Carrying both "shoulders" with difficulty

(Baonghean) - Thanks to the promotion of labor export, many villages in the rice district of Yen Thanh are changing their appearance day by day with villas and high-rise buildings springing up side by side. However, in those low-lying rural areas, there are only old people and children... The old people in families with children working abroad have to be both grandparents and parents....

On hot days, Mrs. Nguyen Thi Vinh in Hamlet 11, Bao Thanh Commune, Yen Thanh District rarely gets a good night's sleep. Without her mother, her 13-month-old grandson cries more in the hot weather. Half a year ago, her daughter-in-law reluctantly hugged her son who had not yet been weaned and handed him over to her to go work abroad. That day, the whole family hugged each other and cried. Every night, the boy cried so much for his mother's milk... "It's all for a living, if we have to go, how can we live? If the children are having a hard time, the grandparents have to take care of them," Mrs. Vinh shared. Not only Mrs. Vinh, but many other grandparents in Bao Thanh Commune are also having to take care of and raise their grandchildren instead of their parents. Mr. Tran Van Hoang in Hamlet 2, Bao Thanh Commune laughed when I asked him how hard it is for them to take care of their 3 young grandchildren. “There are many grandparents in this neighborhood who cook and take their grandchildren to school, not just my family. The elderly “carry” the young, and after a while they get used to it. Grandparents sacrifice for their children and grandchildren,” Mr. Hoang confided, adding that the spacious house with many modern appliances he lives in is also thanks to his two sons and daughter-in-law who are working abroad in Korea.

Mrs. Tran Thi Ly in hamlet 10A, Bao Thanh commune (Yen Thanh) is taking care of meals for her grandchildren.

Saying goodbye to Mr. Hoang, we went to the family of Mrs. Tran Thi Ly in Hamlet 10A, Bao Thanh Commune. Nearly 70 years old this year, Mrs. Ly has 4 children working abroad. Currently, she is taking care of 7 grandchildren. The oldest is 14 years old this year, the youngest is only 5 years old. Witnessing the simple lunch of boiled spinach and a few finger-sized fish of the 7 grandmothers and grandchildren, many people could not help but feel sad...

Currently, in Yen Thanh, there are many labor export villages such as Bao Thanh, Son Thanh, Nam Thanh, Hoa Thanh... In these villages, behind the spacious high-rise buildings is the loneliness of children far from their parents, living and growing up with the warmth of their grandmothers. Many children, even though they are in 3rd or 4th grade, cannot imagine their mothers, because their mothers have been away from them since they were babies... Even some children are only 13 - 14 years old but are doing the duties of their parents with their grandparents. They have to take care of their younger siblings, while controlling their spending, buying food and drinks for the family every day.

We met Le Na (grade 9) in hamlet 10, Son Thanh commune. Both her father and mother have been abroad since she was in grade 1. Na and her 3-year-old sister had to live with their aunt. When they were in grade 6, the two sisters returned to their own house, taking care of everything themselves. Every day, after school, Na had to take care of the expenses and take care of her younger sister like a hard-working mother. Every year, Na's parents come home about 2-3 times, which is not enough time to make up for the lack of love, education, and guidance in studying... Therefore, behind the mature and responsible appearance compared to her age, we clearly felt the sadness in Le Na's eyes.

In Yen Thanh, it is not uncommon to see families with 2 or 3 floors, but they are deserted and deserted. In Bao Thanh commune, there are more than 70 families who have both husband and wife working abroad. In hamlet 10 alone, there are 8 couples who left their children for their elderly parents to look after so they can go abroad. There is a family with 2 children who had to leave their parents when they were only 5 months old... In addition to the lack of affection, the education of these children is certainly also affected. Not to mention, living away from their parents also has negative impacts, significantly affecting the children's psychological and physical development. There has even been a mentality of dependence and not trying to study among the children, because every child thinks that after finishing school, they will go abroad with their parents... Mr. Nguyen Tri Trung, Chairman of the People's Committee of Son Thanh commune, is worried: Being away from their parents makes some students no longer enthusiastic about studying. The motivation to strive to become good and excellent students has decreased... Although the commune's funding for education and talent promotion is quite good, clans and inter-family groups have also established education promotion funds from money sent back by children from far away, but the children's academic achievements are not commensurate.

According to the assessment of the Department of Labor - Invalids and Social Affairs of Yen Thanh district as well as localities with a high number of exported workers, up to now, most of the children whose parents are both working abroad are well-behaved, there have been no cases of committing crimes or being involved in social evils. However, the lack of parental care will certainly affect the children. Faced with this situation, some localities are assigning responsibility to mass organizations to pay more attention to the number of students whose parents are away from home, sharing their feelings, equipping them with knowledge of the law, life skills for them to overcome difficulties, and be more stable in life. In Bao Thanh commune, psychological counseling, educational support, support and supervision of children are being implemented to ensure the psychological stability and health of children...

Ngoc Anh