Passion is not a magical potion.

小tz,


In my line of work, sometimes people over-rated our ability, people around us and passion.


Yes, daddy is passionate and enjoys supporting others who are less fortunate. However, that doesn't change the reality that I am after all, a human like many others with different responsibilities, needs, limited capability with only 24 hours a day too.


Passion is not a magical potion that transforms me into a robot that is capable of working through 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and 365 days a year (24/7). Passion cannot split me into 2 so that you and mummy get undivided care from me while I fulfill the expectation others have on me. Passion cannot equip you and mummy with same experience and skills I had learned through the years, and ensure that both of you are as capable as me in supporting people with disabilities.


In my work, it is not unusual to hear following comments being shared:

"You sleep so early at 9pm?"

"Why you take so long to answer my call?"

"Why are you not working on weekends?"

"Why your family members can't take care of my daughter when she visited your home at 11pm last night?"

Most people will respect our rights and understand our needs to look after our family’s quality of life. However, there are always a few who will still expect that we commit our entire life to our work. Explanation such as (1) "I wake up at 4.30am every morning for my exercise and get ready things for my child...", (2) "Hey, I am in the toilet...", (3) "I need to look after my child and elderly parents...", or (4) "...but my family wasn't trained or have the experience in support people with disability." is not good enough for them.


In the first instances, we shouldn't even be telling them about our personal life and they should respect our rights for rest and privacy.


While daddy is responsible in supporting the team at work 24/7, whenever possible. Getting calls from everybody in connection with my work and demanded immediate action will definitely affect our family's quality of life.


In my years working in this sector, I had seen many walked away from their passion to care and provide for their families. How many more good people should we lose before that few others respect the rights of staff in the welfare sector?


In sharing this, I hoping that you will understand my work, others will respect people in my line of work and be more understanding when interacting with us.