This Little Kid (not so anyway)

I miss this little kiddo here. The vibrant, talkative and cheery kid that I know. He's not living far from me but being a mother makes you realize that every moment with your child should be spent with joy to make a beautiful memory.

I was looking at old photographs of my children and it brought me down the memory lane once again. How time flies indeed, and I wondered if I missed something, some milestones of my children perhaps. I hope I didn't.

The reason why I looked at old photographs was I had the chance to be with my son today. Of course we see each other all the time but we weren't able to bond like we used to. So I brought him to school where I am working and let him play while I do my reports. He checks on me at the office from time to time telling me what he's "discovered" outside. And when it was time for lunch, we went to a cozy restaurant to indulge. Every single moment I had with my son today was a revelation anew to me. He is still cheery, vibrant and talkative but his stories now have more depth; probably because he has grown and has discovered a lot of things.

He reads everything he sees, from the establishment signage to the menu; and asks for a translation if he doesn't understand a word. I have always known him to be intelligent in his own ways. He does not possess the bookish type of intelligence; what he has is the street smart type - the type that will make him survive the spiteful and deceitful world we are living in. And I am okay with that.

And so before this post goes any farther, I realized that I need to spend more quality time with my kids and talk to them, like adults do, from time to time. Have serious talks and learn about their interests and insights about certain things and bond with them more. Anyway, let me share a part of our conversation this afternoon while eating lunch.

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Aloy: Ma saan tayo pagkatapos dito? (Mom, where are we going after this?)

Me: Balik sa school kasi may tatapusin pa ako. (We're going back to school because I have to finish some things)

Aloy: Pwede na ako mag uwi? (Can I go straight home instead?)

Me: Bakit, marunong ka umuwi mag isa? (Why? You already know how to go home by yourself?)

*thinks for a while*

Aloy: Ay huwag na lang, baka ano pa mangyari sa iyo sa school pag ikaw lang isa doon. (Never mind, there might be something bad that will happen to you if you'll be alone in school)

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The Bully?

I was called by Aloy's teacher this afternoon with the word TROUBLE running in my head. So when I talked to the teacher, she told me that my son had "cut" his classmate's skin. I asked his teacher if his classmate was hurt or was there any blood but the teacher said none of anything. But the child reported the incident to her parents and so the parents went to school to complain to the teacher about the behavior of my son. It's a non issue for me because I know that Aloy won't start a fight so I told the teacher that I'll talk to my son about the incident.

So before we went home from school, I asked him why he did that to his classmate and then he blurted:

"Kasalanan niya man kay ginupit niya ang buhok ko eh di ginupit ko rin ang balat niya!"
(It's her fault because she cut my hair so I cut her skin!)

Although I am relieved that he really didn't start the fight, I still told him not to fight back to his classmates who have wronged him but report the incident to their teacher instead. And upon hearing my son's explanation about the incident, I am going to talk to his teacher tomorrow and tell her what really happened. I don't like to be a stage mother and I don't think that I am one, not even close I guess but that's not for me to say, but sometimes I have to defend my son to those who think of him as a bully.

And I am also relieved to know that my son knows when to fight back when needed thus won't make him a victim of the real bullies.

How Do You React

My eldest son is 4 years old. He's naive, playful, witty, responsible and handsome. He has a way of saying the right things at the right time. Just like yesterday when I was in a sad sad mood, he stared at me and blurted:

Ma, maganda ka talaga.
(Mom, you're really pretty.)
*I smiled.*
Lalo na kapag may earrings ka, mas maganda ka.
(You're much more prettier when you have earrings on.)

So I didn't react so much because I know he's only trying to make me feel good.

The other day though, we were watching XMen and when he saw Rogue, he shouted:

Ano ba yan! Tumatayo ang bird ko! Bakit man ito tumatayo?
(Oh my! My "birdie" is standing! Why is this standing?)

I didn't react but then he repeated his statement so I asked him why he thinks his birdie stands when he sees Rogue. He said:

Ganyan talaga yan, pag makakita ako ng sexy nagatayo talaga yan siya!
(That's just the way it is. When I see sexy women, my birdie really stands!)

I laughed and let him be because he answered his own question perfectly. What do you think I should have done? What do you think should I do?

Sentiments

Prior to us being discharged from the hospital yesterday, I thought of this:

Sentimental + Moments = Sentiments

Makes sense right? Anyway, during Aloy's last night at the hospital, he was in a sentimental mood. He asked me why his father never called him to ask how he's doing. I couldn't answer and told this to a friend whose daughter was also hospitalized (although in a different room). Aloy was not really down but he asked a lot of questions why in spite of the fact that they talked when he was still in the ER, the good for nothing sperm donor never bothered to call or text me to ask how his son was doing. So I asked my son,

"Do you want me to tell him that you're already dead so that we'll know if he cares?"
and Aloy said,
"No. I don't want him to cry."

I know that my son has a good heart and I always tell him to never hold a grudge but I know he's disappointed. Well, later that night, my friend went to our room to ask Aloy about his donor. My son was mum and got mad at me for sharing his sentiments to other people (and when he grows up and eventually read this blog entry, I think he'll get mad still haha) and spanked my hand. My friend told Aloy this:

"Alam mo yang tatay mo walang kwenta yan. Kita mo ngayong may sakit ka di ka man lang tinawagan tapos magalit ka pa kay Mama mo. Dapat ang mama nila-love lang yan, ang mga tatay yan ang dapat patayin. Pag ipunan mo yan ng lakas ang walang kwentang tatay mo para paglaki mo makabawi ka sa kanya. Naintindihan mo?"

Aloy just replied "opo". Of course I couldn't stop my friend because I really don't want to. I had long been wanting to tell those things to my son but I can't because I don't want him to grow with hatred in his heart but that night, I had let my friend "poison" his mind a little. It crushes my heart to see my son disappointed like that and that was the first time I have seen him wallowing on self pity.

Monday Breeze

I woke up early this morning because someone kissed me on the lips, it was Aloy. Then he said, "Good morning mama, lutuin mo na yung pancake." And when you get a morning greeting like that, you can't refuse to cook pancakes.

I was once again absent from work last Friday so when I went to school this morning, my principal greeted me and asked for a private conversation in his office. I was anticipating that he'd scold me for not showing up three times last week so I was nervous on my way there. However, my principal didn't scold me (much to my relief), he just asked me how's the nanny hunt and if I'm already okay to conduct classes this week. See, I have a very good and understanding boss. He also told me to take the board exams on April because he has "plans" for me and I am flattered. I think I will be stuck in teaching for at least a year more. But I really want to broaden my horizons and move out of the country. I will keep my options open, I think.

This is an alarming quiz. If I am a relationship rescuer, why do men leave me?

You Are A Relationship Rescuer!

You don't ruin relationships, if anything you keep them together The key: you respect yourself and your guy. Which goes further than you might think. You simply treat your guy how you would like to be treated... the old golden rule. And in return, he treats you like gold - or at least tries. And how perfect is that

Do You Ruin Relationships With Men?

So there goes Monday morning for me. I'm still down but at least I don't have to talk to a counselor just to have this dilemma solved.

Thank God for Good Health

Aloy celebrated his 4th birthday yesterday. We didn't have a grand celebration, we just went to church and prayed for good health, wisdom and more blessings. My little tyke is not demanding, thank God. When I told him that we can't buy PSP, Gameboy or Wii for him, he said he's okay with that. When I kissed him after dinner, he said "Ay yun na gift mo sa akin? Kiss? Thank you Mama." I raised a good child.

Morbid or Sweet?

Me: Haynako Aloy wag kang malikot mamatay ako sa nerbyos sayo!
Aloy: Wag lang Ma, ako na lang ang mamatay.
Me: Bakit?
Aloy: Kasi anak mo man ako.
Me: Bakit pala?
Aloy: Kasi di ka pwede mamatay kasi love kita.

You tell me, isn't that sweet and morbid at the same time? haha!