Laissez Faire

Going through an interview I did with a single mother who is living in a L-shape (where the house has no rooms, only one common area, and a toilet and bathroom) apartment. She earns $1300 a month, and with that, she supports her mother, as well as her 2 children. Her kids are borderline in school, and she says that it’s bad influence that causes it.

It is very easy to label her as a “typical unmotivated lower income Malay lady”, who “does not think ahead” or is “lazy to be strict with her kids”. But one thing she said struck a chord with me because it is something that most educated and high strung parents still don’t get. 

When we asked if she has set any goals for her children, she said:

“It’s very difficult if you set it because the goals that you set is based on what you want. So I think that it’s only fair that they set it themselves. Give them that freedom to choose what they want to be when they grow up.”

Bravo.