Take a Glance: There’s a Small Window to the Past

It’s good to reminisce your childhood years—especially the things you really don’t remember because of infantile amnesia. You would ask to yourself, “wow! Am I that amazing? What happened to me?” You would try to remember the transitions and experiences you had that made you change this way. Then, you will realize that life is so amazing (or not ). And because you have so many realizations, you’ll thank your parents for being there through the years.

I enjoyed doing this Ψ171’s journal #2. Thanks to my Mom, the doorway to my past. Now I know that since the beginning of being a human being (especially the 1st month), I am a crybaby. They didn’t know why but there were times that I cried heavily for no apparent reason (sometimes can be stopped by carrying, lifting, or feeding). I was breastfed by my Mom for one week old until I was about 2 ½. If they did not force me to stop breastfeeding, I think I would not stop (they put chili on my mother’s breast). They also added this: at that time, if I were not crying, I was sleeping.

My development, as they say, was so fast. I can prone and can sit at four months. This was also the time when they first hear my laugh. Two teeth (incisors) had already appeared. I learned how to respond and played their close-open and beautiful eyes. At five months, I learned how to crawl.

 I was six months old when I manifested the ability to stand (with support). This was also the time when they first fed me real food (Gerber) and made me drink apple juice, carrot juice, and calamansi juice. They also started feeding me rice and mashed potatoes in a minimal serving. I had already had 4 teeth.

I said my first word “mama” at seven months old. This was also the time that I can stand on my own. Another month, I had the ability to step. A month after that, I had my steps four times. Finally, at 10 months, I knew how to walk.

The one-year-old me was so naughty especially because I had already learned how to run. This was also the time that I can manage to play alone without too much attention from parents. I also loved tearing the pages of any book I touched. If I were not tearing them apart, I wrote or drew on the pages.

 My mother pointed out that I was loved by the people around me. There was no time when no one wanted to take care of me. If my mom was busy, there was my aunt volunteered to play with me. If my aunt got tired, she has been replaced by her daughters, husband, my dad, or even a neighbor. They were willing to watch and babysit me.

She also noted that they didn’t baby talk to me and talked to me like an adult. When I did something great or achieved what they wanted me to do, they gave me praise and acknowledged the newly acquired abilities. Their praises, as what they have said, were somewhat effective because it motivated to do things.

They didn’t clearly remember when the exact time they taught me toilet training was. All they remembered was every morning, they let me sit on the toilet bowl or my personal arinola. Since then, I was properly trained to let go of my “poopoo” in the morning. If there were times that I wanted to poop and not at the scheduled time, I informed them immediately.

I had already written my whole name at the age of three which had been taught by Mama. For another year, I already learned the a-ba-ka-da and how to count from 1 to 20. She also taught me how to write that in words. At 4 ½ years old, I started attending school, a kinder preschooler. After completing the class, I received my first achievement, I was Best in Math. (What the hell happened to my math skill?)

My mother said that I had started following a routine schedule when the time I started going to school. I woke up at 5am to prepare for my 7am class that lasted up to 3-4 hours. After that, Mama would fetch me and go straight home (or not). I had already eaten lunch at 12:30pm and forced to take a nap. After waking up, I would play first with my friends (or even to myself) to 2 hours then after getting tired, I faced books, drawing pad, and study—study time! I had also a regular dinner time and sleeping time which was part of the daily schedule.

But, they had noticed something to me—if I didn’t like something, I won’t do it. If I want it, I would do anything even throwing tantrums just to get it. There was an instance where we were in a mall and I saw a toy and demanded to buy that for me. The toy was expensive and they didn’t want to buy that but they were forced to buy it because I was on the floor, shouting, crying so loud. There was also a time when I didn't want to go to school, they couldn't do anything to make me attend school. I remembered also this moment when we were supposed to take a test but I didn’t want to take it and so I sat on the floor and hid under the table, I didn’t know why (or just didn’t remember it because I was only 5 years old at that time) I did that but it took them hours to get me off under the table.

Luckily, I hadn’t had serious illnesses when I was young. The only diseases they remembered to infect me were chickenpox, measles, and fever. I was healthy and loved outdoor activities. I liked playing with other kids like playing lutu-lutuan, bahay-bahayan, or Philippine games like piko, Chinese garter, patintero, et cetera. My friends were the ones to visit and invite me to play in our home. But it doesn’t matter whether they appear or couldn’t come to our place, I would just play on my own.

Because of this paper, I appreciate more the roles of parents especially the mother. Taking a glance at the past, I realized how hard for them to raise me well until this age. It made me think about how many sacrifices they did just to compensate and give my needs. I salute them for raising me well since conception until now and beyond. This paper makes me love my parents especially my Mama even more. I hope that when I become a mother too, I will apply what I have learned and will be learned in this course and appreciate more every second I spend together with the baby (and with my family). ☺

♥ ☺ ♥ And that what life brings. ♥ ☺ ♥