International Children’s Day–The Fourth of April

I have a fond memory of the fourth of April. It used to be the Children’s Day in Hong Kong ( not sure whether people there still celebrate it), and as children we got excited on the day because we might get some gifts or special food. My parents didn’t have spare money to buy gifts for their six children, but they often gave us a nice surprise by taking us out. And at times when we were really lucky, we were even given a delicious treat in a café.

Those were very tough times for my parents. The hardship gradually wore them out, and later I often heard them scream at each other. But nearly every year I had a good time on Children’s Day until I became a teenager who detested being treated as a child.

When I became a mother, I always made Children’s Day special for my daughter. We usually spent the day with my siblings and their kids so the cousins could have a nice time together, playing, eating and opening presents. Then my two sisters and their families emigrated to Canada and shortly afterwards, we also moved to Sydney. The cousins could only see one another when we all went back to Hong Kong for a visit. But the children never got the chance to meet again on the fourth of April.

I remember we still celebrated Children’s Day in our first two years in Sydney. But when my daughter turned thirteen, she told me she was no longer a child and hated being treated as one. So I stopped making a fuss about Children’s Day, but every year when the fourth of April arrives, my heart is still warmed by the sweet old memories. Those were the days, and we never forget certain feelings.