Lincoln in Yellow, holidaying in Japan.
This reminds me of an anecdote in my parents family. Mum and Dad were in the era of the Chinese Confucian believes that families should have boys and of the Roman Catholic faith that they shouldn't practise family planning.
I was 11 when the twins were born. A boy Henry and a girl, Helen, the 3rd boy and 5th girl. I was really looking forward to babying them. I was too young to enjoy the last brother. Dad was working at the Education Dept and had returned from England.
Two old maids came to offer to "relieve Dad of the responsibility." They had university degrees when many girls in their generation didn't even go to school. They said that they would send Helen to study abroad. By staying with my Dad, Helen would have no chance of going abroad to study.
Mum and Dad did not know how to reject their proposal and it would be rude as Chinese to tell them no. Eventually, they used my name and told them that Ann said "NO." They went away reluctantly tell Mum and Dad to dissuade me, after all how can a kid make such an important decision.
Very often I tease Helen that I saved her from an upbringing bereft of siblings and brought up by old maids. We often wonder why they came to us, a middle class family, and why they did not go to the country to look for a girl. Perhaps they wanted the good genes of Dad.
Helen lives permanently abroad and has 3 lovely children.
This is her latest:news:
Lincoln has achieved the DUX academic award for his school. He also received special science award and small cash prize from Griffith University. We are very proud of him.
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