if it was the woman's parents or the man's parents but that doesn't really matter as far as I am concerned. I feel all children have an equal responsibility to their parents. And I must say I have noticed many women wriggling out of it, quoting their husbands. In most cases, this is just an excuse. And an equal number of men wriggle out too, for whatever reasons.
Anyways, coming back to the tin bowl, one day the kids asked their parents for some money. What for? To buy a pair of tin bowls. And the parents asked them, why do you need two tin bowls? To which the kids said, Mom and Dad, it's for you to eat from when you grow old like Grandma and Grandpa.
Well, out of the mouths of babes........the parents were shocked, flabbergasted, speechless etc. I don't know why they were so surprised, as their children were only copying them. Maybe because when younger, no one has time to think or worry about their old age much, unless they are going to be old real soon.
Anyways, that was a rude shock for the couple. And after that , they made an effort to be decent to their parents. Which is all very good. And although it's not a `they all lived happily ever after ending', it's better than what it was before.
The least that can be said for the couple is that they at least had their parents with them and didn't ditch them on the roadside.
But the moral (don't all good stories have one?): if you dish out tin bowls to your parents, be warned that your children will give you more of the same when you are old. For, what you sow, you will reap, good or bad.
#######
It goes like this. There is a family of a husband, wife and their two children. The grandparents lived with them, but the busy couple had no time for them. And scant respect or consideration.
They were loathe to spend not only money, but also time on them. They considered their duty done if they provided enough for the old people to subsist. They'd just chuck them some food in a tin bowl (they didn't want to spend good money buying classy dishes for the old couple to eat from, you see).
And things moved along at this pace for a while. I am not sure if it was the woman's parents or the man's parents but that doesn't really matter as far as I am concerned. I feel all children have an equal responsibility to their parents. And I must say I have noticed many women wriggling out of it, quoting their husbands. In most cases, this is just an excuse. And an equal number of men wriggle out too, for whatever reasons.
Anyways, coming back to the tin bowl, one day the kids asked their parents for some money. What for? To buy a pair of tin bowls. And the parents asked them, why do you need two tin bowls? To which the kids said, Mom and Dad, it's for you to eat from when you grow old like Grandma and Grandpa.
Well, out of the mouths of babes........the parents were shocked, flabbergasted, speechless etc. I don't know why they were so surprised, as their children were only copying them. Maybe because when younger, no one has time to think or worry about their old age much, unless they are going to be old real soon.
Anyways, that was a rude shock for the couple. And after that , they made an effort to be decent to their parents. Which is all very good. And although it's not a `they all lived happily ever after ending', it's better than what it was before.
The least that can be said for the couple is that they at least had their parents with them and didn't ditch them on the roadside.
But the moral (don't all good stories have one?): if you dish out tin bowls to your parents, be warned that your children will give you more of the same when you are old. For, what you sow, you will reap, good or bad.
#######
I am in a pretty relaxed mood, anyways. End of every job is always so. Winding down. Farewell for Arthur, Rachel and me next week. And after that, bye-bye to all the relaxing. New job begins Monday, June 20.
2 comments:
Now I can rest easy... I know the tin bowl story. :) Good luck with the new job!
Thanks for the wishes Shyam. I am sure I'll need them:)
Post a Comment