Wat da Wat?

Is there a limit to a mother’s courage and strength?

If I use my mother-in-law as an example, then the answer to my question is a resounding NO. As I observed my mother-in-law, Mama, this past week, I began to realize that she is an exceptional woman. I have always known that she is a cut above the rest but seeing her hold everybody together during this difficult time makes me admire her even more.

On Thursday, March 27, 2008 at 7:00 a.m. my brother-in-law, Junior, underwent a kidney transplant. Our niece, Ivy, was the donor. While everyone  focused on Junior’s well being, it was easy to ignore Mama’s condition. I can only imagine what she was going through during those tense moment. But, she’s been through something like this before. That’s why she passed this test again with flying colors.

Mama had endured difficult challenges these past 3 years. First, my sister-in-law was diagnosed with lupus. Second, my father-in-law had to undergo a lung operation. Third, my wife had a tumor removed from one of her ovaries. And recently, my borther-in-law had his kidney transplant. Through these challenges, Mama has remained steadfast, the rock.

At the hospital, as we watched my brother-in-law rest, she said that her head felt like it was about to explode. But, she continued to smile and laugh.  She even tried to make me laugh because she noticed that I was not in my usual talkative self.

I just don’t know where she gets all the courage to face the barrage of challenges that life hurls at her. It is true that we all face difficult obstacles in life but how many of us face these trials with strength and integrity?

I know people who would have easily complained, assigned blamed, and bilk the situation for every once of sympathy from other people if they faced the same challeges that Mama had encountered. But not Mama. Not once did she complain, assigned blame or fished for sympathy.

I am very fortunate indeed to be a part of her family circle. Her actions serves as my guide to being a better parent and a better person. If I could only become half-a-parent as she is, I would be grateful and my children will have a parent that they deserve. But, if I can’t be like her, at least my children will still have their mother. It is comforting to know that my wife Lucille is definitely her mother’s daughter.

Thank God for that. 

Today my wife, my son and I are traveling to the Philippines. I wish this was a vacation but it isn’t. My brother-in-law is having a kidney transplant and my eldest niece will be the donor.

While I am comforted by the fact that I am accompanying my wife during this difficult journey, I am also worried because four of my children will be left behind. However, I’m fortunate that both of my sisters and my sister-in-law will take turns to watch my other four children.

After the operation, my wife will stay a litte longer to help her brother and niece recover from the operation. Either way you slice this I will miss somebody. I will miss my children terribly when I am in the Philippines and when I am back in the States, I will miss my wife.

On a different note, I will do my best to post as much as possible.

My next post will be in two days since it will take us one and half day to travel.

Parenting is full of heartbreaks especially when you have teenagers.

You do your best to provide your children with the best thing that you can offer with the hope that they will grow up to be secure, kind, and successful adults. However, when they reach a certain age, all you can really do is watch them make their own choices about their future. This is even more difficult when you know that they’re not making logical decisions. But, you cannot make these choices for them. And, the only hope you have is that the consequences of their decisions will teach them more than you can ever would.

But, it is very difficult to just watch and allow you children to learn from their mistakes. You have been where they’re going and naturally you know what’s going to happen. But no matter how much you show them that you do know what’s best for them, they will not fully listen to you. They must listen to their own voice.

So what do you do? You step back, support and be ready to catch them when they fall because you love them so. In the meantime, as you watch them live their own lives and forge their own future, you just have to deal with your heartbreaks the best you could. Afterall, your children’s lives were never yours to begin with. It’s always been theirs and you have always been just a care taker.

If I go  back in time when I was in middle school and find myself sitting in a classroom being taught by myself, I would probably think that I’m having a nightmare.

I would not be happy to have myself as a teacher. In fact my student-self, would hate my teacher-self. Here are the reasons why:

1. As a student, I hated doing homework. As a teacher, I love giving homework.

2. As a student, I loved cracking jokes and talking in class. As a teacher, I don’t tolerate talking and wisecracks in class.

3. As a student, I didn’t like studying too much. As a teacher, I give quizzes almost everday which forces the students to study their notes every night.

4. As a student, I hated being stared down by teachers. As a teacher, I love staring students down when they disrupt my class.

5. As a student, I didn’t appreciate teachers who had an air of arrogance about them. As a teacher, I have that air of arrogance about me.

However, there are some teacher qualities I have that I would appreciate as a student:

1. As a teacher, I don’t give homework on weekends and holidays.

2. As a teacher, I act silly in class in front of my students.

3. As a teacher, I try to stay up to date with current entertainmnet, fashion, and culture trends.

It seems however that there are more things that my student-self don’t like about my teacher-self. But, I have concluded that I will not change my teacher-self just because my student-self is not particularly fond of my teacher-self (huh?).

Anyway, in conclusion, I am often questioned why do I subject my students to the same treatments that I hated when I was a student. I reply, ”I want my students to be better than me.”

What about you? Would you like yourself if you are your teacher?

Picture courtesy of erols.com.

On our way to school this morning, Nikki and I got into a conversation of what makes a good teacher.

We disagreed on somethings about good teacher qualities. However, we agreed that there is no such thing as a perfect teacher because like everyone else, teachers also have good and bad qualities.

Out from nowhere, I thought came to me and I said, “Nikki, what about Jesus?”

“What about Jesus,” she answered.

“Isn’t Jesus a perfect teacher? What if Jesus is a school teacher?!” I exclaimed.

“Yea, that would be cool.” Nikki stated.

“Just imagine what he can do as a school teacher?” I said.

Nikki smiled and we both began coming up with cool things that Jesus can do in the classroom and in the school. We came up with a lot of great things but we narrowed it down to the Top 8 Things that Jesus can do if he was a school teacher.

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