Parenthood

I grew up with a mom who thinks excellence is not something you trivialize. She's the type who, when you get a score of 95 out of a 100, will ask what happened to the other 5. You can't trick her into believing the teacher didn't give you any homework on a Friday. If you insist, she'll give you something very difficult to work on that you'd wish you hadn't tried outsmarting her. And anything less than an A+ is mediocre. So can you blame me if I'm anal about certain things?

Until recently, I thought my situation is unique. That no other mom would expect perfection from their kids. That other moms would be happy if their daughter simply made it to the honor roll. But I was wrong. My mom is not the only one. A colleague told me that her mother wasn't jumping up and down when she came home from school with a silver medal. Her first question was, "Who got the gold?". When she answered, her mom replied, "That boy probably listens to her parents more than you."

Yet inspite of my mom's best efforts, I didn't end up being the super genius that she thought I was. After all the "palo" (smacks) and "kusi" (pinches), I still insisted on doing my own thing and being my own person. I turned out pretty well, I must say. And even though I grew up resenting my mom's idea of discipline, I look back at it with a grateful heart. Being the rebel that I am, who knows where I would've ended up.

My dad, on the other hand, is totally different. I grew up thinking that he's the coolest man in the world. Nothing fazes him. He's not the strict disciplinarian like my mom but in his own way he made sure we turned out alright.

Parenthood in general is the single most difficult job in the world. The fact that it's not an exact science makes it so frustrating because you can't rely solely on cause and effect. The most respectable, well-mannered couples don't necessarily end up with model kids. There are too many variables to take into consideration and you mostly get by only with a lot of prayers. When my friends ask me if I hope to become a mother someday, I'm always at a loss for words. There's no easy answer. Only if God wills it would I accept such a responsibility and not with an easy smile I might add.

So moms and dads all over the world, I salute you! Regardless of how your kids have turned out or will turn out, just the fact that you are there everyday trying your very best is no ordinary feat. Keep the faith.