DADDY'S PROTECTION

True story of a father's feeling when he's overseas

The other day I was sitting in a MTR train in Hong Kong on the way back to my hotel while on a business trip. It had been a pretty long, tiring day and I was slowly unwinding on the ride that was expected to take about a half hour. Looking around, I observed a young couple in their late-twenties or early-thirties sitting diagonally opposite me at the other end of the train-carriage. They were seated side-by-side like any other regular couple, but what caught my eye was that on the man’s lap, was seated a cute little girl with a china doll hairdo in a soft green dress. Judging by her size, I guessed she was probably about two years old.

Missing my own children, I snatched glances at them throughout the ride. I was especially tickled to see the little girl crawling all over her Daddy. She bounced herself from the left lap to the right lap, and then bounced back again. She struggled to stand up and also tried to climb onto her Daddy’s shoulders. She peered curiously and excitedly out of the window; and observed the people movements each time the train stopped – as different people boarded or alighted.

However, I was really impressed by the Daddy in the train. No matter what the little girl tried to do- be it climb, stand, stretch or peer curiously, his protective arm was always there to support her or be in a position ready to catch her should she fall. There was not a single moment that he did not have an arm around her to support her. More than that, he was always talking to her and pointing out interesting things, whether it was bright lights or views along the way. Most impressively, he was absolutely patient. Not once did he raise his voice or show any sign of displeasure at the little girl’s incessant activity. The little girl was appreciative - judging by the bright, happy look she wore throughout the time I was observing them.

Regrettably I left them when I got to my stop - but this scene led me to the comforting conclusion that fathers everywhere are basically the same. We all want to provide a protected environment for our children. We all want to be there to provide a supportive arm for our children to climb on. Just as much, we all want to be the one to introduce the world to our children. These are things that I recall myself doing when my own children were around this little girl’s age. I am confident to say that it would not matter whether this train ride scene was situated in Singapore, Hong Kong, Tokyo, New York or any other city or country. I am sure all fathers, can be expected to play their protective, supportive and guiding roles, no matter where they come from.