There are countless phases in life that test the soul, but nothing is as profoundly strange as watching your parents grow old.

• We are no longer children. Now, it is our turn to become the crown on our father’s head, the cool shade for our mother.

There are countless phases in life that test the soul, but nothing is as profoundly strange as watching your parents grow old.

In our teenage years, our gaze is fixed on books, absorbed in studies, barely noticing how our parents’ graying hair gets concealed beneath layers of dye.

In college, we’re lost in friends’ chatter, excited over trying a new dish, thrilled about the next chapter of a novel, caught up in midterm preparations. Amid all this, where is the room to notice that our mother’s bones are weakening?

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We spend so much time bringing glow to our skin, trying out every new cosmetic, obsessing over fresh designs for our clothes, and fail to see how our father’s heels have worn down, how a subtle fatigue has crept into his walk.

Youth is full of exuberance, and its opposite, weariness, runs in parallel—each moving in different directions. We are young, while our parents grow older.

Through education, we gain knowledge and can save ourselves from many losses. Yet, we cannot stop their aging; we cannot delay time. The only thing we can give is what every human possesses in abundance: love, care, compassion, and attention.

Parents don’t ask for the same care they once gave us when we were born, when we grew. All they need is a little time and thought. No one has to stay up all night, soothing or silencing them. All it takes is staying present when they are awake, lifting our gaze from the screens to honor the lines that have appeared on their faces—the very faces our Creator made the first vision for our eyes.

Parents don’t ask for the same care they once gave us when we were born, when we grew. All they need is a little time and thought.

We are educated, enlightened; we understand reason, philosophy, science, even artificial intelligence. But can we become emotionally intelligent as well? Can we awaken the compassion and kindness within? This is the time to fulfill our part.

Our mothers are going through menopause. Do we know what that truly entails, its stages, its challenges? Do we understand the effects of weakened bones, reduced estrogen? A mother’s body goes through a profound change. She is not just a physical being; she was our first home. It’s our duty to care for her with reverence. Even now, she still serves everyone first, then eats the leftovers, assuring us, “I’m not that hungry,” and we believe her.

Image courtesy: LinkedIn

Time is passing; we worry about losing our earrings, but our mothers are losing muscle mass. We fret over a new pimple, while our mother’s skin loses collagen, increasing the risks of inflammation. Do we know this?

Our father’s ankles ache now, his knees give him trouble. Often, he clutches his head or snaps in hunger—something he never used to do. Have we heard of blood pressure, or do we understand the intricacies of blood sugar? Do we know about arthritis? After reading a few books on literature, we think we can read faces, but have we ever understood the shelf where our father hides all the worries of his job? Have we ever known?

Do we grasp the struggles of those who protected us as we pursued our dreams?

We are no longer children. Now, it is our turn to become the crown on our father’s head, the cool shade for our mother.

To all my peers reading this: we urgently need to educate ourselves on this. If we remain unaware, all our education, all our awareness, is in vain.

Learn how much activity and rest your parents need, both essential in balanced amounts. Walking, exercise, rest, good nutrition—all are crucial. And above all, your time, your smile, your cheerful face, and the glow in your eyes as you listen to their stories.

It’s time to pamper our parents now, sometimes playfully, sometimes persistently. In this phase of life, we must have all the information about their needs. There’s no one more important than parents; to lose them would be like starting life all over again.

We are no longer children. Now, it is our turn to become the crown on our father’s head, the cool shade for our mother.

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Published under International Cooperation with "Sindh Courier"