Mother's Day in Hong Kong

James Koo

Last Sunday was the Mother's Day. Hong Kong, at least the Tsim Sha Tsui was teeming with people, something has not occurred for a long time since outbreak of SARS. Families, without the current standard issue of masks, were out in droves. Children's laughter filled the air. You could see young kids, while holding hands with their mothers, jumping up and down, shouting, and pointing at various things while walking down the streets. You could see the faces of their proud mothers with their husbands in the tow. In the department stores, you could see young men or women selecting clothes, cosmetics, and jewelries for their mothers to try on, while the fathers standing attention at the side. You could also see holding the babies, the young fathers shopped with their wives. In the ocean front park, you can see the older couples sitting at the bench, normally occupied by lovers, with the wives holding the roses. Lines (or queues as they call it in HK) reoccurred in front of the restaurants for the ever so important Mother's Day meal. This is springtime; this is the Mother's day. This is Hong Kong.

This was in stark contrast with other recent holidays. Last Easter, people avoided the streets. Last Chinese Memorial Day, the Ching Ming, few went to Shenzhen gravesites, and the train station was deserted. Last Labor Day, mainland abolished the Golden Week and the hotels in Tsim Shah Tsui had an occupancy rate in single digit. With WHO advisory, HK and Tsim Sha Tsui in particular, has been like a ghost town. But on Mother's Day, everything returned to normal, SARS or no SARS, tourists or no tourists. Since childhood I learned that if anybody can put things back to normal, it is the "mother."

On the TV, I watched medical staff mothers at SARS hospitals donning full protective clothing, some with binoculars, others with tears running down their faces, waved to their children and family members standing on the streets, from the sealed windows. Some of them have not been home for weeks. A huge sign across the street told these mothers how people in HK are thankful and proud of them risking their lives fighting the SARS on this day. I salute them. Then you hear the phone conversations between the SARS infected mothers and their family members or vise versa. Some of mothers are so young, and the some of the children are not old enough to understand the grave situations. My heart went out to them. I wished all of them a speedy full recovery.

I called my mother in law and my wife, Winnie to wish them a happy Mother's day. She is staying California with her mother to avoid being a SARS super spreader. Winnie bought a box of See's candy and some roses for my mother. She told me the housekeeper showered, dressed up and put make up on my mother. She looked so beautiful, and cheerful today. I called my mother and she told me all her children have called and thank me for the flowers and candy. 

However, due to her mother forgot to relay a phone message, Winnie missed checking the phone recorder, and was running around all day, I had to wake up my daughter Jackie and her husband in Boston 1:30AM to call Winnie to avert a family crisis. After they finished their conversation, Winnie called saying, "After I hung up with you, did you ask Jackie to call? They should call me without your prompting." I said "Happy Mother's Day, Winnie." Then Jackie called "Dad, do you know it is 1:30AM in Boston? Both Ed and I have to get up 5AM tomorrow preparing for surgeries. I called mom twice already." I said, "Jackie, if you have a baby by this time next year, mom will call you on Mother's Day." She hung up. I couldn't wait for Father's Day. When is that? I do not need another tie though. Anyway, I wish all the Lighter mothers or Lighter's spouses had a happy Mother's Day, and many more to come.