Between USD1 M & The Son Back

About two weeks ago, i received a bad news that one of my distance relative had lost her baby. The baby died in the custody of a babysitter.  Another case of choking while being left alone with a bottle of milk.

In 1992, when my first born was 3 months old, I was promoted and was given the responsibility to manage a branch in Kuantan.  My wife and baby were in KL and I became a weekend husband.  After three months, I called my wife and asked her, " Rozi, what do you really want in life?" "Happines...." she said.  And I added,"Happiness is not about making money, happiness is about being together".  She understood what I meant and immediately she tendered her resignation.  Soon after that, she and six-month old Akram joined me in Kuantan.  At that time, a lot f people close to us objected to her action of leaving the job. They cannot accept that a woman left a job so that she can take care of her baby.  And i never like the idea of someone else taking care of kid other than her mom.

In December 1993, there was a news in TV3 about a couple, whose maid had ran away that day, and this couple need to go to work but didn't know what to do with their two kids, 4 year old boy and two year-old daughter. Then someone call them and said there was somebody who can take care of their kids and by 9am they sent their kids to this lady in Bangsar.  Then both of them rush to work.  ( I remember the timing very well because it was also at that time that the condominium in Highland Towers collapsed)

By 11am, the husband got a call from the police.  Her son had died from falling off the 15th floor, where they were supposed to be taken care of by the new-found babysitter.  I still remember how sad and how disturbed the couple was when they were shown on TV.   They were speechless and did not response to the reporters.
At that time, i asked my wife," If you go to that couple and offer them... on their left side there is USD 1 million and on their right side there is their son back, which one, that you think, they would choose?"  I asked that quite loud so that the people that opposed to her resignation before ( that happen to be around at that time) would hear that and would understand my point.  Of course they, the couple, would have chosen their son back, no matter what amount of money you offered them.  How do we know? because at that time we also had a son and a daughter. And we know we would never trade them for anything.

"You see Rozy, that couple could not make that choice.  But when you resigned last year, we made that choice, that we want our son rather than the money.  We are lucky because we have the choice. But  that couple didn't have that".

Now 2010, it is quite impossible for the working couples to live without a maid. And that includes me. I have a new family with three small kids and the mother is working.  So to minimize the risk of getting a bad maid, I went to Jakarta/  Bandung to get one myself.  And Alhamdullilah, our maid is very very good.