Parents and their teachings

In life, I felt attached to my mother from a young age. We had a bond and I could open up to her about anything. On the other hand, my father and I had a different, a more reserved relationship. Our discussions if any, would be about general topics like the current status of Indian cricket captain Virat Kohli, the future of tennis, about my university applications and other general topics.

All these years, my mother and I ran conversational marathons for hours, and while running the marathon, I discovered that our relationship felt more than just a bond between a mother and her son; it felt like a friendship. However, unlike my mother, my father was no fan of conversations, and our lack of expressiveness made me doubt if we had a connection.

However, after my teenage years passed by, and I left for university abroad, my doubts were answered, and I understood that love, genuineness, and care doesn’t need to be verbally expressed in order to be recognised. Furthermore, I realised that the essence of our bond was built beautifully on the element of silence.

My tongue-tied relation with my father first taught me about the value of love and how it is not just a word. Secondly, my father’s genuineness made me want to be like him. Lastly, his journey also showed me the path to success - a disciplined journey with willpower. Ultimately, my father’s silence taught me that connections don’t necessarily require words. Silent actions are more than enough to people who mean something to you.

- The reader is a student based in the US.