It's the kids!!!!!

In my last post, I did say something about this Raya being exceptionally dull. and I couldn't find a reason for it. I think, I found the answer over the weekend. I think the key to having a great Raya is kids! No, it's not another post about me and kids, or lack thereof - that bothers me not!

Here's the thing. My aunt came over, the very same one whose son I asked about his coming of age, with her family and my parents, siblings and sis-in-law were there too on Sunday. From my house, we split up as my mom and dad had their own agenda, my sister, brother and sis-in-law following them, my uncle and aunt had theirs while me and my wife had ours. While they were there, the festive mood within me kicked in. It's not just that the family was there, it was the kids who livened up the mood with their antics. Ask any newbie parents and they'd say the same thing. Hari Raya before having kids and after are a lot different.

After we went our separate ways from my home, I went to the homes of 2 of my paternal aunts whom I had made appointments with prior to that. Thereafter we met up with the whole family again at my younger brother's house in Punggol. At my 4th aunt's place in Tampines, it was just me, my wife and my aunt having a chat while her husband was in the bathtub having just came home from work. No kids around - her eldest daughter, now a beautiful woman of 23, is studying in the US, her second son was in camp - doing his duty, while her youngest son was out with friends. The mood? Sombre.

At my 5th aunt's place, it was much better. All 4 of her kids were in, though 1 was sleeping - conserving his energy for his trip back to Pulau Tekong. There were some other extended family members around as well as she was having an open house. It was so much livelier there than at my 4th aunt's place with kids making a din with their laughter and constant screaming. It has to be the kids making all the noise rite? Cos if it were the adults, something must have gone wrong!

From my brother's place in Punggol, my wife and I drove back to my in-laws to bring her mom to visit my wife's side of the family. My BIL, SIL and MIL with 3 kids crammed into my tiny car and off we went. This time the festive mood was there throughout the time, in stark contrast to the trips my wife and I took on our own. In all 3 houses we went, the baby of the bunch, my youngest nephew, 2 years old and growing, was the biggest noise maker with his antics. Though terrified of me, due in large part to my inculcation of a climate of fear surrounding me, he still was lively.

I have always believed that someone in the family must be the bad guy to keep the children in check - it just had to be me this time. My youngest paternal aunt was the same with me. That aside, growing up, I've heard some parents say that Hari Raya is all about the kids, it's not so much for the parents to celebrate as it is for the kids. I mean the parents don't get the green packets, the kids do. What joy would there be in this world without the kids? I couldn't agree more.

Just don't ask me where mine are!