BEING compared to someone else’s achievements is an awful feeling to experience, but unfortunately some parents can’t help but to compare their children.
A man in China recently opted to return to his hometown sooner for the Chinese New Year celebrations, but has since regretted the choice. The man wrote an anonymous post about his dissatisfaction with being punished for something that was not even his fault.
“Check out your relative’s son. He is currently employed and earns RMB20,000 (roughly RM13,400) each month. Do you realise how proud his parents are?” chided his dissatisfied mother.
Unfortunately, this was not the man’s first experience with his mother’s unjust comparison.
“Some things never change. My mother has always compared me to other children, even now. I can’t believe this is still occurring today.” he asserted.
What might have been a heart-warming reunion and a harmonic celebration devolved into yet another unwelcome comparison, resulting in grief that only man and God could comprehend.
Netizens, on the other hand, felt that it was not an appropriate table talk, and that the mother should have expressed gratitude for his homecoming.
One netizen said, “He’s coming back to have a meal with you, you should be grateful.”
Another online user said, “You fight poison with poison by telling her about how good other parents are.”
What are your thoughts, given that Chinese New Year is right around the corner? How would you respond to such uncalled-for questions from relatives?
