From when I was a schoolgirl through college until today, my mother has always offered to buy me clothes, shoes, and more. I’m quite sure this is partly because she would like me to dress better and partly because I’m her daughter, and she loves me. It’s taken me a couple of decades to understand this completely.
My father always brought me several presents when he returned from his work trips abroad. I also have a myriad of memories of my father bringing me documents to sign when I was quite young.
At the time, signing across the dotted line on multiple pages felt like a huge chore to me. Even when my mother clarified that I had to sign the documents because my father was purchasing a house or a piece of land for me, I was so not interested. I’d rather have been playing outside with my friends.
Now that I’m in my 40s, I can truly appreciate everything that they did for me.
They bought me jewelry as an investment
During my 20s, my birthday presents were almost always jewelry. They would get me gold and diamond pieces that I asked my mother to hold on to for later in life because, at the time, I was mostly wearing silver. I was also worried about losing an expensive item or that the items didn’t go well with my more casual style.
Every piece of diamond jewelry I own is a gift from my mother. At no point in my life have I saved up to buy jewelry, and I can count the times when I have saved up money to buy anything.
Experiences and travel, yes. Stuff, no. Going out for a good meal, watching a riveting show, exploring the world — these have always been my clear motivations and where I spend money.
It was only in my 30s that I came to realize what my parents were doing.
I was able to get the house I wanted, thanks to my dad’s forward-thinking
Four years ago, when my husband and I were looking to buy a house, we were able to buy our dream house that cost over double what we had budgeted for, thanks to a piece of land that my father had invested in for me when I was in school. His foresight and investment meant that after selling the land, we had enough to buy our new home.
Two years ago, my first child was born, and that’s when I truly understood the love of a parent and that feeling of wanting to give your child everything the world has to offer. Over the next few months, along with taking care of my daughter, I began to take better care of my finances and started thinking about how I could plan for her future. This is exactly what my parents were trying to do all along.
I’m 40 now, and as I stare at my daughter smiling, I spot the tiny diamond earrings sparkling in her ears and smile, too. My parents had just gifted those to her on her second birthday. I have no thoughts of inadequacy or focusing on what I cannot do for my child— I’m plain grateful that my parents are in the position to give us all of the gifts we desire.
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