I didn’t like the idea of being in a traditional family when I was younger. At that time, in my thinking, being traditional was something not cool. However, we are traditional, a Vietnamese traditional family. Although my mother is also working but she still spends the morning at home to do housework. Thus, my father is still considered the top of the family. My mother, like many Vietnamese women, spends more time with children than my father. In our society, it’s popular that men work and women take care of children. I didn’t talk to my father as much as I do to my mother. It doesn’t mean that I hate him

My father is a funny person. He always laughs and says jokes to make people laugh. That’s why I felt he’s never serious about anything or he never cared about me and my sister. Sometimes I just hoped that he would ask me about my boyfriends, school,…but he rarely did. But I did not find out that he cared until my 11th grade when I insisted on going to the U.S. for high school. My mother, after being begged for a whole year, agreed to let me go. Three months before I left, my father asked me to go out with him. That was the first time I’ve ever seen him so serious. He told me that my mother had been crying every night. She thought I was too young to be alone. He asked me to stay home one more year until I graduated. And he told me he and my mother had been saving money for years for me and my sister to study abroad after high school. It wouldn’t be late to start college abroad. I was so surprised. I did not know that he thought about my education, saved money for me. I decided to stay until I graduated. My mother was so happy about that although I’ve heard that she has been crying many times since I left. Sometimes, for a person who is rarely serious, his words are very effective when he is. Unlike my father’s advices are more about life and career. He’s the eldest son in the family. In Vietnamese tradition, the eldest son has to take care of parents and worship ancients. And the eldest son should have a son to continue his task. But my parents don’t have a son. He often jokes about me being the “son” to take care of grandparents and worshiping ancients. I did not feel bad about that. I thought if none of my uncles had a son, I would take the task. It’s not a burden in my thinking. It’s just about taking care of family members as everyone should do. In fact, my parents always take care of me so why I would hesitate in taking care of them and carrying out their task. That’s a very traditional belief which I think should be treasured.

When I read Girl of Jamaica Kincaid (from Global Voices), I felt the resemblance between the mother in the story and my mother. Kincaid listed her mother’s advice into a story. Many of those advices are just like my mother’s. Probably, that’s how most mothers are regardless to their backgrounds. My mother and I talk a lot. She told me about her childhood, her life ... I love listening to her telling story. From those stories, I know she was an obedient kid. She never disobeyed my grandparents except for once when she decided to marry my father. My mother’s family was rich an

Some topics in this essay:
Global Voices, Ang Lee, Wedding Banquet, , eldest son, demand sons daughters, own experience, doesn’t mean, worried tempted, own values, study abroad, taking care, traditional family, family mother, told mother,