Feverish and giddy, I woke up to see my son smiling down at me. He whispered softly in my ear;”I have something for you”. He gave me a kiss and  held up a shiny gold medal in front of me. He explained how he got it. “I won first place in a school math quiz contest”. I gave him a hug of approval. I told him that he’s a brilliant kid; and that I am proud to be his mom. Even though I was down with flu the whole day I felt joyful. My son knows how to lift my spirits up.

He never fails to amaze me. This is his third achievement in his first year in elementary school. A month ago, he took a Mathematics Aptitude Test and he aced the exam, ranking 1st. Then weeks before, during the school’s recognition day, Mi-Kha received a citation and certificate for BEST in Science. And now, this  — a gold medal in a math quiz bowl.

Like any other parent, I sure would like my son to ’shine’. To see it through, I will give him the opportunity to shape his life.

I will let him have a freehand in deciding the path to his dreams so that he may be happy. Because if one is happy it’s much easier to navigate through life towards success.