SINGAPORE: A young Singaporean recently took to social media to urge others not to take their parents for granted and to treat them with kindness and understanding, especially since life can be so unpredictable.
In her heartfelt post on r/SGexam, a Reddit forum, she shared how she had often taken her dad’s support for granted, not realizing all the sacrifices he made for her until he passed away from stomach cancer in 2020.
“When he left us, we struggled to do the basic things like bills, phone contracts, and light changes. I took for granted the things I thought would always be here for me,” she lamented.
“For the first year after he left, it was hard for me to express or feel any emotions; I felt like nothing could be worse than this. The countless nights I cried to sleep as I prayed and begged that this was a nightmare and that he’d be here tomorrow.”
She then looked back on a sweet memory from when her dad was still alive. After he was diagnosed with cancer, her “frugal and cheapskate” dad started treating himself by splurging on Qoo10 and buying whatever he wanted, which was a big surprise for her to see.
He even carried around multiple S$50 bills in his wallet, saying he had never had that much cash at once before.
In those last three months, she watched her dad change from the strong, towering figure she remembered to someone who was frail and skinny. But even with all those changes, there was a touching moment when he, who usually had a hard time showing affection, kissed her cheek before she left the hospital.
“I miss you always, and I think about you every day, and I will continue to remember you till I die. I hope I made you proud at least once before you left. I still get sad when I see a father-daughter duo,” she said.
In closing, she implored others not to make the same mistake, saying, “Please, please, please be nice to your parents and understand that this is their first life too.”
“Genuinely appreciate your parents, for they are here for a limited time just like all of us are.”
In the comments section, many Singaporean Redditors left supportive messages, thanking her for being so open about her experience.
One Redditor said, This is really very touching, and to everyone reading this post, genuinely appreciate your parents, for they are here for a limited time just like all of us are. I hope you manage to sustain the courage to push through.”
Another commented, “This was so touching; thank you for sharing. Sending hugs.”
A third said, “I cried reading this. Virtual hugs. Thank you for sharing your thoughts and feelings with us. I hope you have some sort of support system that you can rely on when the pain gets tough. Your dad is lucky to have you; I’m sure of it.”
Others took the opportunity to share their own stories of loss, drawing parallels between their experiences and hers. One user recounted a similar story about his father.
He wrote, “I lost my father in August 2020 to cancer. In the 4 years after he left, life has been so surreal. Please don’t wait until nothing can be done before you start regretting all that you have done or not done with your parents.
Now, what haunts me are the times I should have apologised, the times I should have smiled, the opportunities I had missed to get to know him better.”
Another shared, “I’m a lot older than you, but I lost my dad last year due to colon cancer. My dad was diagnosed in April 2023 and passed away November 2023. I feel exactly the same as you.
I miss him every day. Will always feel like a daddy’s little girl. I can’t wait for my day to come and will hopefully reconnect with him again after life.”
Featured image by Depositphotos (for illustration purposes only)