On Tuesday (8 Oct), the parents of a Kuala Lumpur (KL) schoolgirl who tragically fell to her death went on a livestream to express their regrets.
The Facebook livestream lasted about an hour and has been viewed 722,000 times as of writing.
Source: Facebook
The girl’s father, surnamed Leong, said his daughter’s death made him realize that he had not properly shown his love for her, as he focused more on providing material things than on giving emotional support.
“My daughter’s death awakened my soul,” he said, urging parents that giving their children material things and spending time with them during the weekends is “actually not enough”.
On 1 Oct, the 13-year-old student fell from the eighth floor of Kuen Cheng High School shortly after a tearful livestream where she thanked her friends and said goodbye.
Mr Leong stated that he does not blame the school, his daughter’s classmates, or anyone else for her death.
Instead, he pointed to his and his wife’s upbringing as the root cause of the problem.
Mr Leong admitted that quarrelling with his wife in front of their children made him appear a “fierce father”. This had then discouraged his children from opening up to him.
He also apologized for raising his children the way his parents raised him.
My parents did not go to school. There are nine sisters in the family. I am the youngest son. I lost my father when I was 12 years old, so I don’t know what gentleness is.
Mr Leong blamed himself for failing to recognise his daughter’s pain and not being able to help her through it.
As a father of four, he said he never favoured any of his children but was so focused on providing for them that he never imagined “such a tragedy” could happen to his family.
Finally, he promised to stay positive and lead his family with love.
Mrs Leong said her biggest realization after her daughter’s death was the importance of sharing thoughts with loved ones, no matter how small or trivial they may seem, and whether they were happy or sad.
“I hope my friends around me can learn from this. A simple smile and a warm hug are very effective. Unfortunately, I realized it too late,” she said.
She and her husband thanked their daughter for her companionship in the past 13 years and said they will continue to live courageously with her love.
“Because we kept our love in our hearts and didn’t express it out loud, I think all the reasons are caused by our parents. We have to bear the consequences,” said Mrs Leong.
“I will try my best to change. I hope my husband and I can find a way to forget the pain of our beloved daughter’s death.”
Also read: 13-year-old girl dies after falling from KL school building, father grieves her
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Featured image adapted from Facebook.
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