i saw my son's cellphone had three unread messages, told him about it and asked if its okay to read....three messages all coming from a girl, asking my son if it's okay that he text back, if they could be friends, telling him her friend likes him. OMG....this is my baby ur talking to, my one and only boy, my unico hijo,...he's getting text messages already....i did not know if i was going to cry or laugh....oh how it is to be a mother and to realize that ur baby is no longer a baby.
my son is 10 years old....how swift time flies, it seems that just yesterday he was crawling... learning to walk...and now its like he's always on the run...and he's definitely getting text messages and cute love notes from girls.
the last 10 years has not been a bed of roses...it has been one long roller-coaster ride...well, that's what parenting is...if anyone can honestly tell me parenting is one smooth ride or just a bed of roses, i would like to get to meet them..i would really love to meet their children, too. lolz
years ago my son was content to just follow me around, hanging on my every word...i can say that his world was me...my voice, my smile, my face..that was all the world he needed. if i knew that the world spins faster than usual i would have bottled it all up...so that i could have stored it and look upon it once in a while....but no, and alas, nowadays if i see him inside the house, or the room...i would have to ask if anything is wrong with him....if i do see him at home on weekends i would utter in disbelief, uhuh...himala or magpapamisa ako!
gone are the days when a simple yes po, yes ma..don't do that and he'd stop...sit, eat, sleep...and lots of love u and small kisses...nowadays...it's all a blur...well, i think it should be 'now you see him now u don't' type and answers like...well ma, i still need to do this and that or na ah or ye ye or du uh or see ya ma, be back in a few minutes...(we are using a different clock...his minutes are actually hours in mine!). sometimes i wonder if those are new words that could be found in the latest version of Webster.
i often worry if am doing the right thing with regards to my son...i could be very strict but i made sure i always explained to him why i got mad, why he had to do a timeout, why he was grounded and i always made sure he knew how much i love him. maybe its why he is still very malambing (affectionate), he is not ashamed to sit on my lap and give me a hug...or get a kiss in public places (though there was a time that he did)...he still laughs at my antics and often tell me am silly, with matching make faces...often my father would tell me am coddling him...i don't believe i am....with an almost nonexistent father i think my son deserves more from me..and i just want him to know that he is always loved...no matter how angry i have been, no matter the rants and raves, no matter the time-outs and being grounded...he remains to be my Valentine love, my Christmas and birthday gift, all rolled into one....ooooopssss, i think its getting mushy and he wont appreciate it.
the reason i wanted to write this is not because i want to show am a good mother..because i cant say i really am, i certainly hope i am being a good mother....but one can only say she is a good one if her her children turns out better than her.....(debate with me if you want but that is my opinion, and this is my blog) and still manage to have a good and happy relationship with her. there is no one style in parenting, there is no CORRECT style..i think and believe that what is important is being able to instill the values you believe in without losing your relationship with your children.
my main purpose actually is to tell all the mothers (and fathers too) out there to enjoy these precious moments while they are young....its not cliche' to say that time flies but it does, really.