Claire (Part 1)

Claire came home from school having shitted in her pants, think the stress of 2 tests in a day and my early morning mushroom soup got the better of her digestive system. My mum flew into a rage, screaming at and shaming her with remarks like what a fine example as a monitor she was and how her friends would all distance themselves from her henceforth.

I witnessed my shadow in Claire. That was how I was brought up, caning, screaming and shaming were commonplace in little things that have gone wrong. For my mum, the stress of livelihood got the better of her then. But I wonder what it is now that financial stability is no longer a concern. Can't help but walked over and hugged my shivering Claire, told her it's perfectly okay and all it takes next time is to ask for permission to go to the loo. She broke down, sadly and loudly. Till today, I still associate my pessimism, low self esteem and lack of confidence to my childhood days and do not wish the same for my kids.

A little more about my Claire and the little things she has done that really touched me so ... ... in the next post.