Growing up, my family was always poor and struggling to make ends meet. It was a difficult upbringing as I watched my parents live paycheck to paycheck, struggling to put food on the table for us.
My father would always go to the casino to try his luck, while my mum was just obsessed with 4D and Mahjong
The cause of our financial struggles was my parent’s addiction to gambling. My father would go to the casino every weekend, spending all his hard-earned money on games of chance while my mother would play mahjong and buy 4D like is free.
I remember being embarrassed when my parents had to go to the casino or have people over to play mahjong or vice versa. I was ashamed of the stigma that came with being a family of gamblers.
I was also terrified of what would happen if my parents ever ran out of money. I was scared that we would never be able to afford basic necessities such as food and shelter.
I also remember the arguments between my parents when they would come home from their gambling sessions. My father would be angry that he lost all his money while my mother would get upset also because she was not lucky in her mahjong sessions or her 4d miss a number or two.
This created an atmosphere of tension and mistrust in our home.
The stress of our financial situation was also weighing heavily on me. I had to take on part-time jobs to help my family make ends meet. I had to forgo some of my childhood pleasures such as going to the movies or out with friends. I often felt resentful of my parents for putting me in this position.
However, despite all the hardships, I still tried to be understanding of my parent’s addiction. I knew that they were in pain and that they were trying their best to provide for us. I also knew that they were not bad people and that they were just trying to escape their troubles.
My parents eventually got help and stopped their gambling habits. We slowly started to rebuild our lives and I was able to stop working part-time jobs.
I am now an adult and I understand the consequences of gambling.