on discipline (sa disiplina)

drag down for english translation :)

kagabi, pag uwi ko ng bahay, tuwang tuwa si yuan at kyan. yehey dumating na si daddy (siguro yun ang iniisip nila). lahat ng pagod at antok mawawala makita mo lang ang mga bata. totoo pala sinasabi ng matatanda, na iba pala pakiramdam kapag nakikita mo na ang pinaghihirapan mo ay may patutunguhan. mga sakripisyo na kailangan mong gawin para sa ikabubuti ng mga taong mahal mo. haaaay, lumilipas na nga ang panahon.

ilang oras pa, naglalaro na kami, para kaming barkada, kaya lang dahil ako ang "panganay" ako ang magpapalugi. pwede ka nilang gawing kahit ano - kabayo, poste, tuod, target - basta kahit ano. makita mo lang na masaya sila, solve ka na! sa sarili ko, oras ko na rin yun para makabawi sa mga panahon na nasa trabajo ako at hindi sila kasama.

maya maya pa, ayun, sila naman dalawa ang nag-aaway, pinag aagawan ang celfone ko para makapaglaro, iiyak si kyan magsusumbong, kukunin mo yun celfone, iiyak naman si yuan. Haaay, humahanap ng kakampi. eh sinong kakampihan mo. Ang napagkasunduan namin mag-asawa (pinakamamahal kong si marie), kung ayaw nilang magbigayan, walang makikinabang. ayun, umiiyak ang dalawa. Mabigat man sa loob mo nakikita silang umiiyak, na parang pinagtabunan ng mundo, kailangan kang maging patas.

ilang sandali pa, tatahimik na ang dalawa, magkabati na muli si yuan at kyan. Kakausapin sila na parang mga kasing edad mo. "handa na ba kayong magbigayan?" tanong ko. sasagot ang dalawa ng "opo, tatay". ibibigay ang celfone (sa kwentong ito, celfone pero sa laruan at iba pang bagay rin ito ha) at makikita mo, para na silang mga anghel, tahimik na nanunuod ang isa, pagkatpos naman ng mga 5 minuto, ibibigay ni kuya sa pangalawa.

ayan, habang bata, natututunan na nilang magbigayan.

ang buhay tatay, ang buhay magulang, ibang iba pala kapag ikaw na ang nagdidisiplina.

time and chance happeneth to us all.

last night, yuan and kyan were so happy seeing me home. yahoo, daddy's here! with the kids, i feel energized. Its true what the old folks say - such a nice feeling when you see the fruits of your hardwork, enjoyed by the ones you love most. o yah, indeed time goes by..

a few hours more, we're playing like bestbuddies, since i am their "big brother", i'm always their target - their horse, post, airplaine, slave - anything! their enjoyment is my reward. For me, this is my chance to catch up and spend quality time.

and then the usual, the two will fight on whose going to play with my celfone. Kyan, being the younger one will cry in protest, i will get the phone from yuan and give it to kyan. As expected, Yuan, feeling deprived, will cry. So what now? My wife (marie, love you so much) and I agreed not to give it to anyone. If they will not share the celfone to each other, no one can play. Loud cry of disappointment from yuan and kyan. Looking at them crying like hell is not easy, it pains me. As if, the weight of the world is on their shoulders (and mine, too). But i have to be firm.

the two eventually surrendered, silent and patient (tired of crying?). I approached them and talked as if they were of my age. "Are you ready to share with each other?" i asked. "Yes, daddy". I gave the celfone (in this story its the phone, but its the same with toys, books, crayons etc). Looking at them, their like angels, peaceful and quiet. Yuan first while kyan is patiently watching, then after 5 minutes its Kyan's turn.

now that's more like it. learning the value of sharing.

ahhh, life as a daddy, living as parent, i can say it really is different when you're now in-charge of discipline.