Whenever my family and I would gather, people would say that I was the poster child for my parents’ perfect child. My mom and dad would agree with that and talk about what I have done for them, which often caused people to go, “Aww, I wish my kid is half as good as yours!”
I would laugh and tell everyone that I was as saint-like as my parents wanted them to believe. The truth was that it was more of an acquired trait than an inborn trait. I was not awful – I didn’t do drugs or get pregnant early – but I also did not care much for my parents. I was a typical teenager who favored other kids than their families.
However, my disposition towards my parents changed when I saw that my father’s sneakers were so worn out that almost half of their soles were gone. When he saw me about to throw them out, he snatched them away from me and said that he could still fix them. I was like, “There’s no way my parents will live in hardships again – not while I’m still a licensed counselor.”
Now, let me talk to you about the beauty of making parents happy.
You Introduce Yourself In A Different Light
I noticed that most parents tend to treat their kids the same way even when they’re already adults if the adult child continues to act like a kid. This is especially noticeable if the child continues living with the parents even in their 20s or 30s. The parents feel like their kids still need taking care of, so they don’t see them as adults.
However, the approach is different towards the children who strive to give their parents everything they need and more. It’s like the child indirectly telling the parents, “Hey, I’m an adult now. Aside from being able to look after me, I can do the same thing to you.”
The first time I bought something for my parents, they were hesitant to accept it because they thought my income was not enough for me. But when I continued to give back to them every month, they finally realized that they already had a defendable adult child.
You See Fewer Worry Lines On Parents’ Faces
I could vividly remember when my parents would always worry about their salaries no being able to get through half of the month because of our bills. Sometimes, it would cause them to shout at each other and look older than they really were.
When my parents retired, it seemed like they were aging backward appearance-wise. The reason was that I told them not to think about money anymore. Instead, I would give them an allowance every month aside from doing all the shopping for them. They protested about it the first few times, but they managed to accept my gifts eventually and looked happier than ever.
You Get Good Karma
I had a childhood friend who used to talk about karma being able to kick your butt if you did something awful to others, especially to your parents. It – karma – would not also be kind to you if you did nothing. Hence, that friend would always push us to do something nice to everyone, even if we would laugh about it.
I learned that my friend was not far from the truth when I started giving everything that my parents wanted and more. For instance, even if they had the money to pay their bills or buy necessities, I would give them quarterly bonuses, which meant I would take them shopping and let them buy whatever at the department store. Of course, that trip would cost me a significant amount of money, but then soon after that, I would get more blessings in the form of more clients recommending me to others.
I did not notice it at first until the same friend pointed it out to me. She said, “Have you realized that you have been more blessed in your career ever since you became more generous to your parents? It must have been much better now than when you were only spending the money on yourself.” Well, I could not find a scientific explanation for that, but that made sense, and it’s really what’s happening.
Final Thoughts
The beauty of making parents happy is that you can see the faces of the two individuals who cared for you for years light up in joy whenever you do something unique for them – specifically if you do it without prompting. So many senior individuals I met at the homes I visited in the past had been lonely and unhappy because their kids no longer cared for them, and I did not want my mom and dad to experience that.
Say, how’s your relationship with your parents? You don’t need to lavish them with material things if you don’t have the means – just making sure that you are not a burden to them is enough more often than not.