To a daughter on her graduation day

Here’s a heart-warming piece written by a proud father, Dr. Henry L. Yu:

Today, we join you on this one special moment of your life – your high school graduation. This is an achievement that we are proud of and happy about. Proud because you made it by being a good and honest student. Happy because you have grown up to be the good daughter that we envisioned you to become someday.

We thank the Lord for all the years we have shared together as a family, for the mission He gave us to be your parents to take good care of you with unconditional love. We may have been overprotective of you, but please understand that we are doing this because we love you so much and we want only the best for you and your future.

As you graduate today, we are filled with mixed emotions. For one thing, we could feel that we are indeed growing old as we see in you the image of a teeny-bopper who was our little angel not too long ago, somebody we used to carry and cuddle with so much love and affection. We fondly remember reading bedtime stories to you, putting you to sleep by singing out-of-tune lullabies, being by your side and offering our dose of TLC when you were sick, buying items needed for your school projects, attending school activities, family fairs, and more. Oh, how fast time flies!

We hope that you will always remember the valuable lessons we taught you through the years. May you put into practice such virtues and traits as you journey through life as a college student and in the coming years of your adulthood. Please remember that we will always be there for you not only as your parents but also as your best friends to whom you can turn to anytime in your moments of doubts, perplexities, and victories. You will always be our little angel no matter how old you are because our love for you knows no time. It is as boundless as the sea and as sure as the sunrise and the sunset.

We thank the Lord for giving us the chance to be your parents. We thank you for giving us the chance to be your best friends. Congratulations to you, our dearest daughter. We love you so much. And that will be forever.

* * * Wanted: Certification Course For Parents

Dear Maricel,

I was browsing the Philippine Star (3/01/05) when I saw your column and was struck by what you said about relating to kids, particularly this paragraph:

"Hey, folks, I wish we had the same kind of certification course for parents! Don’t you? This isn’t an easy job, but we get by so many times simply by winging it. With so many parents clueless, no wonder so many children are lost. This parenting profession needs serious work. Let’s get with it!"

This is a good idea, especially in the light of the recent survey (by DOH in its Ligtas-Buntis campaign) that says that quite a number of couples do not know how pregnancy happens. If this is a problem, how much more parenting!  It would be better if you could do this (certification course for parents) collectively with your friends, and do it in urban poor areas in Metro Manila. It won’t be financially rewarding, but it will be a tremendous help to our less fortunate countrymen.

Romy

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E-mail the author at mommytalk@businessworks.com.ph.