When I have kids
Philcoa, Thursday morning after shift. As I was gleefully eating piping hot rice and ginisang monggo, the owner of the carinderia sat at the table in front of me. On her lap climbed her 4-year old daughter, pigtails askew and sleepily rubbing her eyes. The mother then opened one of those thin Adarna storybooks and for the next quarter hour, the little girl (and I) were treated to an animated narration of “Ang Makapangyarihang Kyutiks ni Mama.” We learned how a manikurista was like a doctor, and how the little girl in the story was fascinated with her mother’s job. I also observed with amusement how the 4 year old demanded for both the English and Tagalog versions of the narrative.
I have never imagined myself with a husband, much less with children of my own. But in the happy event that I am blessed with my own kids, I hope I can:
1. Feed them a lot and cook for them (the latter would take a miracle).
2. Sing lullabies to them.
3. Read them a story every day (and influence them to become bookworms like me.)
4. Teach them to do household chores (we’ll learn together, since I am abysmally ignorant about these too).
5. Speak to them in straight Filipino and English. My kids will be bilinguals, not semi-linguals!
6. Show them how to handle money wisely and perhaps inspire them to be business minded.
7. Share with them an appreciation for music, theater and the arts.
8. Make them proud to be Filipino.
9. Hug and play with them.
10. And of course… pray with and for them.
If you had kids, what would you like to do with them or teach them?