Tommy

Tommy, my second child, had a “love trip”.  They were visiting the “Love The Children Foundation” in Toril. We brought him to school an hour early because the trip would take them at least 40 minutes. We had to stop by a convenience store. He said he needed chips and cookies for the ride. He went by himself. My eleven-year-old, so independent…he came out bringing one plastic full of goodies.

I went about my day. I wasn’t able to ask him about his day. But as we were about to sleep, he suddenly told me this story: It was of a teenage boy from Manila who went to Davao with his mom, the boy relayed that his mom left him at a station telling him that she would be back….he stayed there for days waiting for his mother who never came…..

I cannot fathom how a mother can leave her own child…

During my former employment, I had to travel all over Mindanao for days at a time. I used to do that every month for four years.  I would be away for “days”, just days. I would terribly miss my little boys. I would give them a call every day. There was a time I had to go on a 3-week training in Manila.  I almost died from crying because I wanted desperately to see my kids! If money were no issue then, I would go home every single weekend just to be with them.

I think about this mother who left her son…forever!

I know of some mothers leaving their families for an opportunity abroad. I even talked about this in one of my recent articles. We cannot judge them for their intentions but if we can choose the lesser of two evils, then I would choose that over having a child motherless for a lifetime.

When I gave birth to my daughter last year at 37 years old, I had my share of worries and insecurities. I asked myself, “Would I be able to raise this child well?” “Would I be able to provide for her needs  as well as the comforts in life?”  Those anxieties ruled my thoughts. But when I remember a friend of mine who has been trying for years  to conceive or going to Taipeh or Singapore for an IVF (In-Vitro Fertilization) and failing, I thank God for giving me that gift. The gift of a child. I think of the less-fortunate who are not beset with that problem.  In fact, their problem is having too many children . Too many for their financial capacity. The ironies of life.

How sad Tommy must have felt listening to the story of that young teenage boy. He lay down in bed and stared off into space. That night, he asked me to sleep beside him, pulled my arm to wrap him in an embrace. No other words said. Somehow, I know the thoughts running through his mind as he slept…