A Parent's Proud Day

Tuesday the 30^th of December 2008, is the day the PMR results came out. In the olden days, it used to be known as LCE( for English medium) or SRP( Malay medium). Many of you will remember those days. You are considered brilliant if you have a few distinctions and the lowest of aggregates. An aggregate of 5 means, you have 5 A1’s. These days, getting at least 5 A’s is a common occurrence. Our boys and girls compete in getting as may A’s as possible.

Our youngest boy in the family, Harris sat for the PMR this year. He has been studying conscientiously. He is also the lebai of the family. He is meticulous over observing the mandatory solats of the day. He would get terribly upset if doesn’t pray on time.

Today when the results came out, he wasn’t that anxious to be the early bird to school. So Mamasita and I went for breakfast, telling him we would fetch him and then go to school to get his results.

At around 11 am, we came back to the house to fetch him. His older brothers, Hakim and Seth wanted to follow too. Hakim is back for a short holiday from Liverpool where he works as a software engineer. Seth is waiting for his SPM results.

We arrived at the school but did not see a large crowd of students waiting for results. Then we just remembered that it is almost 12 and that most of the students had already taken their results. So the three brothers alighted from our car and made their way to the office. Only then did we notice , Harris was a bit anxious. He walked diffidently towards the office. That brought a chuckle from Mamasita, but after a few minutes, I think, the excitement got the better of her. She got out of the car and walked towards the school office.

After a few minutes, she rang me on my mobile phone. I could hear her exclaiming excitedly- Ariff.!.he got straight A’s. I could only respond by saying syukur….

Then they left the office and walked towards the car. I had my camera with me which is now my practice so that I can record events that I may use as material in my blog.

And so, here are some photographs, showing the proud mother and father.

The proud mother, brothers and Harris.

The Equally proud father, brothers and Harris.

We savoured each moment going over the grades on the results script. I cannot find the words to describe the feeling of seeing all A’s against each subject. To make sure, we counted to verify. There were indeed 8 A’s. Yes, our son did us proud today. He has made all in the family proud. To our youngest boy, Harris, we say, congratulations and praise be to Allah. He came forward to hug me and said thank you. He hugged Mamasita and said thank you too.

We are very sure, all over the country, there are very many proud parents celebrating the success of their children. Their children’s success is also theirs to savour. To all proud parents, we congratulate them too. To the other parents, if the children’s results were not as sterling as expected, we say, don’t despair. The PMR is just the beginning of our children’s long journey. We have to accompany them as far as possible.

Next year, our youngest who is a girl, will sit for her PMR. She must now try to equal Harris’s achievement. An older sister, will be sitting for her SPM. I pray, that as parents, Mamasita and I will be equal to our responsibility. I think it was James Agee who said this:-

"In every child who is born, no matter what circumstances, and of no matter what parents, the potentiality of the human race is born again: and in him, too, once more, and of each of us, our terrific responsibility toward human life; toward the utmost idea of goodness, of the horror of terror, and of God."