Busy… selfish

(Baonghean) - An elderly woman, who shares my surname and hometown, has three successful children who have established careers in the city. She remains alone in her hometown, even after her husband passed away. However, whenever her daughter or daughter-in-law gives birth, she rushes to the city to care for her grandchildren.

She has held and cared for all six of her grandchildren, both from her son and daughter. Even when she was sick, tired, or busy with work in the fields, she would go immediately when her children asked her to. Once, she confided, "It has to be fair; otherwise, they'll get jealous. I love all my grandchildren, yet my youngest daughter-in-law still says I cherish my grandchildren from my daughter's side more than my grandchildren from my son's side. It's so frustrating!"

When the children reached kindergarten age, she returned to her hometown; but even there, she couldn't find peace for long. Whenever the children were sick and couldn't attend school (and preschoolers are prone to illness), their parents would rush back to the countryside to "summon" her to come and look after them so they could go to work. She would then leave immediately. And so she traveled back and forth between the city and the countryside countless times.

Without being bothered, she was always willing to help her grandchildren, and even considered it a joy. As her grandchildren grew older, she became weaker and weaker. When they no longer needed her nurturing care, she had fewer reasons to go to town.

Strangely, because of this, her children rarely visit her and their hometown. Previously, they took turns coming back to ask for her help, but now it's the opposite; the time between visits is getting longer. She remains alone with her large garden and house, so quiet that not even the sound of human voices can be heard. When asked to explain this neglect, her children unanimously give the reason: "being busy with work and business."

Being simple and honest, she readily believed her children when they used work as a cover for their immoral behavior. Sometimes, when they stayed too long, she would urge them to leave early, worried about interfering with their work or personal lives; even when she was sick, she didn't want them to know. Afraid of gossip from the neighbors, who might think her children weren't considerate, she would defend them, saying, "They're busy with work and business, that's why they have to work so hard!"

Those who knew the story felt sorry for the mother and were displeased with the children. It was truly a tragedy; the mother, out of love for her children, always took on the hardships and disadvantages herself, while the children exploited her trust to fabricate excuses to conceal their selfishness.

At the recent family memorial service, her children all came home. Hearing relatives and acquaintances offer advice about their responsibility to care for their mother, they again cited "busy work and business" as an excuse to seek understanding. The head of the family – a former deputy chairman of the district – became annoyed and bluntly said: "Even civil servants or businesspeople need days off, why are you so busy? Before, when your relatives needed you to look after the grandchildren, you came home all the time; now you just say you're busy? Busy… and selfish, that's all!"

Hearing this, all three children blushed and fell silent.

Nguyen Trong Hoat