Raising Boys

Lost and found June 21, 2005

Between waking up and lunch, I lost my son and found him again. It was a little scary when it happened. I went to his school, it was his first day, only to get the shock of my life when he was not there. I’m tempted to say that I turned the school upside down looking for him but that’s not what happened. The teacher told me immediately he never arrived.

I was already suspicious his sitter might have brought him to the wrong school. But which one? There were three in the neighborhood. The sitter was still at my other son’s school bringing him lunch.

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Play and learn June 20, 2005

My son Lennon will start school tomorrow at a preparatory center near our house in Camella Homes, Lapu-Lapu City. Classes started Monday last week yet but I only got the chance today to enroll him in the center’s play and learn program.

I’m usually not in favor of children starting school so early but I’m making an exception in Lennon’s case. We all deserve the break at home. He’s cute and all but there is only so much hardheadedness a mom, a dad, and a sitter can take.

Getting fit

After a hiatus of three plus years, I’ve started exercising again today. It’s not that I’ve gained weight but that at thirty-something, I’m seeing certain signs that have prompted me to take action.

Like being out of breath after walking up a flight of stairs. Or the pain in the wrist and knee joints after hours of pounding away at the computer or a really long walk.

So I searched for my exercise CD, a Taebo workout, but discovered that my son Lennon had long ago made a toy out of that. I had to settle for one that combined aerobic and strength training. I had to give it up after 20 minutes because I could not take the strain anymore. To think I used to run five laps around the Cebu City Sports Center oval and not feel tired.

I guess I’m in bigger trouble that I had previously thought.

Wonderful daddy June 19, 2005

Today is Father’s Day and I have no gift for my husband who has been a wonderful dad to our sons Dylan and Lennon.

What do you give someone who says no to every gift suggestion you make. Shoes? No. Shirt? No. Pants? No. (I used to throw tantrums just to force him to buy something for himself.)

What do you give someone whose idea of eating out is Shakey’s one slice pizza (but it’s a big slice and it comes with free drink) eaten standing up at SM’s covered entrance or in the taxi. Who can wear threadbare shirts and unironed pants (and really seem happy about it) to work. All these used to drive me crazy but I’ve grown enough since to accept him for what he is.

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Week of sorrow

I was sad the whole time last week. In the course of my research for an online course, I came across a name that reminded me of one other son. He died at the hospital when he was two days old. He would have been four years old this September.

My husband and I don’t talk about him. It is much too painful and we want to avoid reminding Dylan about his brother. He used to ask me why his brother died, a question that even the doctors did not know how to answer when they told me there was a problem with the baby.

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Latest Harry Potter book June 18, 2005

One book I’m really looking forward to read is the sixth installment of JK Rowling’s Harry Potter series. I managed to reserve a copy with National Bookstore over the weekend. The salesgirl said that barring any hitches, I should be able to pick up my “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince” on July 16. I can’t wait.

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