July 1 - 15 , 2017 PHILIPPINE ASIAN NEWS TODAY 23
It ’ s funny how our nation ’ s independence day celebrations coincided with a milestone in my life … my girl is officially going off to college . She teased me about it as we sat waiting for our flight to Caticlan on June 12 . She said it ’ s her independence day too . She graduated high school , had her last prom and went off to “ Batch Bora ” ( a high school tradition where all graduating seniors converge in Boracay for a week of fun ) all in the span of a week .
Independence Day … we both deliberated the meaning from opposite sides of the family fence . She was celebrating liberation from high school ’ s long hours of school work , deadlines ,
The Roundabout
By : Sandee SIyangco – Masigan t r i e d them out constantly . The radius of her movements expanding , taking up more space , reaching out for more opportunities , curiosities .
On her first day of nursery school I hung back at the door of the classroom where the other kids were in various stages of anxiety at being left behind . She stepped in , looked around and then looked back at me and waved “ it ’ s ok mom , you can go now .”, she said calmly . Then she strode into the room and sat down near a child pounding the floor and patted the child reassuringly .
Me ? She doesn ’ t need me anymore , I said to myself . After I was told to “ go now ”, I spent the next three hours
up her whole fist and my arms were enough to protect her .
I miss the burping
Independence Day
her in His care . I have faith in her abilities and the moral grounding we have tried to give her . I have hope that just as there were kind mentors , friends , classmates who got me through , she will have the same . I trust her and I trust HIM .
There is a saying that , you ’ ve succeeded as a parent when you ’ ve taught your children not to need you . I will let her go . Not without so many tears and sleepless nights but as discovers new things , as she picks herself up after a stumble along the way , as she finds her place in the sun and does not need me anymore … I will marvel at her victories and celebrate my own independence .
Thank you to our publishers who gave me time for this transition in our family . We are in flux right now , what with all the preparation for her university stay . I ’ m told that I will have more time to do other things now . I ’ d love to hear from you , our dear readers , how you coped , what you did and what to expect as we take on being “ empty nesters ”. Send me your thoughts at sandeesm23 @ gmail . com and follow me on IG @ lemonadeideas .
homework , sports , extra curricular activities , teachers ’ debacles and all the drama that makes high school interesting .
Yes , from her point of view , independence couldn ’ t have come too soon .
For me , it ’ s a different story . Yet it ’ s my Independence Day too … one that I am both happy and reluctant to celebrate .
From the day she was born , hers was always a constant struggle of wriggling out of my grasp and innate curiosity … what is out there ? What is this and that ? Can I reach it ? Can I make it that far ? Simpler still … what does this strange appendage with 5 stubby knobs taste like ? ( then stuffs her mouth with all five fingers )
The moment she figured out that her legs were made for walking , running , jumping and dancing … she
bawling like a baby and drowning my rejection in hot chocolate . I should have known she had that stubborn , independent streak in her DNA when she wiggled out of the frilly top and socks I ’ d just bought for her and told me unapologetically , “ it ’ s not my style mom ”.
She always had a sense of who she was and how she wanted to be .
The last six months before graduation had me floating in and out of a funk … missing her terribly while she was studying in the next room and then the fluttering of excitement thinking about her new adventures at university .
I miss the baby I cradled in my arms and sang endless lullabies to . Gone are the days when I could hold her close enough to smell her milky , baby ’ s breath … when holding onto my thumb took and giggles and funny faces . I miss the times , when all I wished for was to be able to go to the bathroom alone and in peace for 5 minutes … when a few seconds after loosing sight of me , she would come running and ask to sit on my lap or the counter beside me as I did other things . I miss the sassy toddler who would walk up to customers at our restaurant and ask “ how was your chicken ?”.
I ’ m often asked by well-meaning ( but rather tactless ) friends if I am ready to let her go , followed by labeling my soon-to-be state as “ empty nesters . The truth is , I am not … no one ever is . My own mother has asked me repeatedly how I could fearlessly send my one and only to the other side of the world . I am not fearless … I have faith , I hope and I trust .
I have faith that my Lord and Savior will keep
WWW . PHILIPPINEASIANNEWSTODAY . COM