A Son's Responsibility

Published25 May 2018

Reading Time 2 mins

Author Stories of Nepal

Location Nepal

"It was a difficult decision for me to make. After SLC exams were over all of us boys from the class would meet at the nearby jungle. Many were going to the city to continue with their school. They would share the stories of the city that their brothers and relatives brought back with them. They would talk about how they were going to buy a new phone when they reached the city. They would talk about their plans of working in the city's big offices. To go to the city and study was also my dream. But leaving behind my father who herds animals to raise us was a difficult decision for me to make. And as an eldest son of my father, I also had the responsibility to look after my six siblings. I knew that if I went to the city, my father would have not be able to send them to school. So I abandoned the idea of going to the city. I had to take on the responsibility of being the eldest son and lighten father’s burden of single-handedly raising the family. Today, I work in the fields with him. We grow potatoes and beans. We work from morning to night but the yield is hardly enough for a year. Sometimes I am only eating one time a day. The milk we get from the animals allows us to meet the needs of the little ones. Life is not easy. But, I am happy. I am happy for my father. He has his son with him. A son with whom he can share his happiness and sorrows."

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