A meaningful experiential activity on March 8th when the trade union organized a cooking competition for the husbands and boyfriends of the teachers at the school - Photo: LUONG DINH KHOA
Memories of March 8th filled with joy.
In high school, I was in the province's specialized literature class. There were 21 students in the class, and I was the only boy. Therefore, the "pressure" was always present, both internally and externally, on occasions like International Women's Day (March 8th) or Vietnamese Women's Day (October 20th).
The internal pressure was the headache of figuring out what to give or do for the whole class that would be appropriate and also fit within the limited budget of a high school student (even though back then I could earn money by submitting poems, essays, and short stories to newspapers).
The external pressure comes from hundreds of eyes from classes like math, physics, chemistry, biology, computer science, history, geography, English, French, etc., all focused on seeing what the "female students" in the literature class will do and how they will manage to "escape" the ordeal on the day the women "rise up".
On the morning of March 8th, I arrived at class earlier than usual, wrote "Happy March 8th" in large letters on the blackboard, then stood at the classroom door and handed out cards to each student who came in. Once everyone was present, I asked them to open their cards and read the messages inside. The messages were quite… funny, intended to create a cheerful atmosphere for the whole class.
Next came the gift-giving lottery. We had agreed the day before that each student would bring a gift for me to shuffle and draw. This part was quite nerve-wracking.
Some received five donuts, others a piece of sugarcane, a bag of loquats, or a packet of chips… The atmosphere in the classroom was lively. The girls even wrote in their class diaries: "Moments like these are wonderful, we'll never have them again"…
In my eleventh grade year, I chose to create a gift myself, putting my heart and soul into it. It was a handmade publication called "The First Season of Literature," like an internal newsletter, written by hand. The illustrations were also hand-drawn. Then I took it to a photocopy shop and printed multiple copies, binding them into small booklets.
The atmosphere on March 8th in my senior year of high school was wonderful with the girls in my literature class, along with a cake and red roses.
In our senior year of high school, knowing that time was drawing near to the point of parting ways – each of us going our separate ways – we cherished every opportunity and moment to preserve memories together. For that last March 8th, I ordered a large cake and prepared 20 red roses. The girls gathered around, sharing the sweet taste…
And when many women... demand gifts, I'm afraid of being cheated.
After graduating from university, I entered the rhythm of office life. And for special occasions like Women's Day, the company's labor union took care of everything. I really appreciated the thoughtfulness at my first company – on the morning of March 8th, the women would come to work to receive congratulations and a sweet treat from the male colleagues. In the afternoon, all the women would have the day off to spend time with themselves and their families.
I believe that showing care through such practical actions is truly a meaningful and encouraging gift for women.
But as I matured and gained experience in different environments, I suddenly felt afraid – afraid of the sense of "enjoyment" and the demands of some women on occasions like this.
I'm afraid that girlfriends and wives might use these days as an excuse to hint at or demand that their husbands give them the gifts they've been wanting.
I dread hearing stories from men in cafes after International Women's Day (March 8th) sharing their "achievements" from the previous day, how spending a sum of money on gifts made it easy to persuade girl A or girl B to go to a motel with them.
I'm afraid of couples who flaunt their affection loudly just to get attention, posting pictures on their personal Facebook accounts for friends to comment on, only to see the girl change her relationship status to a different guy a few months later.
I dreaded seeing the scene of female sanitation workers collecting discarded flowers at the gates of government offices on the morning of March 9th. Flowers piled high on garbage trucks, overflowing with formality and waste.
And there are so many more fears – when the care people show each other on March 8th is no longer pure, but tainted with calculation.
Giving gifts is just one of many ways to show care and affection, alongside offering words of encouragement and spending quality time together…
Giving gifts is just one of many ways to show care and love. We only hope that these gifts are imbued with sincerity and empathy, so that from this year's March 8th to the next, the woman receiving the gift will have a whole year of being cared for and understood, and not just a one-day trend.
We invite you to discuss and share your thoughts on the topic: " Do women need to receive gifts and only feel happy when they do? " by sending your comments to bichdau@tuoitre.com.vn or leaving a comment below. Thank you.
Gift ideas for your husband on March 8th so you can both be happy.Source
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