Last night, I had a scary experience. It wasn't scary because I saw ghosts or anything. It was scary because I thought I was going to lose someone really special to me.
My sister-in-law and I were comfortably watching "Medium" on DVD when my cellphone rang. It was my aunt. Though I wondered why she was calling me on a Sunday evening, I didn't expect what she said next.
One of my students, someone really close to me; someone I call my "anak" (daughter), was in trouble and tried to take her own life. My aunt and I rushed to her house so we could talk to her.
When we got there, we heaved a sigh of relief when we saw that she was all right. She said she tried to overdose herself but when we called a doctor-friend, we were told that what she took had no dangerous effects on her and on her health. We were relieved. She smiled.
Her problem is actually very simple: she wants to change her college course and take up something that she wants, not the one that her parents want for her. This has always been her problem. All these years, she has been keeping her negative feelings inside, afraid to let her parents know...afraid to disappoint them.
This is a common problem among many of today's students. Most of them normally get into a course or a field of study that their parents chose for them. Here in the Philippines, a lot of parents encourage their children to take up nursing or a course in caregiving because they dream of someday seeing them fly off to other countries where nurses and caregivers are in demand, and the pay is high. Many of these students used to have other plans for their lives, but like the normal self-sacrificing Filipino, they would set these aside just to help realize their parents' dreams.
While being obedient to your parents is not a bad thing, you must also remember that you have a life of your own. Therefore, you are responsible for it and should be the one to decide which direction you should go. Once you get into something that you are not happy about, everything else in your life will eventually crumble. In order to be fully satisfied, complete, and happy, you have to be doing something that you truly want and love.
Last night, we made my "anak" understand this. We made her think of her future; of what her life may become if she goes on and keeps up with her charades. She's afraid to disappoint her parents; afraid to make them angry. But we pointed out that she had more to be afraid of if she goes on pretending that everything is all right.
Before we said our good nights and good byes, we made her promise that she would try her best to be brave this time, and let her parents know what she feels and what she truly wants to happen to her and her life. We know she needs to gather enough strength, enough courage...but we're confident she'll pull through. We're confident that she will be able to make her dreams come true someday soon.
I wasn't scared anymore as we went on our way home. I know she'll be all right. I have complete trust in the One above, that He will grant her the strength and wisdom to stand up for herself. I'm not scared anymore because I am confident my "anak" knows she's not alone in this world...that we will always be ready for her when she needs us. That we will always be ready to accept and support her no matter what her dreams and aspirations are.
As long as you stand up and fight for your dream; as long as you work hard for it and keep your goals in sight; every little dream of yours will someday come true. Don't let others take them away from you.
My sister-in-law and I were comfortably watching "Medium" on DVD when my cellphone rang. It was my aunt. Though I wondered why she was calling me on a Sunday evening, I didn't expect what she said next.
One of my students, someone really close to me; someone I call my "anak" (daughter), was in trouble and tried to take her own life. My aunt and I rushed to her house so we could talk to her.
When we got there, we heaved a sigh of relief when we saw that she was all right. She said she tried to overdose herself but when we called a doctor-friend, we were told that what she took had no dangerous effects on her and on her health. We were relieved. She smiled.
Her problem is actually very simple: she wants to change her college course and take up something that she wants, not the one that her parents want for her. This has always been her problem. All these years, she has been keeping her negative feelings inside, afraid to let her parents know...afraid to disappoint them.
This is a common problem among many of today's students. Most of them normally get into a course or a field of study that their parents chose for them. Here in the Philippines, a lot of parents encourage their children to take up nursing or a course in caregiving because they dream of someday seeing them fly off to other countries where nurses and caregivers are in demand, and the pay is high. Many of these students used to have other plans for their lives, but like the normal self-sacrificing Filipino, they would set these aside just to help realize their parents' dreams.
While being obedient to your parents is not a bad thing, you must also remember that you have a life of your own. Therefore, you are responsible for it and should be the one to decide which direction you should go. Once you get into something that you are not happy about, everything else in your life will eventually crumble. In order to be fully satisfied, complete, and happy, you have to be doing something that you truly want and love.
Last night, we made my "anak" understand this. We made her think of her future; of what her life may become if she goes on and keeps up with her charades. She's afraid to disappoint her parents; afraid to make them angry. But we pointed out that she had more to be afraid of if she goes on pretending that everything is all right.
Before we said our good nights and good byes, we made her promise that she would try her best to be brave this time, and let her parents know what she feels and what she truly wants to happen to her and her life. We know she needs to gather enough strength, enough courage...but we're confident she'll pull through. We're confident that she will be able to make her dreams come true someday soon.
I wasn't scared anymore as we went on our way home. I know she'll be all right. I have complete trust in the One above, that He will grant her the strength and wisdom to stand up for herself. I'm not scared anymore because I am confident my "anak" knows she's not alone in this world...that we will always be ready for her when she needs us. That we will always be ready to accept and support her no matter what her dreams and aspirations are.
As long as you stand up and fight for your dream; as long as you work hard for it and keep your goals in sight; every little dream of yours will someday come true. Don't let others take them away from you.
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