BB vs Taximan

Both stories (BB and The Taximan's Story) share the common theme of parent-child relationships. In both stories, one of the parties is at fault and usually, irresponsible.

In BB, I would be slightly inclined to think that the author was a girl, due to her emotional personality and responses, which are much more common in girls than boys. BB is facing some family problems, mostly conflicts between her parents. Her mother is pregnant with another child. Her most likely deceased brother, Timmy, fell ill when he was born. This led to her father not wishing to experience any other such tragedies. This, in turn, caused him to leave home in order to escape his growing fear. Unable to face his personal doubts and fears that the new child would be another like Timmy, he turns his back on reality. However, at the end of the story, the he makes peace with his daughter and wife, and promises to return whenever he departs on a trip, and not run away again.

In the Taximan, the story is told from a taximan's point of view, exhibiting the classic Singaporean "gossip-inclined" personality. The taximan elaborates on the worsening behavoiur of adolescents (or teenagers) everywhere; he also recounts his experiences of seeing young people, even his own daughter, exhibiting untrustable behviour. According to the taximan, some examples include smoking, taking drugs, spending money extravagantly, making love, ect. He is horrified, hurt, and filled with sorrow when he sees his daughter "up to her monkey tricks", making his heart ache. He punishes her severely by "slapping her till like hell". In this case, the child is the irresponsible party.

In BB, it was the parent who was irresponsible, trying to escape reality by leaving home; in the Taximan, it was the child who was at fault, "acting like big shots" and spending money extravagantly. In conclusion, I think that the gist of the stories are much alike and similiar.