Let's Say That It's A Family Affair

Growing up in a family of physicians, my life has been more or less affected by the science and art of medicine. Both of my maternal grandparents are doctors -they're pediatricians- so are some of my grand uncles and aunts. The interest in medicine skipped my parents' generation, and it conveniently landed on me without any kind of brainwashing involved in the process. But that's another story.

Being the grandson of doctors, I was exposed to a rather beneficial notion: "Kan yang nggak boleh pasiennya, bukan cucunya" (Their patients can't do this and that and pretty much everything else, but their grandchildren can). If you go to a doctor, most probably you'll get an advice not to eat this or do that. "Don't eat chocolates", "Don't eat those junk snacks", "Cut back on ice creams", and thousands of other mantra from the Holy Book of Don'ts is a bonus for every visit to the doctor.

And you thought that they preach it to everyone. In my case, even though I had an asthma, which fortunately has subsided, I have broken every taboo of an asthmatic person. My childhood was quite normal without any medical restrictions. I loved to munch on those yummy junks, chocolates, ice cream, and everything else. No, my grandparents didn't stop me: I'm their grandson, not their patient. Let's just say that it's strictly a family affair.

When my grandparents were busy keeping off their patients from delicious MSG-ful treats, I have a not-so-secret stash of them. Well, I've never really showed up in front of my grandparents' patients just to rub it in, but imagine their great agony if I suddenly appear with a bagful of chips in my grandparents' clinic waiting room.

Taking this into account, do you think that teachers infuse more discipline into their students than their children? Maybe the children of teachers also secretly have a similar saying: "Kan kita anaknya, bukan muridnya" (We're the teachers' offspring, not their pupils). Who knows?