Several silver-haired people gathered together and began talking all at once. The topic turned to young people chasing celebrity sneakers and famous-brand clothing.
“Aiya, kids today are really hard to satisfy. They’re always comparing themselves with classmates—brand-name shoes, brand-name clothes…”
“Exactly! My grandson’s father bought him sneakers, but they weren’t celebrity shoes. He cried and made a fuss and refused to wear them. He said his classmates would laugh at him.”
“The girl next door is even more spoiled. She got into college, and her father bought her a new car as a gift. Because it wasn’t a famous brand, she threw a tantrum and said, ‘Too cheap!’ She demanded that he replace it with a brand-name sports car.”
“My daughter is the same. Her birthday is in two weeks. I’ve been worrying about what gift to buy. If it isn’t a famous brand, she won’t be happy. Looks like I’ll have to take her to the mall and let her choose for herself.”
As the elderly people chatted, some became emotional, some shook their heads and sighed, some did not seem to care, and some looked helpless. All of them had lived through war, upheaval, displacement, hunger, and poverty. Looking at today’s children and grandchildren behaving like little emperors, picking and choosing everything, they had endless feelings about it.
“And you can’t even criticize them. They say you’re old-fashioned, out of date. ‘So what?’”
Yours truly could not keep his mouth shut either, so I joined in.
I said that when my son was in elementary school, he did not react much to brand names. But after he entered middle school, he gradually began to care.
Once I bought him basketball shoes at Kmart. He pursed his lips and looked unhappy. I knew he wanted Magic Johnson celebrity shoes. Those shoes cost eighty or ninety dollars. I did not buy them.
I told him that we had only recently arrived in America and Mom and Dad’s income was limited. Other brands could be worn just as well.
My son loved basketball. One of his idols was Isiah Thomas, the Detroit Pistons guard. So I told him a story I had read about Thomas. His family was poor and there were many brothers and sisters. His mother bought him an old pair of shoes at a yard sale for only two dollars. The left and right shoes were even different colors. Thomas wore them anyway, and later he became a famous American basketball star.
My son accepted this and wore his shoes without complaint.
“Yes,” Mrs. Song said with feeling, “children can be reasoned with. You can’t ignore them, but you can’t control them too tightly either. You have to explain things to them. I have five sons and one daughter, and every one listens. My little grandson, if he can’t finish a bowl of rice, he comes close to me and says, ‘Grandma, help me. I can’t eat any more.’ I say, ‘All right, Grandma will help you. Don’t waste food.’ None of them dares waste anything. After eating, there isn’t a grain of rice left on the table and the bowls are clean. When children are young, it’s still better to be a little strict with them.”