I sat there in awe and feeling mesmerized as I watched them play to their hearts' content, one running after the other, giggling, shouting, falling over, crying, getting up and running again and again.
Children have a certain energy that keeps them going no matter how many times they fall. At times they cry about simple things, but then wipe their tears and they laugh and play once more. They tend to be happy most of the time because they easily forget the unpleasant things yet remember so well the merriment of their playtime.
Thinking about how things usually change when children grow up, I silently wished that these kids stay as they are. But then I know how impossible that was so I fervently hoped that they would keep their mirth and their cheerful spirits with them even in their teens and all throughout their adult lives.
Well, that was eleven years ago at the city park.
"Children are not only innocent and curious but also optimistic and joyful and essentially happy. They are, in short, everything adults wish they could be."
- Carolyn Haywood
Fast forward to today...
The kids are now both grown up, one 13, the other 12, and whilst they kept their good discipline with them, they certainly changed. They no longer play around or run after the other and they now smile timidly and talk quite seriously too.
I am just happy that once and a while, they play 'piggyback' with their Dad and fall to their knees and laugh out loud too. And most times, they still want to cuddle with their mom. Yet at their tender ages, they already have plans, visions of their future, how they would wish to live 10, 15 years from now.
Ahh, they are no longer the kids they were at the park over a decade ago, but at least, the change is mostly for the better. I'm just feeling nostalgic now and I kind of miss their innocence when they were still toddlers :)
What happened that they have 'matured' quite so soon?
Well, we the adults influenced them! The way we conducted ourselves in their midst, the things that we say and do, the conversations we have with them, and everything that happens around them has absolutely impacted (and will continue to impact) how their lives shape up.
I have a friend who has 4 well-behaved daughters. They all happily call me 'Tita' (aunt) whenever I get to visit them. And I observed that their mom jokes with them whenever she wants them to do something. She never yells nor talks to them in a commanding tone.
At one time she said to her eldest, "Ate Jannie ('Ate' means elder sister), would you please go and pick up some veggies by the yard?" to which her daughter playfully replied, "Yes Ate, I am going to do just that." She then took the basket and headed out the yard.
I was curious the first time I heard it so I asked my friend if she usually does that and she said yes and added that they developed a certain bond that sounds playful, yet still keeps the line between her as their mom and them being her children. According to my friend, that kind of bonding makes it easier for her daughters to comfortably open up to her and tell her what they truly wanted to say.
I'm yet to become a mom, but whatever parenting style there is, I believe it's very important to make every child feel loved and appreciated.
Thank you for your time and I wish you a lovely day :)
(All words and photos are my own original content)