Single parenting is sometimes considered questionable, in many ways. Yet, there are some examples that stand out as candidates for a ‘Parent of the Year’ award, thus proving that as long as you are up to the task, anything is possible
My journey through life, as a spouse, parent, or for thatmatter a human being has been one comparable to the twists and turns of thePortuguese conquistas, travelling the world to expand their horizons. I havebeen based largely in Portugal, for most of my life, and have raised a childthere, but then moved to Brazil to accommodate the preferences of my wife , whois incidentally Brazilian, herself.
Having not seen her mother in almost a decade was her keyreason for having wanted to go back home. I was fairly agreeable, given thefact that it was a whole new adventure for us. , my son Dinis and I moved toBrazil, built ourselves a house there, and worked on our respective careers. Inno time at all, we were blessed with another son, Duarte.
In the meanwhile, my mother had decided to renovate ourancestral house in Margão. Her dedication to the project was something to beadmired, and would certainly have been in vain, but for the fact that after alot of intense discussion, and I made up our minds to join my mother in Goa.Five years in Brazil had been an experience, but the next chapter beckoned, andso the shifting process began. This entire shift caused me to reflect more onmy own childhood. I remember being raised in several locations, with relocationbeing a constant factor in our lives. My father was a doctor, and sometimes hewould be deployed in war-stricken areas. As the times were trying, we did thebest we could. With that clearly ingrained in my memory, I knew that thedecision to move was the right thing to do, and did not fear for my children’ssecurity. Change can sometimes be good. This was one of those times.
That is precisely when fate put a spoke in our wheel. Mywife was appointed by the government to a post that she had long sought after.The offer she was made was virtually too good to turn down. So we decided thatit was best that she, along with Duarte, stayed for a while, as Dinis and Imoved to Goa. The adjustment has been surreal, I sometimes find myself awake atthe unearthly hour of 4 am, just to talk to my wife and son halfway across theworld. Earlier than that is too early for them, as they are still in the middleof their working day and later than that would find them in bed and fastasleep. The greatest challenge is sometimes trying to be the greatest figure inmy son’s lives. Especially with the entire process of adjustment involved.Dinis is a child that has never spoken a word of English until now. Today, afew months into his Goan adventure, he finds himself at a loss to understandhis peers, which while trying, can also be highly amusing. Maybe he could havea bright future ahead as a mime. Duarte on the other hand, at age three, isstill too young to fully comprehend everything going on around him. Yet, it ismy firm belief, that between phone calls, the internet and an extremely longflight, no gap is too big to bridge.
Jorge Lourenco from Margao is a consultant in various fields,a teacher and most importantly, a father who devotes himself to his twochildren who are 14,033 kilometres apart
