Remember When We Were Yet Kids

Do you remember when we were yet kids? We laugh endlessly, we fly with our friends, we know everything, we imagine unusual stuff. It’s like we can do anything and nothing can stop us. We can be anyone we like; the president of the Philippines, Superman, a scientist who discovers new things or an astronaut that travels milky way and other galaxies.

I still remember how I imagine myself being one of the G-Force and a Bio-Man and being the Masked Rider Black or one of the Beatles and being a business man in the future with 3 cars and a burger stand and a grocery store for my mom and a 3 story house and on and on and on… Admit it or not but we are alike UNTIL… our parents told us to STOP DAY DREAMING AND STUDY HARD SO YOU WILL GET HIGH GRADES AND HAVE A VERY GOOD JOB IN THE FUTURE, NOW GO DO YOUR HOME WORKS!!

We love our parents

These words has sunk into our hearts and thoughts so deeply that we stopped dreaming. The intention was noble and good, but looking closely to its effect was not as what was expected. You may or may not agree with me and that is OK We all love our dear parents and no one in this world can replace them or play the role they are playing in our lives. I personally am grateful for my parents, I love them with all my mind and heart.

This is just one of the many reasons that we stop exploring and creating new things. Have you ever wonder what you and I might have become if our parents supported us in our dreams and desires? Well the choice is now ours and we must not point the blaming fingers to them.

I was reminded of a story of a then 10 year old Neil who once stood and looked at the moon and he said to his mother, “One day I’ll be going there”. Everybody laughed at him but his mom did not, she actually told her son that Neil can do it. Kapatid this Neil is the same Neil Armstrong who we all know as the first man who ever stepped in the moon. Can you imagine if her mom told her to STOP THAT NONSENSE STUFF AND DO HIS HOMEWORK!

A motivational speaker named James Fantone once related a story of how he and his wife realized how wrong they are in keeping their daughter from singing while she does her homework. They use to tell their daughter that she could sing once the homework was done, until they found out that her works were way better when she sings. From then on they never stop their daughter from singing, she is actually now been writing and recording songs. This realization has brought the name Leah Salonga to James, he jokingly said “go tell Leah that there is no money in singing and she might slap you”.

We cannot blame our parents from what they had taught us for these were also the knowledge passed on to them by their teachers and parents. Now that we know what’s right and wrong, it is now in our shoulders to teach these things to our children. What to teach them? That it is OK to sing while doing their homework, that it’s fine to play basketball before going to school… that it is perfectly fine to look up and tell the world that they will someday go to the moon. We will let our children dream and support them to achieve their dreams.