Top 10: What do you wish your parents had told you when you were younger?
- Our readers share the things they wish their parents could have told them earlier, from all about a brother that was never born to cherishing the time with people they love
- This week’s question: What is on your summer bucket list?
You can learn so much from your parents! Photo: ShutterstockThis week’s question: What is on your summer bucket list? To take part, drop us a line via this form or email us at [email protected] by 11.59pm on June 29. Tell us your name, age and school.
Last week, we asked our readers, “What do you wish your parents had told you when you were younger?” Here’s what they had to say.
The secrets our readers kept from their parents
Daniel Lee Tsz-tan, 16, Law Ting Pong Secondary School: Recently, my parents told me a piece of shocking news – I had an elder brother who was never born. It was heartbreaking when I heard the news because they had been hiding it from me for 16 years. I could imagine their pain. If they had told me earlier, I would have definitely tried to be a better son by taking good care of myself and my three-year-old baby brother. Then my parents wouldn’t have needed to worry about us too much. I’m going to try to make up for it.
Macy Tang Mei-yan, 14, CCC Heep Woh College: To cherish the time I spend with people I love. Time passes quickly and I grew up realising that things don’t always happen the way I expect them to. Friends come and go – they either change schools or they emigrate. My grandpa passed away suddenly during the pandemic. I wish I would have spent more quality time with the people I lost.
Angelica Villarubia Lai, 15, Ho Yu College and Primary School (Sponsored by Sik Sik Yuen): The fact that I would be studying in Hong Kong. I had always thought that I’d be attending school in the Philippines all the way to university. If I had known that I would be moving to Hong Kong, I would have worked harder to cherish my life in the Philippines. Also, it would have helped me to better adapt to the city’s new environment and culture.
Jamie Chun Ching-man, 15, Christ College: “We are so proud of you.” My parents always thought that I wasn’t good enough and told me that everyone was working hard except for me. I think they don’t trust me. I have always hoped that one day my parents would say they are very proud of me.
How to talk to your parents and actually be heard
Jasmine Tsang Chak-lam, 15, St. Mary’s Canossian College: Life isn’t only about grades. Raised in Hong Kong, we are taught that we need to prioritise our studies to achieve success in life. As a result, I have missed out on opportunities to learn outside the classroom. I hope that all parents tell their children to develop their hobbies and to discover their true potential.
Byron Chui Tsz-kwan, 13, Maryknoll Fathers’ School: Life isn’t always fun. It might be fun when we are children, but when we grow up, life can be boring or even depressing. At times, we will even encounter unexpected sadness, like the death of a family member, getting fired from a job, or being betrayed by people we trust. I wish my parents had told me that life isn’t all fun.
Grace Un Sze-yuet, 12, CCC Heep Woh College: I wish my parents had told me to be more outgoing and make more friends. I am shy and only have a couple of friends. I don’t know how to break the ice or build up relationships. If my parents had told me the importance of having friends when I was younger, I wouldn’t be feeling so helpless now. I do need encouragement from my peers, which is sometimes hard to get from adults.
Jennica Mirelle, 13, Ho Yu College and Primary School (Sponsored by Sik Sik Yuen): Enjoy your childhood while you still can – you’ll have more responsibilities as you grow older. I wish I knew life would pose various challenges and that it wouldn’t be as easy as when we were children. It might be scary to tell a kid the truth, but if we knew more about life, we could appreciate our childhood even more and have no regrets.
What would you do if you could stop time for one hour?
Sumina Choi Shu-nam, 14, King Ling College: I wish my parents had told me that rumours like watermelons growing inside my body weren’t true. For example, when I was a child, I was told that if I swallowed a watermelon seed, a watermelon would grow inside my body. If my parents had told me such things weren’t really true, I would have slept better as a child, especially every time I accidentally swallowed a watermelon seed.
Joy Wong Chi-nga, 14, Christ College: I wish my parents had told me to eat more when I was a child. Then I wouldn’t have turned out to be the short, slim person I am now. Although being short is cute, I want to be taller. There’s nothing I can do now except hope to grow a centimetre or two more.