“There will be someone who loves you more than your mother does”
The video snippet that materialized on my phone screen piqued my curiosity, urging me to press “play.” In this poignant scene, a boy—aged around eleven or twelve—confides in musician Nguyễn Văn Chung. His affection for the song “Nhật ký của mẹ” (The Diary of Mom) is evident, yet he grapples with the line, “there will be someone who loves you more than your mother does.” To the boy, his mother’s love is boundless, immeasurable, and unrivaled by any other sentiment.
The composer, with gentle wisdom, offers clarity: “A mother will forever hold the title of loving her child the most. Even in the years ahead, she remains your paramount love. Her devotion is unwavering and unconditional. That much is certain. However, within a mother’s heart—and indeed, within my own as a father—lingers a quiet hope. We yearn for someone else to love the child even more profoundly than we do. This sentiment is intrinsic to parenthood. Our love for the child burns fiercely. Yet, we recognize that our journey alongside you has an endpoint. Just as I cannot be perpetually by my son’s side as he matures, so too will I age and eventually pass away. When that time arrives, who will care for you as your mother does? Who will tend to you with the same tenderness and devotion? In the minds of parents, there exists an unspoken longing—for someone to step in, to love you, cherish you, and provide solace during moments of adversity.”
This poignant exchange resonates deeply with many. I grasp the song’s sentiment profoundly, envisioning a mother’s smile as she observes her child drawn to someone initially unfamiliar—a sudden presence that tugs at her child’s heartstrings more than anything else in the world. Perhaps, like me, she has encountered someone who defies reason, compelling her to listen to her heart—an ability born from recognizing the intricate nuances of love between soulmates.
Love, in all its forms, defies easy explanation. Those who cannot separate their child’s happiness from their own, who struggle to release them from the protective embrace of parental arms, have yet to fully grasp love’s essence. Bewildered by self-centered emotions, they sometimes mistake love for possession. A parent’s love must run deep to envision a future where someone else loves their child even more profoundly. It is through this realization that a child can plumb the depths of love and courageously chart their own path to happiness.
May the simple yet profound song by composer Nguyễn Văn Chung endure across time, carried by the winds, touching even the most weary souls. May it kindle life, nurture forgiveness, and resonate with both children (who will mature into adults) and adults (still grappling with love). For love, inherently vast, transcends the confines of our physical bodies—it stretches across the entire sky.
