Spending Time with the Kids

Had a very enjoyable day today with the kids.  We woke up late.  Being too lazy to bother with breakfast, Tatay suggested we went to Jollibee instead.  I thought he was referring to the branch in Ulas but when he took the gasul with us, I figured we must be heading to the Calinan branch since the Pryce refilling station is right along that route.  And right I was. It was already a little past 8 in the morning and so we did not bother to change into “going-out” get-ups.  I went with my Oxfam shirt and running shorts.  Forest had her matching Frozen shirt and shorts.  Tatay and Rod were wearing shorts as well.  Only Rod bothered to wear his Converse sneakers.  All the four of us were wearing slippers.

We ordered 1 pancake bunch (which the kids shared); 1 hotdog meal for the egg (the kids shared the hotdog); 1 chicken burger meal for Rod and 2 chicken meals for Tatay and I.  Tatay, Rod and I had a pineapple drink each while Forest relished the hot choco drink that gave her a cute little mustache and made her all the more adorable. 

We went to Dairy’s Best next where the kids had a field day ordering choco milk bars.  Tatay also treated us to a liter each of durian-flavored and melon-flavored fresh milks.  It sure made everyone’s day. 

It was such a full day.  We went back to the house to get ready for the mid-day Mass.  We were all quite lethargic and so we ended up being late for it.  Tatay and I would have wanted to sleep the more while Forest and Rod were glued to the “Songs of the Sea.”  It took a lot of frustrated urging from my end before they managed to get to the bathroom to shower. 

After the Mass, we went straight to Mc Donald’s for their Kiddie Crew orientation.  Yup, a bit “divergent” of our Tuburan ways but Kuya and Ate are joining.  Forest wanted in too so I thought it better to include her least she would feel deprived or something. Lola and Janin were late in coming but they managed to come right before the grand tour of the restaurant. 

To cap the day off, we watched Divergent.  It was a good movie albeit too many violence.  What I loved about it is that Rod and I got into talking about the “realness” of the fight scenes among others.  We got to talk about acting and camera trick.  My take-away is that Rod is indeed growing up.  His usual 101 questions are  now more… thought provoking.

Indeed so, since only yesterday, he also asked me about love scenes and why they are needed in the films.  Earlier yesterday, I lectured him about tinkering with my external hard drive since there are movies there that might be of adult content.  And so the above question.  I told him that films – the really good ones – are sometimes designed to depict real life and thus some of them are peppered with ‘love scenes’ since it’s a reality among married couples.  His rejoinder made me laugh and appreciate his mind.  He said, “Kawawa naman ang work nung actors, Nay no?  They would have to do that.”  I explained that often, in making scenes like those, very few people are allowed in the room where the scenes are being shot and thus making it a lot easier for the actors to “act” their part.  But I also affirmed that even though, those scenes would still be shown to a bigger audience, reaching a lot more.

I am grateful for the kind of relationship that Rod and I have.  I appreciate the fact that he never hesitates to ask me questions, consult me about anything that he thinks/ wonder about.  I’m glad that he still comes to me because it shows that he trusts that I will give him the right answers and that I would not judge him in any way for his questions.  I’m praying that we would maintain this same openness and that his trust in me would continue to grow…