My roommate usually ends his phone calls with his parents with "I love you (insert parent here)". This got me thinking, whenever I end a conversation with my folks those three words are usually not mentioned.
Don't get me wrong, I love my parents.
I think it is just the way Chinese parents bring up their kids. I remember when I was younger there were a lot of 'put downs'. Moms would gather together and talk to each other about how bad their own children were, this probably drove us (the children) to work harder to improve ourselves. They had weird sayings such as "打是爱" or "Hitting is love", I was told this every time I was spanked for doing something wrong. Maybe those three words were supposed to be saved for a very special time, saying them early would reveal some kind of soft side in our strict parents.
I know that my parents love me too, there just doesn't seem to be the need to mention it every single time. Last week I tried to end a phone call with "I love you", it felt strange and alien to me, it felt like they were just words. Saying it so often, makes those three special words lose their meaning.
I'll probably save it for a special time.
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