I shed a little tear...

I shed a little tear today...
I was on my way to tuition and was on the MRT towards jurong east when I saw this small kid sitting with his mom.
He's just a small kid...still in primary school...still have that innocent little face with the bright eyes...
anyway, his mom was scolding him because he couldn't find his assignment which was actually in his file...
he was trying so hard to impress his mom...he was cheerful and enthusiastic...
it's like he's trying to get his mother's love by doing well in school...
but when his mom continued to scold him, his face turned...it's like he was dissapointed...
dissapointed that his mom was angry at him...dissapointed about himself...it's like he was blamins himself that he has failed...
his downcast eyes, he didn't dare to see his mom...
and then, it hit me...I don't know why...I started feeling really sad about this boy...
here he is...7 o'clock at night...still in his primary school uniform...carrying a bag that is as big as his body...and his mom continued to reprimand him about his mistakes...
man, little kid should play and enjoy their lives...not put under the same stress that older people have...
he should be playing with his friends...running around...mess and break some things...not studying how to write chinese words in the MRT at 7 0'clock at night...
and that's where the tears started to come...
maybe it tugged some old memories...I guess I was once like that also...when I thought the only way my parents could be proud of me is by doing well in my academic studies...
so the drive to do well in school is fed by the desire to please my parents...so they can be proud of me...so they can say, "My son is a smart boy."...
but when that desire is gone...so does my passion for study...
and when I see this boy, I wondered whether he too will feel the way I do in the future...
it's so sad to me the way he tried to be cheerful and impressed his mother...
and you know what the mother did...she didn't even smile once...she just continued to point out the boy's mistakes and said it in a tone that as if the boy is dumb...
I know...perhaps she's tired or had something else in her mind...but for goodness sake, it's your own boy...smiling a bit won't hurt...
I know this is common in singapore...but isn't the fact that it is common makes it absurd ?
before that I saw a mother with her daughter practising the multiplication table while walking...clearly the daughter was tired and didn't want to do it...
the mother simply threatened to leave her there if she won't do it...so, she did it...6 times 7 is 42, 6 times 8 is 48...
and the traits are similar...primary school kids with big bags...and this one already wearing glasses...
both kids are perhaps in primary one or two only...
it's just sad...
that picture of that boy showing his mother something he did to impress her while her mom kept that indifferent look will stay in my mind for a while...
and perhaps, I can hold back the tears next time...

"It is sad to see in the pursuit of perfection one forget what it means to live..."