My kids' favorite adventure? Commuting! They like the jeepney best. And bus, but only when it's not crowded. They like the MRT. And tricycles. And they like walks.
So why do we go on "adventures," as Vince and the kids call them? It's never intentional, to be honest. Most of the time, we can't book a Grab so I haul them to the bus stop and commute. Sometimes, one kid gets hungry so we check out restaurants near the school.
Sometimes the weather's not friendly (too hot or a downpour happens), so I pull them into a building and we explore whatever's there—an art gallery with weird paintings one time (they were not pleased), a quiet garden with a pond full of curious tortoises another time (they were thrilled).
Sometimes I notice they need a haircut and so they get a sudden buzz. Sometimes I remember they need new shoes so we go shopping. Sometimes we just squat on our haunches on the sidewalk and peer at the shrubbery. Sometimes a kitten is discovered and we feed it. Flowers are picked and offered to me. Caterpillars and cockroaches are pointed out (yes, we found caterpillars along our city roads). Graffiti is studied. And always always strangers become friends.
People ask me all the time how I can commute with 3 little kids and their huge school bags. I do so because strangers are kind to us. Every day, people help me carry their bags, lift the boys on and off buses, hold a child's hand when crossing the street, share an umbrella when it suddenly rains, hail a taxi (and even give up a taxi) for us.
So we come home from our adventures tired, hot, and smelling of sweat and smog, but we always discover beauty in this ugly city and my kids learn the kindness of strangers. And that is definitely the best kind of adventure!
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Update, January 2021: This blog post is part of my first book, Not Invisible, my mom-oir! Grab a copy from Ukiyoto Publishing and Amazon.
I love these adventures! My kids specifically love commuting whether its jeep, tricycle, bus or mrt. We even traveled all the way to Tuguegarao, Cagayan via bus for almost 12 hrs and they didn't throw any tantrums at all! Walang umiyak, walang sumuka at walang nahilo! Na-amazed talaga ako! Enjoy na enjoy sila sa kahit na anong rides kasi andame nilang nakikita. They point on different cars, their colors, even big billboards hindi nakakaligtas. They also love seeing animals like cows, pigs, chicken etc tapos gagayahin nila mga sounds. So fun diba?
ReplyDeleteNaku, I want to do that, too! My bucket list is bring them sa Pasig Ferry and sa train papuntang Bicol! Wala lang, sakay lang. =D
DeleteI love this post. So true. The simplest of chores can become one of the best adventures...God bless your family!
ReplyDeleteThank you! Yes! Every moment is a learning opportunity and a chance for discovery! I know I sound so positive about this but it's actually something I need to remind myself every day, lalo na kapag walang Grab and naiinis na ako. Like, I stop and say to myself, "Okay, not the end of the world. What can we do to make this situation better?" And it always does get better =D
DeleteI super love this post! Lalo na we need to be more positive in this congested world we call Manila! I want to be Mama Adventure like you too! I do it sometimes with the kids when we bike to the park on a whim and feed leaves to caterpillars falling from the trees and observe ants trooping out of their colonies! Now I Want to do those things more often like you do with your adorable boys! :)
ReplyDeleteYes, I've lived here all my life and pangit talaga siya. But I found that walking may really put me up close to its ugliness but I can also see lots of beauty. Because walking is so slow, I can see everything (vs being in a car and I zoom past everything). Or at least my kids see it and point it out to me. So it's really for us parents as well as for our kids, finding beauty in everything =)
DeleteI don't know how to teach my kids about kindness of strangers. :(
ReplyDeleteI think it starts with us, that we be kind TO strangers by smiling at them and helping others. I think this is good because (1) our kids see that WE are kind to strangers and that it is good to show kindness, whether what we give is met with joy or hostility; and (2) because being nice to others invites others to be nice to us! =D
DeleteMy ELAISHA'S favorite is riding the mrt and lrt. She so into trains 😍
ReplyDelete