The Unknown Love

Article for Bethlehem Matrimonial - Sep 2015

After a couple of years into our marriage, my wife and I were blessed with our first child, a healthy baby boy. As young parents we had our own apprehensions on how to raise him as a responsible human being and what will take us to do that. During those days, my sweetheart made one suggestion which totally changed the way I now experience the love of our little one. The suggestion was that I need to take my son along with me each time I go out for something, even for the smallest of the tasks such as buying groceries.

Managing a two year old alone was quite a daunting task and I was not really happy to have the little fellow accompany me every time I went out. The naughtiness in him only grew with time and it became even more of a challenge to manage him. Days and months went by and it became a norm that every time I announce that I’m going out to get something, our little guy will automatically head to the wardrobe to be ready to go out with me. This became a practice so much so that, the only time he couldn’t join me was when I head to my office and when I go out to get a haircut. Given a choice he would’ve been with me at the saloon at least!

I soon had a major realization. My short trips outside our home are extremely boring without him. I now wait for him to finish whatever he does; it could be a meal or a bath, to join me before stepping out of the house. It won’t be an exaggeration to say that I could scoop out his excitement to go out along with me and the happiness only seem to multiply each time we went out.

I also figured out that this is all the more important for kids like him who grow up in a country far away from his homeland where the opportunities of mingling with your near and dear ones are relatively lesser. You miss a lot of family functions and gatherings which naturally would’ve been an opportunity for you to meet people and socialize.

There was something else that was even more important with all these experience. My son spends considerable amount of time with his mom by virtue of having her available at home. But these times when we go out together are some of the most valuable moments I get to spend with him as a dad. A child needs the attention from both the parents. What he learns from his mom makes only a part of his life as a human being complete. He also needs to learn how the male of the species thinks and acts. That’s when the learning makes a complete circle.

If you have ever observed lion cubs, you’ll see an interesting mix. Things are a bit different in the world of a lion pride. The females are the ‘bread winners’ usually. They do the hunting primarily. The male lions are entrusted with the protection of the territorial boundaries and the pride itself. Any intrusion is met with extreme aggression, safeguarding the ‘kingdom’ and the resources within it to ensure survival. The cubs learn from both and that’s how they grow up to be the kings and queens of the jungle!

At times when I look back, I really dread to think how much of a terrible mistake it would’ve been if I had not taken him out and help him know the world. Expose him to the tremendous opportunities with first-hand learning and not just by being glued to the TV or the world of internet. He needs to see the actual world and as parents we realized the responsibility to show him that.

It was a beautiful journey to say the least! When apprehension gave way to acceptance; when reluctance was pushed aside by responsibility… We now experience a very special bond of a father and a son. We together thank the lady of the house for making that decision for us.

It was an unknown love and when realized we now hold it so close to our hearts! It makes us raise a toast to life itself!

God bless you all to realize these hidden jewels of love in your lives too!