Defining a future our kids trust us to create

Yes, a kid’s fun is not always a laughing matter for adults, who are required to fulfil obligations.

On National Children’s Day, like the one of just a few days ago, several kids were happy taking turns to sit on the prime minister’s chair. It was fun to picture themselves as the most powerful person in the country, even more powerful than our parents.

But how many of them would know how hard it is for the real prime minister to perform his or her job? Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra had to practice story telling. She must have rehearsed something before meeting with the kids on the day. That explained why she asked the kids where they lived and if their houses were flooded. Even when a kid said her house in Phyathai was safe, she said the situation would be better in future. The funny part was when she said the situation would be better “next year”. Hmm, our prime minister must have forgotten what she had been reciting. Or, maybe she chose to say “next year” because the new flood-protection infrastructure might not be ready before this year’s rainy season arrives.

Kids have fun going to a fancy restaurant, as they don’t need to worry about the bill. Let that be handled by their parents for whom it is a big headache where to take their offspring during this special weekend. It thus didn’t surprise me when a poll showed that shopping centres were the second most popular choice for National Children’s Day, better than government units, including Government House, which hosted parties and activities. Yes, it’s easy, though a bit costly for most parents, to keep their kids happy for a long period.

Being a kid means you are entitled to gifts and it is up to the adults to meet the demand. The upcoming Chinese New Year will prove this. When you’re young and don’t know how to earn money, you are entitled to “ang pao” – the red envelopes that always contain some money, or gold. Yes, the envelopes are always handed out by someone in the family who is making money. Sadly, most of them are adults.

Kids, no matter where they are, are not strong on deliberating over their acts. Proof is in a folk song, “Don’t cry Joni” by Conway Twitty. Joni, a girl who lived next door to Jimmy, was not shy to tell Jimmy that she loved him and she would save kisses for him. But Jimmy, older than she was, understood he shouldn’t take advantage of the young girl. He told her that one day she would forget about him. Five years later, Jimmy returned to her, to find out she had married his best friend, John. If Jimmy had thought more, he would have been happily married with Joni. 

Yes, kids don’t care if banks’ contribution to the Deposit Protection Agency could be raised to repay the Financial Institutions Development Fund’s debt. It’s the adults who must consider why they have to rush into borrowing, when annual debt payment is constitutionally capped at 15 per cent of expenditure. 

In a world which now houses 7 billion inhabitants, it’s refreshing to learn that more kids are introduced to the world, though at a slower rate than before. For a social species like humanity, building a family is a common ideal and it is a major wish for a family to have new members. Collin Raye’s “One boy and one girl” song told of this. Love at first sight brought about the marriage of two adults and then they got twins.

 

“He smiled, she smiled, and they knew right away

This was the day they'd been waiting for all their lives,

And for a moment the whole world,

Revolved around one boy, and one girl”

 

The line between being kids and adults may be big, but along the way, all play a part in making each other happy. Hopefully, we all are ready to make others’ kids happy, too.