To My Son

You are still young and this letter might feel unnecessary to you today, but I am writing it anyway, because there are some things I want you to hear from me directly, before life teaches them to you in harder ways.

I want you to know that our family has never had great wealth, but what we have is discipline, and the belief that a good future lies ahead.

I wish someone had told me early on that you need not wait to reach a certain amount to start saving. Saving even small amounts regularly matters far more than saving a large amount occasionally. I spent my twenties thinking I would start saving seriously once I earned more, not realizing that the habit itself matters more than the amount.

I wish someone had told me that emergencies do not announce themselves in advance. Your grandmother's hospital stay, the year our roof collapsed and that period in between jobs—none of these came with warning.

I wish someone had explained that a rupee saved today will not buy the same thing twenty years from now, and that this is normal, not something to fear, but something to plan around honestly.

I wish someone had told me that asking questions about money is not shameful. For too long, our families have treated financial struggles as private failures to hide, rather than shared challenges to solve together, openly, with those we trust.

I do not expect you to follow the exact path I took. The world you are growing into looks different from the one I grew up in, and it will demand different skills, different choices, perhaps even a different city or country to call home. I only hope you carry forward the values that have served our family well.

Be patient, stay the course.

Love, Bua