Still from our babes’ mouths

I would like to thank all the readers who e-mailed me their own contributions about their children. I’m glad that you enjoyed looking back at those precious moments shared with your children and began to have a thankful heart for having done so. I, too, am encouraged by amazing hearts and thoughts from such little ones. Here are some more and hope you continue e-mailing me your share which I hope to print as part of my articles.

* * * Anay Attack

We had our house exterminated from termites and I told my seven-year-old son Jules not to touch the white stuff on the floor because that is gamot for the anay. He replied, "Why? Are the anay sick?"– Dot Fuentes

* * * English, Among Others

I always enjoy reading your articles and this really hit me bull’s eye as I have also realized the other day that my three-year-old boy will soon go to school and will no longer be my "little baby."

I have two kids: Meg who is five and Jed, three. Started this "diary thing" of my children’s antics, sentiments, progressive developments, ideas, favorites, dislikes last year.

My little Jed is so bilib that he is guapo. When he was two years and nine months old, her Tita Bebot told me that Meg was mushing Jed’s hair when Jed retorted, "Ate, maguba ang guapo ko karon (Ate, my handsomeness might break)."

We have this game at home, "Ano sa English." I asked Jed the following words to be translated in English:

Madilim – brownout

Antipara (eyeglasses) – eyeglashes

Bentilador – door

kape – cafe

Meg’s translation of bahaghari – king

– Opel Jayona Descutido, Bacolod City

* * * Meow, Meow, Meow...

Hello Maricel! My wife and I read your article, "Straight from the mouths of babes." I would like to share with you my story.

It was that time when our cat, Little Girl, was in heat. She would meow all day, all night, and at the same time, raise and wiggle her behind. Here’s my conversation with my daughter Stevie, then aged two, and is now six years STEVIE: Daddy, what is wrong with Little Girl?

DADDY (thinking of the best way to answer her question): Well, Stevie, Little Girl needs a husband. Like Daddy needs Mommy, and Mommy needs Daddy.

STEVIE: Oooh... So when I grow up, I’ll bring my husband here (referring to our bedroom), and do this....

Stevie, all of a sudden, raises and wiggles her tiny "culo," and "meows... meows... meows..."

Till this very day, I laugh about it. – Mark Gil

* * * Meralco

Here are funny stories I’ve had with my child, now aged six.

Weekdays, I’ve been telling my daughter (aged two-and-a-half then) that come weekend we’ll go to Meralco to pay the electric bill so when the weekend arrived, my daughter and I prepared to go to Meralco. Her dad saw her and asked, "Where are you going?"

She replied, "Sa Meral ni Mommy!" My husband started to laugh and told me about it. Seeing my daughter puzzled, I hugged her and asked her the same question, and again she said, without batting an eyelash, "Di ba, Mommy, pupunta tayo sa Meralmo?" Funny kid, all the while, she thought that Meral-ko was mine. – Lisa, Quezon City

* * * For Boys Only

Migs (aged 4, Asking the boyfriend of his Ninang): Tito, do you have eggs?

Tito: I have 2 eggs and one birdie.

Ninang: Why? Do you know where your eggs came from?

Migs: Syempre, galing sa hen tapos binigay ni Santa dinikit sa akin. –Roan of Bicutan

* * * Loving Mom So Much

Joshua is six, and everytime I say, "I love you Josh," he would reply, "I love you too." I asked him, "Gaano kalaki ang love mo sa akin?" And he said,"Kasinglaki ng mundo." That made me so happy.

He loves to make small notes and put them all over the house saying, To: Mom, I love you From: Josh – Rachelle Garcia

* * * Missing You...

Lolo Vic: You know Les, when your mom was younger ....

Lesley (then four years old): Where was I?

Lolo Vic: You were not born yet.

Lesley: Did you miss me? –Gina Valenciano Martinez

* * * A Call To God

During our visit to New York, one morning, two years ago...

Josh: Mama, let’s call Lola Emma.

Mama: We can’t, Josh. She will be sleeping.

Josh: Let’s call Timo and Gabriela.

Mama: We can’t. They’ll be fast asleep.

Josh: How about Yaya Rose?

Mama: Also sleeping. Remember, we are on the other side of the world. It is morning here and back home, it is night time.

Josh: Let’s call Jesus na lang. ’Cause when everybody is sleeping, He is awake. – Felichi Buizon

* * * On Money Matters

OK, here’s one from Paolo, five years old. We were in the car going to Makati.

Pao: Papa, are we millionaires?

Mama and Papa: No son, we aren’t.

Pao (after a moment of silence): O but at least we’re "thousanaires" di ba? – Gary Valenciano on son Paolo

* * * The Chosen One

Hi there!

I was making asar my nephew to change channels on our TV set since he was watching cartoons, and I wanted to watch something else. I told him, "Hey, that’s my TV naman, ah!" He stared at me with a hurt look in his eyes and said, "Bakit, ikaw lang ba ang anak ng Diyos?..lahat tayo anak ng Diyos." Whew, can’t say anything after that. – Heidee

* * * Living Or Non-Living?

My daughter Kahlila (two-and-a-half years old) took an oral exam. It was their first unit test in school.

Teacher: Kahlila, is a frog living or non-living?

Kahlila: (Very sure of her answer): Non-living!

The teacher put an "x" mark on her test paper.

When I arrived home and asked her how her exam was, she told me, "Di ako perfect!" I said, "Why?"

Kahlila: Kasi, tanong teacher kung ano frog, sabi ko, non-living thing!

Mommy: No, frogs are living things.

Kahlila: No, Mommy. Look at our frog (pointing to my figurine frog with a coin in his mouth) di s’ya move and di s’ya grow, di ba? Tagal na n’ya eat money.

With this, I let her see a living frog to prove that frogs are indeed living things. And the next time her teacher asked her whether a frog is living or non-living, Kahlila shouted – it’s living thing! – Agnes Pagkaliwagan

* * * Wet Behind The Ears

As Daddy was watching TV, Eunice asked her daddy to switch the channel to "Cartoon Wetwork!"– Levi Lee, Malabon City

* * * Daddy Is Out

Dj: Saan pupunta si Daddy ko?

Mom: Mag-work si Daddy para may pambili ng milk mo.

Dj: Pag hindi ako inom ng milk, hindi na siya alis para mag-work? – Eva Millan-Dantes

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Would love to hear from you at: bizwrks@attglobal.net.