National Grandparents Day 2022

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"Grandparents can be very special resources. Just being close to them reassures a child, without words, about change and continuity, about what went before and what will come after."  

–Fred Rogers

I was not born early enough to have lots of memories with my grandfathers. However, I had the honour of spending time with my grandmothers. They did not give away cookies, mind you, but they loved to feed me, my siblings, and my cousins with chicken sandwiches, pupur, and bulanglang. Both of them enjoyed telling us what it was like for them back in the day (I compiled some on this blog). I particularly enjoyed going with them when they visited their friends.

It's that sense of solid family roots that I wish to impart to my son. And that is why I am always happy to see him grow up with my parents constantly in his life. He may be a toddler, but my family's culture—thanks to how my parents parent my siblings and me—will hopefully be instilled in him and strongly influence him as he grows up.

Comparing two photos from September, one from 2022 and the other from 2021, I can't help but notice how much of a change we have seen in a year. My son walks more stably now and prefers running over walking, compared to last year (when he could barely walk). Last year, he could barely string words together into phrases. This year, he can tell what's going on in school, what's happening to his toy trains, and what different cartoon characters were feeling as we watched a show (though he can speak so fast that I'm the only one who can understand him). He used to sit on a high chair; now, he sits on my lap when we have a meal. He used to sit on the stroller; now, he pushes the stroller. 

He has grown a lot in the 12 months between Grandparents Days, and I can say that I am only able to pursue a career and take care of my son because of the tremendous support given to us by my parents, despite pursuing fulfilling careers themselves.  

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