Stories

Lessons From Our Parents

Image of a Malaysian Chinese mother in her 40s in a faded blue blouse smiling at her young son in a white school shirt as he eats a plate of wan tan mee, with only a plastic cup of plain water in front of her on the white marble table and her worn black handbag on the chair, in an old kopitiam in Falim, Ipoh

3 November 2026 · Lessons From Our Parents

The Plain Water: Every Time We Ate Out, My Mother Ordered Plain Water and Said She Wasn't Hungry

Every time we ate out, my mother ordered plain water and said she had already eaten. I was 14, I thought she was stingy, and I pretended I didn't know her. Years later, I found her little red account books.

2 November 2026 · Lessons From Our Parents

The 9PM Switch: At 9pm, My Father Switched Off the Internet for the Whole House, Including Himself

Every night at 9pm, my father pulled the plug on the wifi for the whole house. I was 14, always the last to know everything, and I called him a dinosaur. I found out why he did it at his retirement dinner.

1 November 2026 · Lessons From Our Parents

The Report Card: I Failed Maths at 13 and My Father Put It in a Frame. Five Years Later, I Found Out What Was Hidden Behind It

I failed Maths when I was 13. My father didn't shout. He bought a RM6 frame and hung my report card in the hallway, where every visitor could see it. I hated him for five years.

31 October 2026 · Lessons From Our Parents

The Murukku: Every Deepavali, My Thatha Made Me Roll Murukku for Hours. The Shop Sold It Cheaper

Every Deepavali, my thatha made me sit on his kitchen floor and roll murukku for hours, even though the shop down the road sold a whole tin for RM15. I hated it. I didn't know what he was hiding.

30 October 2026 · Lessons From Our Parents

The Rice Pot: When I Was Nine, My Mother Stopped Cooking for Me. Sixteen Years Later, I Found Out Why

When I was nine, my mother stopped cooking dinner for me. She stood by the stove with her arms folded while I burnt eggs and cried over onions.

28 October 2026 · Lessons From Our Parents

THE SCHOOL BAG: MY MUM NEVER BROUGHT ME WHAT I FORGOT. YEARS LATER, I FOUND OUT WHERE SHE HAD BEEN ALL THOSE MORNINGS

Every night, my mum made me pack my own school bag. If I forgot something, I went without. Other mums drove back with lunch boxes. Mine never did. Or so I thought.