Friday 15 September 2006

So, you're sixteen, eh?

The day he started his weeklong work experience, wearing his new Zara pants, he looked so smart I nearly cried. He was so excited that he couldn’t wait to rush out of the door, giving me only two quick kisses. Only two, when it used to be four or five. I shouldn’t really be complaining, as he is after all almost an adult – he will be sixteen on the sixteenth. So, two kisses cannot be that bad. It is better than none.

He left me alone with my thoughts and memories of the day he came into my life. I remember the day the labour pains came just as H and I were enjoying a bar of Galaxy in the birthing room. When the pain came, I just wanted H to go and tell the midwife that I had changed my mind, that I didn’t need another baby. After all, we already had three. But the waves of pain were persistent and the bar of Galaxy lost its appeal. The next thing I knew H was nursing an aching and bruised arm as a result of being tugged and pulled and scratched in my attempts to make him share the pain. But the pain went with the realisation that I had been blessed with another boy to complete our set!

And all too soon, the toddler who used to cling to the back of my chair and cover my mouth with his chubby little hands whenever I tried to speak on the phone, grew up to be my closest ally, confidante and friend. The little boy whose hand I held throughout our car rides because he was scared of the dark, became my reliable bodyguard on our shopping trips together, my constant companion to just about anywhere, an easy prey to my endless emotional blackmails. A harsh critic of my satorial non-sense, he tolerates my idiosyncrasies which seem to embarass his siblings.

I remember the look on his face the day I started wearing the hijab. He was beaming from ear to ear. He must have been only twelve when I reasoned with him that I was not goingt o wear the tudung just because he wanted me to. I had to make him understand that when I wore it, it was because I was ready and that it must come from the heart. He understood. But it never stopped him from whispering “You look nice, Mama” everytime I donned a scarf to go to the surau. Now that I have a collection of Sri Munawarah’s wonderful creations, his smiles of approval never left his face ‘cos he loves how neatly the tudungs framed my face as he no longer had to sweep in the strands of hair that strayed out of my otherwise clumsily tied tudungs.

Yes, he tolerates me and humours me and for that I am glad I didnt cancel the order that day sixteen years ago. The little baby we brought back from the Hammersmith Hospital has given me so much joy and happiness and I hope and pray that he will continue to be the loving, dependable and reliable son that he is. To my sayang mama, have a wonderful birthday and although I will not be with you to celebrate this day, I will be thinking of you. Love you heaps, my little Batman!










46 comments:

Anonymous said...

Nice post kak teh ;)
p/s: I am ur loyal rss feed subscriber and this post gave me a warm feeling inside.
Suddenly I miss my mom so much :)

melayudilondon said...

Hehehhe. Batman's birthday ye? Wow, i remember first time i met him he was like 10 years old. still can bully. dah besar anak mak!

Queen Of The House said...

Kak Teh, happy birthday to your Batman!

Teringat my son, reminding me to pakai tudung before going out, and to buat kopi bila 'suami mama' balik - macam tu baru 'Wanita Solehah', dia kata (macam kat dalam poster yang mama dia tampal dalam almari tu) ....

Anonymous said...

very touching, kak teh. I could feel your love and pride resonating from the words you wrote. happy birthday to your dearest Batman!

ROYAL JESTER said...

KT,
Very nice. How come you can't celebrate his birthday with him? Dia pi mana?sorry la if I missed the train..
Dah besar dah batman!

Anonymous said...

sorry for my ignorance,what is this bar of galaxy?

Ruby M. said...

salam kak teh,
happy birthday to taufiq - err i doubt he like to be called batman now that he is 16!!! ur so lucky to have him. ada recipe tak buat anak yang baik? my little one can still be moulded?

OOD said...

aaawww.. sweet tapinya hiba.

kim salam itu batman.

Anonymous said...

Happiest Birthday wishes to your Sayang Mama!!!!

Anonymous said...

Wishing your 'Sayang Mama' the happiest Birthday!!!!

Anonymous said...

but no pic.

really? u really did ask your hubby to talk to the midwife? hihihih

-rotidua

anedra said...

Happy Birthday too sayang Kak Dena!! Are u still 16 already?? I still remember the day you just HAD to buy those army pants and I had to put them on for u in the fitting room! Gosh.. u were only 5 then!!

And now 16??? Goshh!!!!!!! Nak nangislah macam ni!!

Anonymous said...

alamak... terharunyee... sayunye... my eldest son is only 4 now. I always wonder what he would be 10 or 20 years from now... hope that he will be as caring as your youngest son. Happy birthday to him & to my Ahmad also (16/6/02)

MA said...

Awww..so sweet !

Happy Birthday, T !

Anonymous said...

Kakteh, what a lovely son you have. He's so sweet. Still kisses you so many times everyday? Wah, no wonder you don't want your children to leave home and no wonder they don't want to leave home. Happy 16th birthday to Batman. That's 2 bloggers' children's birthday this week...yours and bsb's.

demonsinme said...

AKAK TEH:

An unworthy gift for you and your batman...

The Other Side of the Moon

said a lover to a lover,
such beauty the sky uncover,
such whiteness and purity that seem to last forever,
makes hate's heart quiver and shiver...

said a husband to a wife,
night be silent not meaning there's not life,
night be shine by those that strive,
as an offering to a bearer my dreams archived....

said a father to a son,
i'm rested when darkness brace the sun,
i'm blessed with the howl of a moon son,
marks my rest after we a day that we have run...

said an aged to the young,
rest the hatred that you have sung,
rest it best cause its's time your mother pick the clothes that she has strung,
for there's once too many her heart you wronged...

said my shadow to my soul,
come night why must you foul,
listen close to the song of an owl,
telling the time when this body in earth it cowls.

Anonymous said...

Mama Batman janganlah pulak nyanyi lagu "Happy Birthday Sweet Sixteen" to Mr. Batman!

Anonymous said...

i'm just a passer by n my location..malaysia..but i was in UK in 2003/04...gave birth to my son there...go makcikblogger go!!! like your blog and everything in it.

Kak Teh said...

miriguy, thank you for kinds words. Call her, call your mom cos I am sure she awaits your call.

sriperwira, yes, he is still bullyable inspite of his size and muscles.

QOTH, you have a wonderful son too. I had a difficult time writing this post as he is too wonderful for words, this blessing from God.


May, yes, he will forever be my Batman.

Kak Teh said...

pu1pu3, we had an early celebration together and I leave for Oxford for a weekend conference. But you knowlah, he will want to be with his friends too.

kure-kure, oh Galaxy tu a bar of chocolate. I am a chocoholic! :)

makennek, mana ada resipi.ButI remember wishing and praying for a son so much. I wanted this son so badly.

OOd, Batman says Hi!

Kak Teh said...

anonymous, thank you for your wishes.


Mama Irma, my Sayang Mama's eyes lit up when he received ten crispy notes to spend today and I hope he spends it well.

Rotidua, yes, i really wanted to go home cos I couldnt stand the pain. I thought, no, I have made a mistake...hehe - silly nya!

anedra, you'd be so proud of him, this cousin of yours.

Kak Teh said...

shiha, he will always be your baby, even at twenty.

Mak Andeh, Thanks.

Judy, yes, but I know the day will come when they will fly the nest.

demonsinme, how sweet!! Thank you so much!

klmuk, thank you, thank you.
anon from Malaysia, enjoy your baby! I remember just waking them up in the middle of the night just to play with them, or just to bite those little chubby fingers and never, never cease to be in awe of these God's gifts to us.

Mushu said...

wah...

Ordinary Superhero said...

Selamat Hari Ulangtahun kepada your Sayang Mama. Semoga panjang umur dan menjadi anak yang sentiasa membahagiakan ibubapanya. amin.

Mama Rock said...

kak teh, may your batman grows up to a gentlebatman...happy birthday!

SimplyMas said...

Happy Birthday to your batman kak Teh!!! :D

anggerik merah said...

Happy b'day to yr little batman. Now is grown up batman..

madame blossom said...

when I read the title, i thought somebody was talking about YOU! =D

Congrats to you Kak Teh, for having brought up 4 kids! I must learn from you.. I have 4 too!

May Allah SWT shower your family with happiness and iman. and may 'Batman' be one who continues to support you, dunia akhirat. Ameen.

Anonymous said...

Very touching kak teh. Happy birthday to your batman. Can't wait for my own son to grow up!

HH said...

Ahhhhhhh!!!!..... You've just made me want a little baby boy too.

Best entry ever, K Teh.

ubisetela said...

awhhhh... a lovely yet touching bday wish k.Teh.

Happy Belated Birthday to Mr Batman!

Anonymous said...

16? Aaah... lama lagi... rileks dulu....

Anonymous said...

Hi Kak Teh,

What a beautiful and lovely tribute to your loved one. Cute that you wanted to cancel him..he he. Wish we can cancel the pain at least, at a snap eh?

'Happy Birthday, handsome sixteeteen'.

Cheers.

Anonymous said...

Gosh! Can't even spell sixteen the first time..apologies. *chuckle*

Angel Eyes said...

Hi Kak Teh,

Happy Birthday to your Batman! Dah besar yea? Wish him all the very best in life.

Take care.

:)

AuntyN said...

Kak Teh : Sorry AN terlambat nak wish your Batman happy 16th birthday. You make me miss not having a son. Anyway, I am sure pemberian Allah tu memang sempurna untuk kita. Alhamdulillah T is anak yang soleh.

Anonymous said...

so touching. nicely written.
And you are so blessed.

- Z

Anonymous said...

Kakkkk Tehhh.....

I hope it's not too late to wish your Batman Happy Birthday!! ;)

Ada lagi anxiety feeling tak bila gi shopping dgn batman kak teh?? *wide grin*

Lydia Teh said...

KT, What a sweet boy! The youngest always have a special place in the heart, ya.

Mama Pongkey said...

And what a strapping young man he turned out to be! :)

It was lovely to meet more nice people, may Allah bless your family and keep all of you safe, amiin.

Kak Teh said...

vern, thanks for dropping by again.

OSH, amin, diharapkan begitulah.
Mama Rock, yes, i like that - gentlebatman!
mami jarum and anggrek merah - thanks so much!

Kak Teh said...

Blossom, me sixteen?? sixty kut!! hehe!

mak aji, tu lah, we cant wait for them to grow up and at the same time, masih nak manja2kan depa.

BTB - duludia ingat dia batman...the original. Kak teh pi oxford for a weekend conference - tu saja.

restless - little boys can also grow up to be mummy's best friend.

Kak Teh said...

Ubi & Ailin, wish i am sixteen again! Such an exciting time.

Ruby, ya- the pain was unbearable - and as if u don't know! Twins pulak tu!
angel eyes, thanks for droppingby. yes, anak mama dah besar!
anonymous Z - yes, Alhamdulillah I am blessed.

Kak Teh said...

MM- kalau dengan my batman mesti tak ada anxiety attack! sebab rasa selamat.
lydia, u said it! butdont let my other children hear that!
kenakelayan, thanks for kind words and doa.

5xmom.com said...

Awww...Kak Teh, guess what? Today, I just wrote a 'growing up' letter to my sixteen yo hero too. He has this church camp to prepare them for their adulthood and I have to write a letter. Later, after some brainwashing session by the motivator, they will give my letter to him. You know la, how hard it is to express the love, the forgiveness and giving the advices etc etc. It got me into big big tears. *hugs*

Kak Teh said...

awwwww. Lilian, I so know the feeling. How can they grow up so fast? Especially the youngest one? But your youngest is still young, right and a cute one too.