Other people's children

This year, Bong just turned 10. She's a pretty little girl with thick, long hair, big, dark eyes, and a stubborn, prominent forehead. Bong is intelligent, perhaps a little lazy, but she has a funny and charming way of speaking. Furthermore, anyone who has met Bong says her thinking and reasoning are mature and grown-up. Ms. Luong Lan, a journalist and friend of her mother, often says to her daughter in a poetic way: Bong is an old soul in a child's body. Bong's "premature maturity" is probably partly due to circumstances. Bong's mother is a single mother. Even though she's older, her personality is often as naive as a child's, so Bong has to grow up to "teach" her mother, as her grandparents and aunts and uncles jokingly say. Having Bong when she was nearly forty, her mother naturally loves her very much, yet sometimes, due to clumsiness, she makes Bong upset and angry. The story of "Other People's Children" is one example.

Illustration: MINH SON

This year, Bong is in 5th grade, her final year of middle school, so her mother is very worried. She's been anxiously asking around and trying to find out more about Bong's transition to the next grade. She often complains to her friends about being a first-time mother, and a single mom at that, having to figure everything out and solve everything herself. There are so many things she doesn't know about raising a child on her own that she's overwhelmed. So, right from the beginning of the school year, she's been calling one acquaintance after another to ask for advice. The house is small, and her voice is quite loud, so Bong doesn't need to strain her ears; she can hear and understand everything. Sometimes she asks about the advantages of specialized schools, other times she worries about extra classes and bonus points. She asks Bong which school she wants to attend: Nguyen An Ninh specialized school like Ngoc Han, Bong's best friend, or Tran Phu school near her grandparents' house, so that when her mother is away, there's someone to help.

The other day, before bedtime, Mom was checking Bông's schoolbag when she saw Bông's English test with a score of 8.5. 8.5 wasn't too low, but it was still lower than Bông's previous scores and even lower than Mom's expectations. Bông kept the test in the test paper file, neither showing it off nor hiding it from Mom. But when Mom saw the test, she immediately picked it up, examined it closely, and then started questioning. Like other mothers, she didn't care about the score itself, but only wanted to know if Bông's score was lower than her classmates'. First, she asked:

- Was that test difficult, son/daughter?

- Yes, it's... quite difficult.

- How many points did Linh Lan get? Linh Lan is also Bong's best friend.

- Linh Lan also got 8.5 points.

- How many points did Van Anh get? Van Anh had previously won the city-level award for outstanding English student. Bong was slightly annoyed.

- It probably got a 10.

- How many did Duc Thang get? Duc Thang is the boy who sits at the same desk as Bong. Hearing this, Bong yawned and reluctantly replied:

- Duc Thang has 9 points.

- How come Thang didn't take extra English classes, yet he got a higher score of 9 than me?

"How would I know? And Mom, stop talking about those 'other people's children' all the time. I'm your daughter, and even if they get a perfect score, they're not your children!" Mom quickly turned and hugged Bong around the waist, trying to soothe her.

- Oh, my dear daughter, don't be so angry! I'm sorry, but you see; all the other students I just asked scored higher than you. Van Anh is already known for being a good student, I wouldn't dare say that, but those two others...

There was nothing she could do! Bong sighed and closed her eyes tightly. A few minutes later, her feigned sleep turned into real sleep. But even in real sleep, Bong knew for sure that her mother was still awake beside her.

Whether it's due to age or because Mom calls friends and acquaintances for advice, not to mention her frequent interaction with parenting articles online, she's still worried about Bông's emotional intelligence (EQ) development. From being clumsy at ages 9 or 10, Bông still doesn't know how to do housework, and Mom still has to bathe her. Mom even mentioned to Aunt Diên that Bông, at her age, still hasn't shown any signs of puberty while some of Bông's friends already had daughters-in-law last year. Bông reluctantly retorted, "Lately, I've been arguing with you a lot, having strange thoughts; that's also a sign of puberty." Mom chuckled and said, "Yeah, yeah, maybe."

This afternoon, when Mom saw Bong lying stretched out on the couch watching movies on the iPad, she immediately gave her a command:

"Take your eyes off that iPad, go upstairs and get the things for me." Bong quickly got the things and put them on the chair, then picked up the iPad again to continue watching the movie she had left unfinished. Seeing this, her mother became annoyed and reminded her:

- Other kids know how to fold, iron, wash dishes, and sweep the house without being asked, but you spend all day surfing the web and watching TV.

Bong put down her iPad and started folding clothes, but she was seething inside: "It's always 'other people's kids'!"

In the late afternoon, Mom called Bông to take a bath. Bông went into her room, locked the door, and called out:

- Let me bathe myself. Otherwise, Mom will complain about "other people's children."

- Oh, but aren't other kids your age already able to bathe and wash themselves properly? Mom hasn't realized the seriousness of the issue yet, so she's just teasing me.

- If you care so much about other people's children, then go find someone else's child and give them a bath. I can take care of myself.

At mealtime, Mom took the fish out of the pot to give to Bong to eat with rice, but Bong shook her head and pushed it away.

- Okay, I'll take care of myself, Mom. Go and clean the fish for "other people's children" to eat. Otherwise, you'll be complaining that other people's children eat a lot of fish, that's why they're so smart. I'm not surprised! Mom stared at Bong, both annoyed and amused, but "Even God avoids interfering with someone's meal," so she remained silent, focused on eating, and told herself not to say anything inappropriate and to tone down the sensitive phrase "other people's children." However, somehow, after finishing her meal, Mom forgot about Bong's protest and reminded her to clean the table properly, which only fueled Bong's anger again.

- Yes, I know that other kids clean the table better than me. Mom, please ask them to come and do it!

"Hey, child, why are you talking like that?" Bong turned away, her voice already tinged with tears.

- I know I'm clumsy and incompetent, but aren't I your own child? Why do you keep comparing me to everyone else all the time?!

The mother was stunned. She had never imagined that those thoughtless words would upset Bong so much. She hurried over, intending to hug Bong and apologize, but Bong was sulking, pouting, and stormed straight up to her room.

Mom washed the dishes, cleaned up, wiped the table, and arranged the chairs, not daring to ask Bong to do anything. The atmosphere was quiet and heavy, making Bong a little scared. Honestly, Bong just wanted Mom to stop nagging and comparing her to her friends, but maybe she had gone too far. Mom must be very sad, otherwise why would she be silent for so long? Having read many books and watched a lot of TikTok, Bong knew that comparing one's child to others was a bad habit that many mothers have, not just Mom. But knowing it is one thing, and keeping oneself from getting angry when being compared is another. It's always "other people's children," "other people's children." How can I become like other people's children? Bong sighed, then sat down at the table and took out her books to study.

Late at night, while Bong was still sitting at her desk finishing her math revision, her mother opened the door and walked in. Her mother gently approached her and put her arm around Bong's shoulder:

- Have you finished your homework? Was it difficult? Do you need any help from me? Bong covered her mouth with her hand and yawned widely.

"I'm done, the teacher gave us so much homework..." After answering, Bong suddenly remembered and chuckled, adding:

"I have to study hard to be a good child, so Mom, you go to sleep first!" Mom gently hugged Bong tightly.

- Come on, little one. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to upset you. Actually, I just wanted you to try harder. But now I understand, you're my child. You're unique, and I love you for who you are, my Bông, not Vân Anh or Đức Thắng. From now on, I'll never mention the phrase "other people's children" to scold Bông again. Now, close your books. Let's go to bed!

Bong hugged her mother tightly, planted a quick kiss on her cheek, and said happily:

- Yes, thank goodness! From now on, I won't have to see that annoying "model child" anymore, hehe!

Short stories by BUI DE YEN

Source: https://baobariavungtau.com.vn/van-hoa-nghe-thuat/202506/con-nha-nguoi-ta-1045228/