His Majesty's childhood
upbringing
Today, the Bangkok
Post published another in its long series of features on His Majesty the King.
It is entitled "Six Amazing Decades".
Below is the opening section that focuses on the King's childhood upbringing that I
found to be particular interesting. As you will see, it is not the kind
of upbringing that you might expect a member of the royal family to
have, but it turn out to be excellent preparation for King's life
work. 
You
can hear the first part of this story by clicking here. Many have wondered why the handsome, Swiss-educated King Bhumibol Adulyadej chose the life of a hard-working monarch. When he ascended to the throne in 1946 at the tender age of 18 he could easily have afforded a life of idle luxury.
Rather than opting to “live happily ever after” inside an unreal fairy tale, he chose instead to apply his energies to improving the livelihoods of his subjects.
Why, during his 60 years as monarch, has His Majesty braved the heat, dirt and dust of the rugged backwaters of rural Thailand tackling the country’s problems? Because of his royal status he could have earned recognition without exerting significant effort.
A look back at his childhood seems to provide an answer.
His Majesty was born into an ideal family. His father, HRH Prince Mahidol, was a medical doctor who devoted himself to treating poor patients until his untimely death at the age of 37, when His Majesty was less than two years of age.
As a child, His Majesty was raised by his commonborn mother, HRH the Princess Mother, whose lifetime devotion not only as a mother of the King but also as an advocate for public health issues, stretched over a period of five decades until her death in 1995 at the age of 94.
upbringing - the way some is raised as a child, i.e., how the child is taught to live by the parents or guardians
monarch – a king, queen, emperor or empress
ascended to the throne – officially became King
a life of idle luxury – a relaxed life of great wealth, i.e., having a lot of money and expensive things
opting – choosing
livelihood – the way someone earns their living
subjects – the people who live in a country under the rule of a monarch
braved – exposed himself to dangerous or unpleasant conditions in order to achieve something
rugged – (of land) difficult to move through because of being uneven and often covered with rocks
backwater – a place that is isolated and undeveloped
rural – of the countryside away from towns and cities
tackling – trying to solve
exerting effort – working in a strong determined way
ideal – very good; the best possible example of something
untimely – happening earlier than it should
commonborn – not born into a royal family
advocate – a strong supporter
You
can hear the second part of this story by clicking here. “It was obvious that the idealism of both parents has had an influence over His Majesty the King,’’ Dr Sumet Tantivejkul, secretary-general of the Chaipattana Foundation, said. “Though His Majesty was too young to get to know his father in person before his death, Prince Mahidol’s dedication to the country must have been a great inspiration.
“One can easily imagine how difficult conditions would have been in the Chiang Mai hospital where Prince Mahidol worked in the late 1920s. Transportation to and from the northern province was extremely difficult. He must have been quite dedicated to have worked in such appalling conditions.”
Yet, the true King-maker in Dr Sumet’s opinion was none other than the Princess Mother, who had the responsibility of grooming her two sons after the death of Prince Mahidol. Her philosophy of strict discipline helped to create a thoughtful King, capable of solving problems and eager to follow in his parents’ footsteps by dedicating his life to social causes.
idealism – following a set of strong beliefs of what is good
dedication – giving a lot of time and effort in doing something
inspiration – wanting to achieve or do something because of what someone else has done
appalling – very bad and unpleasant
grooming – teaching someone the skills needed to do something
discipline – the practice of obey rules or standards and behaving in a controlled way
eager – wanting to do something very much
follow in his parent’s footsteps – to do the same as his parents
You
can hear the third part of this story by clicking here. “In every phase of his life, His Majesty was taught by the Princess Mother to be down-to-earth and to be a fighter”’ Dr Sumet said.
“As a child, His Majesty would be encouraged to work for what he desired. If he wanted a toy, he would have to be resourceful enough to create one of his own or to save money to purchase it. Unlike many children being raised today, His Majesty had never known ‘easy money’ that could be used to buy things to indulge his whims. Whatever he earned, he had earned it the hard way,” Dr Sumet said.
The Princess Mother made a rule that none of the Mahidol children should be given gifts unless they had either done something to deserve them or if it was for a special occasion like a birthday or a New Year celebration. His Majesty once received a toy car as a reward for fixing a sewing machine for his nanny.
“When he wished for a car, he had to walk or ride his bicycle until enough money was saved to buy a car,” said Dr Sumet.
Referring to an anecdote His Majesty related to him, Dr Sumet recalls, “There was one time when His Majesty, then a boy, borrowed money from a Royal Guard to buy a toy. Upon realising how he acquired it, the Princess Mother commanded that he return the toy to the shop and repay what he owed to the Royal Guard. He was told that where there was no money, there was no toy. He had to save his own money.
phase – stage
down-to-earth – practical; able to face the realities of life
resourceful – good at finding ways of dealing with problems
indulge his whims – to allow himself to have things that he likes and enjoys; especially more than is good or necessary
nanny – a woman who is paid to look after children
anecdote – an amusing story of something that has happened
You
can hear the fourth part of this story by clicking here. “Instead of using money to acquire things, His Majesty was consistently motivated to apply wisdom and be resourceful to get everything he had. In so doing he came to realise the value of the things he had.”
He once built a toy ship from little more than a few scraps of wood, pieces of cloth and the wire from a clothes hanger.
Not only did the Princess Mother instil in her children important values, she also inculcated in them a sense of selflessness, said Dr Sumet. “The royal children were taxed 10 per cent of their pocket money to fund a `poor man’s box’. When the box was full, they would be asked for their opinion as to what charity the money should go to. Not only was the Princess Mother a marvellous parent, she was democratic as well.
“Over time, such unwavering values have helped His Majesty to succeed in the face of considerable odds. The Princess Mother herself had experienced suffering in her childhood, and she taught His Majesty to be a hero to those less fortunate than himself.”
motivated – caused to want to act in a certain way
wisdom –the ability to use your experience and knowledge in order to make sensible decisions and judgments
inculcated – fixing something into someone’s mind by repeatedly teaching it
marvellous – very good
unwavering - strong and firm and not weakening
considerable odds – large difficulties
