For those living away from India, Sundays can be a strange mix of rest, errands, unfinished work and catching up on everything that did not get done during the week.
But somewhere in the middle of all that, there is often one thing we keep putting off, calling home.
We think we need time for a proper conversation. We tell ourselves, “I’ll call Mum after I finish this,” or “I’ll call Dad in the evening.” Then the evening comes, we get tired, and the call gets pushed to another day.
But here is something worth remembering this Sunday: your parents may not be waiting for a long conversation. They may simply be waiting to hear your voice.
It doesn't have to be a long call
A five-minute conversation can sometimes be enough.
“Have you eaten?”
“How is the weather there?”
“How was your day?”
“What did you cook today?”
These may sound like ordinary questions, and most of the time, they are. But when your child is living thousands of kilometres away, ordinary conversations can become incredibly precious.
For parents, hearing about your day can make them feel connected to the life they are no longer able to see up close.
They may want to know what you had for breakfast, whether work was stressful, if it is cold in New Zealand, or what you are planning to do over the weekend.
Nothing particularly exciting may have happened. And that is okay.
Sometimes, “Nothing much, Mum. Everything is fine” is exactly what they want to hear.
We often underestimate what the call means
When you live with your family, you don't have to make an effort to stay connected.
You see your parents in the morning. You hear someone asking what you want for dinner. You might complain about the same things, laugh over something silly or sit together without saying much at all.
After moving abroad, those little moments disappear.
A phone call becomes a small replacement for that everyday presence.
And because life gets busy, we sometimes forget that our parents' days may not be as full as ours. They may be going about their routine, waiting for a message from their children, or checking their phone to see if you have called.
Sometimes, they won't even tell you that they were waiting.
They will simply say, “Oh, you called?” as if it were nothing.
But it may mean a lot more than that.
“Call me when you’re free”
For many Indians living abroad, there is probably a familiar message sitting somewhere in their WhatsApp chats:
“Call me when you’re free.”
It sounds casual.
But often, it is their way of saying, “I want to talk to you, but I know you are busy.”
Parents learn our schedules. They know about work, meetings, different time zones and the pressures of living abroad. They may hesitate to call because they don't want to disturb us.
So they wait for us to call.
And sometimes, we make them wait longer than we realise.
You don't need a reason to call
We tend to call home when there is something to discuss.
A birthday. A festival. Some family news. A problem. A trip back home.
But perhaps we should call without a reason too.
Call while making your morning tea.
Call during your walk.
Call on a quiet Sunday afternoon.
Ask what they had for lunch. Tell them about something funny that happened at work. Show them the weather outside your window. Ask about the neighbour they mentioned last week.
It doesn't have to be a meaningful conversation.
The call itself is meaningful.
Five minutes can be enough
We often think that if we are going to call, we should have at least half an hour to spare.
But relationships don't always need hours. Sometimes they simply need small, regular reminders that we are still there.
Five minutes can say:
I'm thinking about you.
I'm okay.
I wanted to hear your voice.
You're still part of my everyday life.
For parents who watched their children grow up and eventually leave home to build a life in another country, those few minutes can carry a lot of weight.
So, this Sunday, before you get caught up in your plans, take a moment.
Call home.
Don't wait until you have something important to say.
Ask your mother what she cooked. Ask your father how his day was. Tell them about yours.
It might be just another five minutes in your day.
For them, it could be the best five minutes of theirs.
ISSUE
Leave a Comment