When spring is finally in the air and the days are leading to another Tet holiday, some people choose to return home, spending precious time at the childhood home where their father and mother are waiting for them. Some other people just want to keep roaming the world, even when it’s Tet.
And there are also people who are forever stuck on their to-do-lists year after year, who typically say “leaving it for tomorrow”. “Tomorrow I’ll do it”, “I’ll call Dad in the evening, “I’ll visit him at the weekend”, even “I’ll go home at Tet” … are all broken promises.
But for the majority of Vietnamese parents, children are always the first priority. Just like that, our parents have been worrying about us all their lives, and they’ll never stop doing so. They don’t let us know when they get sick because they don’t want us to worry about them. They refrain from calling us and only call at the weekend just to know everything is ok with us. Even when we are big and have a family of our own, still our parents will remind us that “Tet is coming, remember to book tickets early.”
Just like that, my parents never stopped worrying
Yen, the main character in the short film “365 days are Tet” by Dailynest, has her own family and life in the city, but her parents are always looking forward to her returning home. Yen’s parents do not need anything other than their children’s caring about them, even just emotionally.
The moment of understanding a mother’s silent love and realizing that her father’s health is no longer the same as before is the closest, most meaningful spot-light of the film that each of us can reflect at some point on our own return to home.
To young people, never take your parents for granted. Because every moment we grow up, our parents grow a little older. Tet is only once a year. We have time and health and there will be many more Tet holidays ahead of us, but how many springs do our parents really have left to wait for our return, our caring?
Because family is inherently something that the older we get, the less time we have to take care of, and we will regret it years later. So, do not wait until Tet to spend time with each other. Don’t wait for Tet to send love – Let 365 days all be Tet days!
