Beyond Bedtime Stories: How My Mum’s Wisdom Shaped My Life
A Daughter’s/Son’s Tribute to the Power of Parental Bonding
My Mum and Dad never knew how having a good bedtime routine, and heart-to-heart communication would impact me while growing up, but now I am always happy they did. Every day before going to bed, my mum would sit me down and talk with me like friends do, about her life, childhood, friends, colleagues at work, how she overcame challenges, her love life, and many others. At first, I didn't enjoy talking with her, but she thoroughly enjoyed every bit of it. I can still see her smile!
Although I observed that my Mum didn't have a close friend or someone she called a trusted friend while growing up, she depended mostly on us, her children, and spent most of her free time with us. (She did have friends, good ones at that; she was selective about the people she called friends and mingled with.) Sometimes I wondered why she didn't have a close friend like others did, but now, as I grow older and wiser, I understand why she might not have been interested in having one. What she needed was peace of mind!
So every night, after eating, I would go close to her, rest on her, and listen to her stories before sleeping. During those moments, she would engage in deep conversations with me, sharing life lessons and stories. Initially, I found it boring, but as I grew older, I started enjoying her company every night before bed. This made me look forward to each day and the conversations we would have. I didn't realize my Mum was subtly building trust with me, allowing me to see her not only as a good parent but also as a friend I could rely on.
As I grew older and wiser, the nighttime stories she shared stuck deep in my heart, with their moral lessons guiding my decisions today. Those stories still linger in my thoughts every day, impacting me positively. Perhaps my mum learned early on that instead of giving me instructions on how to navigate life, the best way was to share stories that I wouldn't forget, along with their moral lessons. Good teachers know that storytelling is an effective way to teach, making the story memorable and impactful.
Spending time with my mum also made me see family from a different perspective, unlike what it is today. I may not fully understand the importance of parents spending time with their kids, but I know I want to replicate that experience with my own children. Those moonlight stories enabled me to see my parents as not just my parents but my trusted friends too.
Being a parent in today's world can be challenging, but if only parents knew how impactful spending a little time with their kids would be, they would prioritize it. No amount of money can buy those memories, and being a good parent often boils down to the kinds of memories a child experiences. Children grow with what they know, not what they will know or should have known.
