This week, my daughter Yeowon’s A Level results came out. She was delighted that the results were better than she expected so she treated the whole family to dinner at a fancy Japanese restaurant.

Looking back at the past year, while it was the hardest for her, it wasn’t easy for me and my wife either. Any parent may have similar thoughts, but it was difficult for us because it would have been nice if she could have been able to concentrate a little more on her studies. This was especially true when she told us she would start working her part-time job on weekdays. I asked her why she would want to work at this point in time that is so important with regards to getting into university. She said that many of her friends did the same and I allowed her to go ahead thinking she could earn a little spending money. But why was she teaching math at the after-school study center twice a week? And sometimes three times!

Looking back, she has worked part-time jobs since she was a middle schooler. Across from her school, there was a Korean salaryman who wanted someone to read his child English books to improve their English, so Yeowon went and did that once a week. There was also a church member whose daughter was having difficulty with her studies and asked Yeowon to teach her math one-on-one at a low rate. She said it helped a lot. After gaining these experiences, she was able to systematically teach multiple students at the after-school study center where she currently works.

Whenever I relay these stories about my daughter, people compliment her saying that she has great earning potential and will be certain in her path forward. However, with university entrance exams ahead I told my daughter that she doesn’t know what’s important and that she isn’t thinking straight. My wife and I were quite upset and became angry with her a number of times, but she wouldn’t give in. Our desire was that she would spend more time preparing for the entrance exam, telling her that she could earn one year’s worth in part-time job earnings in just a month or two when she got a full-time job down the road, but she kept working up to the week that she took the entrance exam. Still, I am thankful that she became a mature college student without incident.

Of course, I still have a son that has recently moved into Secondary and another one to enter reception. They have seen their three big sisters excel so I believe that they will do well. I haven’t done much compared to other parents so I am thankful to my children and especially to God that they have grown up well. I have decided to entrust God with my remaining sons. “Yeowon, you did a great job.” “Lord, thank you for your guidance.”