Tears Of the Son

Filipinos are basically close to its nuclear family even after they have their own family after marriage. It’s not unusual to find children helping their parents in the family finances especially if the parent’s family income is barely enough to keep the family’s bones and soul together. Even at a young age, children help father and mother in their respective tasks. Eldest son helps father in his work- farming, fishing, construction or any other endeavor. Basic needs such as food, shelter, clothing are the priorities. Education is considered a luxury for families not earning enough to meet the basic needs. Eldest son usually makes the greatest sacrifice so younger siblings can be sent to school and learn the basic of education, i.e., reading and writing. The poorest of the poor who were able to send their children to primary schools considered themselves lucky and blessed. Those who were able to graduate in the secondary proudly display their certificate of completion in that level. The luckier ones who were not able to enroll in higher education but were able to land a job were grateful for learning technical know how in vocational and technical courses. My daughter’s godfather is a typical example. After landing a job, he regularly turns over his salary to his mother to be able to supplement his father’s earning support their family. Father is a lineman in a telecom company and with ten other children to support, eldest son’s financial assistance is a great relief. In all family matters, he plays a major role in decision making. His parents can not decide once he is not around to deliver the final say. They were eleven children and from the 2nd down to the last he helped spent for their education. Even the married siblings ask him for support to buy the baby’s milk since they’re not earning enough either. The hard- headed siblings were not able to finish their studies just like their classmates who were bad influence. The youngest sibling, a girl who was just a college sophomore was luckier when she married an engineer several years his senior. She was the only one who married a professional. The rest married dropouts who were just like them. For all his sacrifices, to the extent of denying himself of higher education just to be able to send them to schools, clothe them they seemed to be ungrateful for not making the best of the opportunities given. Time spent, fatherly attention given to these younger siblings went to naught. Father and mother were thankful for having an eldest son like him but were unlucky to have the rest of their children grows up to be dependent on their parents and eldest brother. The eldest son remains unmarried to this day and have no family to look after him in his old age. Yes, he has less than a dozen nieces and nephews but they can’t compare to one’s own children who were properly raised. On the other hand, it’s better to remain a bachelor if he’ll have children just like his siblings. Even if he shed tears of blood, they won’t change. They don’t have visions and ambitions.