Papa, Please Don’t Preach

Last Friday, I drove straight to Lancaster General Hospital after work to be with my mom. My sister took her to the hospital early Friday morning because she had her nose bled non-stop. I stayed by her side until Saturday evening when she was discharged. Thanks to the hospital’s staff and particularly Ms. Ariel Shaffer for taking great care of her during her stay. I was exhausted Saturday evening.

Early Sunday, I heard my mom talking to my dad while I was still trying to sleep. I got up when mom said she was bleeding again. She gave me the phone to talk to him while she tried to stop herself from bleeding. I was worrying about her and irritating by his words. I asked how he was doing and he wasted no time denouncing me for not visiting her often and not taking care of her. He went on and on. I just stayed silent until he told me to pass the phone back to my mom.

I didn’t want to argue with him because in my mind he has no credibility to criticizing me. I am there for my mom when she needed me. If he cares about her, he should have been there for her. When was the last time he saw her? A decade ago? He was nowhere to be reachable when she needed him the most. Please, papa don’t preach before taking a good look at what you have done. Until then, your words won’t affect me.