Love

The birth of my daughter, Jasmine, has changed my life in ways I cannot express. The moment Jasmine came into our lives, neither my wife nor I has allowed ourselves to be our top priorities. There's so much we want for our daughter, so much we talk about our daughter, so much we stand up for our daughter.

Being a parent is not about who brings up the smartest kid, owns the biggest house, or throws the most lavish birthday party. What really matters, dare I say it, is love. I was reassured that's the true answer when my daughter came home from his summer camp this weekend.

Soon after her excursion, my daughter would share with us her story of kayaking, dolphin watching, sand castle building and even television broadcasting. As we talked more about the camp activities, our conversation switched to the topic of her classmates.

"Our camp leader asked if this is the first time we're away from parents - if we don't count going to school. Some of us said yes," Jasmine continued. "Only thing is, I just reckoned quite a lot of my classmates said hooray to have been out of the radar of parents. They don't love their moms or dads. Unbelievable."

"Mind-boggling," my daughter kept repeating, apropos of dislike about parents. "That's almost as unbelievable as finding a kid who hates ice-cream."

I don't know the answer to my daughter's question, but I know very well I will continue to work hard on being the best father and husband I can be.