The Day I Lost My Tooth

A friend called up for a chat. His daughter is in the midst of her university course, and she wants to change her course, as she dislikes the course that she is studying now.

I posed the question to my friend, did his daughter choose her current course herself? My friend said, in a way yes, because her pre-university examination result was not exactly so good that she had other choices.

I could not really advise my friend as I do not know his daughter well. However, I have similar experience of my own.

I remember when I was doing pre-university study in England, I had a fellow course mate who was preparing to enter university to pursue a degree in medicine. His study effort and results were only average. I was quite sure he would not make it into a medical course. Medical courses were and still are selecting only the best performing students. He told me his parents wanted him to be a doctor, whereas his real passion was in cooking. He knew he would not make it to the medical school. However, he was easily the best cook among our group of friends.

True enough, he failed to gain entry to the medical school. He did successfully become a chef later.

In his second year doing his accounting degree, my son also told me that he was not interested in studying accountancy. He said he wanted to go to Switzerland to study hotel management and catering. I asked him why Switzerland. His reply was that Switzerland is the world's best place to study for that course.

It would have been good, if my son's passion was really in catering. But, he had never cooked a proper meal, nor did he ever show interest in anything in the kitchen.

Naturally I did not agree to my son's proposition and insisted he complete his accounting degree.

I remember an interesting episode when I was in primary school. One day I was bullied by a fellow class mate. He threatened to punch me the next day when we met in school. I dared not inform my parents about the unfortunate experience. The next day I did not want to go to school. I had to have a really good reason for evading school. So I told mum I had a serious tooth ache. Mum took me to the dentist. I was asked which tooth hurt. I picked out one that was perfectly good. The tooth was removed. That was how dentistry was practiced in those darker days.

Kids know that they need a good reason to avoid doing what they do not like to do. Sometimes, the reasons are valid. Most other times, they aren't.

I never forget the day I lost my tooth, a perfectly good tooth.