Woman quits engineering career to help her elderly mother run a kampung grocery shop, winning praise from netizens for putting family first
A WOMAN who walked away from her engineering career to help her elderly mother run a grocery shop in a kampung has touched the hearts of netizens, with many praising her decision to put family before a promising career.
Sharing her story on Threads, the woman said she resigned from her engineering job last year to help her mother manage the family grocery shop.
Her life has since become considerably more demanding, with her working hours almost doubling.
“Last year, I resigned as an engineer because I wanted to help my mum manage the grocery shop in the kampung. I used to work from 9am to 5pm, with weekends off. Now, I work from 9am to 9.30pm, with no off-days,” she wrote.
Despite the long hours, she said one thing made the sacrifice worthwhile — being able to spend more time with her parents and enjoy her mother’s home-cooked meals.
“It is really tiring. Sometimes, I do crash out but the one thing I appreciate the most is that I get to eat my mother’s cooking,” she said.
She said she now has breakfast with her mother every morning, using the time to chat and bond.
If she is unable to bring lunch from home, her father sends food to the shop.
“Every morning, I have breakfast with my mother while we talk and bond. For lunch, if I cannot pack food from home, my father will send it to the shop. Love my mother and father,” she wrote, ending the post with a red heart emoji.
Although she had shared photos of her mother’s tempting home-cooked dishes, it was not the food that captured netizens’ attention.
Instead, many were moved by her decision to put her career on hold to care for her parents while she still had the opportunity.
“This is heaven on earth. I would give it my all just to have those moments with the two of them,” one netizen wrote.
The commenter, who said her father had passed away and her mother could no longer cook, urged the woman to cherish every moment with her parents.
“Live your life happily now, because these moments will end. Enjoy them while you can,” the netizen added.
Another netizen reminded her that an engineering career was only one part of life.
“Engineer is a job title. Devotion towards parents is priceless,” the person wrote, expressing hope that the grocery business would prosper with her parents’ blessings.
“What is priceless is that you get to see your parents’ faces every day, eat food cooked by your mother and spend time with them,” the netizen added.
Another woman shared an emotional account of her own mother, saying she could no longer taste her cooking and missed the days when her mother was still healthy.
She urged fellow netizens to pray for her mother’s recovery.
