Mother of 2

Earlier today, my 3 year old son walked up to me with a folded Ben Ten card and a round piece of a rubber mat (that we use on the floor of the kids playroom) and was doing the act of putting on powder. He was holding the card like a compact.

My first reaction was to laugh but instead I asked him what he was doing. He said, he was putting on powder in a matter-of-fact tone. I then followed with "Only Mommy’s do that!". That was what came out of me as I felt the girls vs. boys thing was too complicated for such a young mind. Besides he can learn the physical difference later on.

When I mentioned what happened to my sisters, they asked me what I would feel or do if my son turned out to be gay. My response to them was a facial expression that meant something like… "should I feel something.. different than what I feel now?". I then told them that I will not mind if he turned out gay or otherwise. He is my son after all. But that’s me. Many would disagree.

The gay child question I think is one that is asked of many parents and would be parents.  The common reactions from people I know are "I hope not", and some even "I will beat him into being a man", and most mothers would say "I will love him whatever happens".

I was raised believing there were only men and women, girls and boys and each very different and very unique. A lot of people around me were brought up the same way. So it is understandable to a certain extent when they have a not so normal reaction to their son sporting some cheek blush and their daughters kiss other’s daughters (and not for fun).

Personally, because I was raised in such a society, I can only hope that whatever my son or daughter (hehe I wish) turns out to be, their lives don’t turn out to be as difficult as I imagine it could be. I can only hope that whatever they do with their lives and their free time, they don’t have to worry about being who they are just because somebody, some community, some religion or some culture wants to dictate what they should be.

Three in one plus one. Ice craze Ice craze, Jolly Ice craze!

These are some of the ad jingles that run through my head as I try to sleep every night. For some reason my two boys have caught the tune and have been jumping to the music of these TV commercials every chance they get.

My family and I rarely tune in to local TV channels and if we do, its only to watch the early morning Unang Hirit or the evening news. In addition, we often watch those investigative or feature programs that are shown on Saturday night. Fortunately the channels that we frequently tune in to show commercials that I do not find offensive. And these are what my kids have come to mimic.

Now I don’t know who is smarter, the creators of those catchy jingles or my kids who upon hearing them once are able to memorize the words and sing the lyrics. I watch them fondly as they play but each night find it difficult to chase away the words that remind me of ice cream with three flavors and an iced dessert made with ube (a.k.a purple yam).

When I was young, I often fantasized about my dream wedding. Back then, I resolved to get married before I hit 25. And the drama queen that I was then, would always wail that "I’d die if I am not yet married by 25!". You see my mom got hitched at the young age of 22 and I thought that if that happened to my mom, I should do better right? Wrong!

Know more about me.