My Mother's Birthday

Today is my mother’s birthday. She is the most amazing woman I have seen in this world. Her life is simple. She was born in a little village in delta area. She is the eldest of seven brothers and sisters. She did not get chance to go to school when she was young because of the war and ethnic conflicts in her area. She married with my father moved to Yangon, the capital of Myanmar, raised nine kids as a house wife and it is her simple life.

She is not an educated but she could raise highly educated children. She is just a house wife who seldom leaves the house but she did her job very well. She used to say, oh I am working from morning to night in this house. I am not paid. I don’t know what keep me that busy in the house.

Needless to say, it was very difficult for our parents to raise and educate nine kids. All, nine of us are now university graduates and we have a vet, a dentist, two doctors and one engineer among us. My father was the only one breadwinner as we all went school and part time work in our country was usually not an option at that time.

My mother could not earn any money to contribute our study cost but she managed our father limited income very well so that every one of us got proper education without needing to work.

How did my mother manage? She is very good at sewing. She would try any design and any cutting for both boys and girls. A piece of clothe that will give you only a shirt if you go to tailors will produce a shirt for the elder son and a small shirt for the younger one. She can make beautiful blouses and shirts out of extra pieces of clothe. Although our father’s income was limited, all of us had decent clothes though out the year. I still remember our friends admired our new shirts at Christmas and New Year timed and asked where we made them.

She is also a good cook. She would try to cook all sorts of food. India cuisine, Chinese cuisine or you name it. She won’t spend money to buy food from restaurants. In that way, we had good food of larger amount in cheaper rate.

My mother was illiterate because she did not get chance to go school when she was young. But later she learnt how to read and write herself. She learnt together with her nine kids as we went to primary schools.

I still remember one of the events when I was seven and in the second standard. I was a smart boy when I started schooling at five but became less and less studious. I remember I became especially bad in Mathematics. I could not follow what was teaching in the class. My mother used to come to my school during the lunch times to feed me and two elder brothers who went to the same school. One day, she found that I have not finished my Mathematics home works. She asked me to do during the lunch break but I did not know how to calculate. I knew the teacher was going to check our home work after lunch break and I was sure to get beaten because I had not done my homeworks.

I saw some other mothers were guiding their children how to do their home works so I asked my mother to help me. As a child I did not know the fact that my mother was illiterate and she could not help me. My poor mother asked a woman to help me but I said I did not want her help. My mother asked an exercise book from one of the students in the class so that I can see how he calculated. I was very unhappy. I felt like I was humiliated. I blamed my mother for not able to help with my school lessons just like other mothers. I was a bad boy. I could not think how my mother felt at that time.

Later, my mother told me that she could not help me because she did not go to school when she was young. The simple advice she could give me was to try harder to master the subject I scared. She told me not to give up Mathematics because I did not like it. I tried a bit harder. I continued struggling with Mathematics for three or four years more. But I got a Distinction in Mathematics when I passed my tenth standard. The boy who struggled terribly with Mathematics went to a Medical School, became a doctor and got a master degree in Public Health focusing in Epidemiology and Biostatics.

I owe my mother for every success in my life. Her simple advice is “ Don’t give up. Try harder for the things you scare to master it.”

I am miles away from her and could not be with her to celebrate her birthday. I could not even send her a nice birthday present. But I am sure my mother will forgive me as she did for all the wrong things I have done. She will be happy with my phone call. I pray for her to have a happy, healthy long life and God blesses her always. Happy Birthday May May.