Our beloveds

Written by: Barah

One thing I regret doing when I was younger, although it didn’t happen much, was neglecting my parents. I did not give them the attention and time they deserved. As teenagers, we tend to be extremely cruel, especially to those who love and care about us. I wish I listened to my mother when she told me that one day I would regret the time I wasted around her and my Baba, because she knew all about it from her own teenaged experience. I wish we would listen to those older than us, who have been through our exact situations, and learn from them instead of having to go through problems ourselves and deal with all the consequences.

I’m close to my parents, and I love being around them; I always have and always will. I spent a lot of time with them, enjoying their company, learning from them, and so much more. I thought I did everything I needed to utilize the time I had with them. But guess what: Even with all this well spent time with them, I still feel like I didn’t give them the time and attention they truly deserved!

I moved away from home about two years ago and that meant less time with my parents, which was extremely difficult for me. I had never been away from them, and to be frank I didn’t know how I would live without them around me. I left and left them behind, I left and only had the memory of all the good times we spent together. I left broken-hearted. These past two years have been the toughest years of my life, not because I moved to a new state, not because I got married, not because I left my life behind, but because I left my parents’ arms. Not being able to hug my Mama every second of every day, not being able to have heart-to-hearts with my Baba in the middle of the night, not being able to wake up to their beautiful faces, not being able to say goodnight to them every night–it was all so heartbreaking to me, and I physically felt the pain of leaving them. Not going to lie: I cried a lot. I felt a lot of pain, and I took every and any chance to be able to fly back and see them, even if it was just for the weekend.

So for those who live with their parents, treasure that time with them, and appreciate them. Give them the love and attention they deserve, because you never know when the last time you are able to do that for them will be.

Photo credit: Barah Ahmad