I was in hospital the other day to welcome another beautiful child into this world. The unbridled joy on the beaming faces of the new mum and dad spoke a thousand words – a pure “this-is-what-I-have-lived-for” moment that money can’t buy.

My mind raced back to when I held my son for the very first time. I can recall feeling great anxiety with a whole gamut of questions floating around in my head prior to his arrival. But the moment I laid eyes on him, the anxiety miraculously evaporated into a feeling beyond words; like I knew exactly what to do with my life although it would never be the same.

We might live in an information age that has eroded many traditional norms and beliefs but to many of us still, the institution of marriage stands firm and begetting offspring is always heralded as blessings, regardless complaints of how taxing it is keeping up with the ‘MTV generation’.

One constant is the role of a father to provide for the family, although yes, career mothers too are taking on more by contributing towards the financial upkeep of the family. More than that, as parents, the onus is on our shoulders to provide love, protection, shelter, to look into their every need and to give them the best education possible so that when the time comes to take over the mantle, they will be standing steady on their feet.

In fulfilling this responsibility, I share the sentiments of many time-starved working parents with contemporary career demands. The distance in the rat race has multiplied and the hurdles that lace the tracks have become higher. But no matter how challenging, the main grouse remains the increasingly lack of family time.

In order to provide competently, the working days are longer and the weekends are no longer a safe haven from office duties.

I believe that for most parents, it is not an easy choice missing report card day at school, or travelling outstation for a job on weekends only to come home late at night to a child already asleep. I comfort the guilt by saying that these are the choices we make with their welfare in mind and accept that time is a limited resource that needs to be distributed according to priorities.

Like my grandmother always says, you can’t afford to enjoy good food when you are young but when you are older and have enough money, you can’t afford to eat good food because of health constraints. It’s Catch 22 of the highest order.

The need to balance the importance of earning and the yearning to be with your family is enhanced in a country that aspires for progress. The demands of development and urbanisation plus the work that goes into these aspects continuously takes a toll on personal relationships.

Opportunity cost, it’s called, although most parents I know conscientiously manage to narrow this gap of not having enough family hours. Generally, the lack of time for parental guidance in child-rearing is a contributory factor towards rising social problems concerning children. Drug abuse, psychological problems, peer pressure leading to crime…

It is so because we don’t live in an ideal world. The sad reality is that not all parents have the interest of their child as their primary concern. In fact, evil lurks anywhere, even in homes, and at the hands of closest family members.

This darker side of parenthood is revealed by the Welfare Department’s statistics on child abuse released this year. The data shows a marked increase in reported child abuse cases. In 2003, the total reported cases stood at 1,390. In 2007, it had increased to 2,279 reported cases.

Regardless of whether it is the result of greater awareness or due to better enforcement, these statistics make me cringe. It is one of the few ills of society that incurs unlimited wrath in me (and I believe many Malaysians out there). I still find it the greatest ironies of life that some parents treat their children with such cruelty when there are many deserving couples bereft of any children.

We have seen it before. Every time a child goes missing or an abuse case is reported in the media, there is public outcry. But, every day there are cases of child abuse that go unnoticed. We always talk about the next generation as the hope of our future, but is there enough emphasis currently on their well-being?

Like many working parents, when I come home late from work to find my beautiful boy in deep slumber, my heart grows heavy. Another missed day, another missed experience. But I am thankful that, in him, I have a reason to gather the courage to fight for what I believe in.