It's never wrong to be proud of your children

That Sunday morning, as part of our weekly rituals, we - me and my two girls - went to a traditional market in our neighbourhood, for our weekly shopping. We simply went to the sellers we've known for ages for the vegetables, chicken, meat and fish... And it was at the fish stall that this episode happened...

We were waiting to be served for the seller was paring a lot of fish that a lady was buying. Of course, in this kind of situation, a normal woman would chit-chat with others standing nearby. Since the kind of fish was rather unfamiliar in my family, I asked the lady how she's going to cook the fish. She told me that she was just going to fry it and put it in a lot of chillies, the favorite of her children, she added. Then, she looked at my two 'aides', and asked me if they were my children and if they were still studying, to which I said yes. 'Oh, where?' was her next question. And I simply said 'UI - the elder is studying psychology and the younger is economics.' She smiled broadly to my answer as she said 'my daughter is a graduate of the Faculty of Economics, Accounting Department. She's working there now, teaching." You could see the stars in her eyes, the pride of a mother when saying this. I looked at her, and then a much younger version of her crossed my mind, and I said 'You must be the mother of xxx, she looks exactly like you. I know her quite well.' 'Yes, I am. Do you really know her? Or, do you work there, too? 'Yes, I teach there, she knows me, too. It's been a while since I met her. She came to my office one day with her husband. Give her my love. please.' I said earnestly. And then she said 'It's Sunday, I expect she'll come today. That's why I need to prepare all these foods, she likes it so much. What's your name?' ' Tell her it's ibu Suli,' I told her with a smile. And then the lady told me all about her daughter and how she had made her really proud.

And ... a couple of weeks ago, my father called me, on a Monday morning, that he and my mother were coming to our place to get some Chinese medicine for my mother's osteoarthritis that someone had sent. I told him that he'd better send the driver to take the medicine to my office instead, rather than going to my place while nobody except the maid would be at home. 'In that case, we would go to Depok, then. We harvested a lot of bananas yesterday, so I think you would like some, too.' I was speechless. I mean, why would my parents go to all the troubles of taking some bananas to my office. I believed my father knew what I was feeling for he said ' I would like to see your office, a place where you work, the university where you studied and where my grandchildren are studying now...' I could hear the pride in his voice which made me choked when I said 'Oh, yes, yes.... please, if you don't mind. I'll come down as my office is on the fifth floor, I don't think Ibu could go upstairs.' I was almost in tears, how could I almost disappoint the persons who are so proud of me.

I know I am just a nobody at the university. But for my parents I am somebody important, other people just don't count if you are talking about this feeling parents have for their children. Even if they never admit it...