From Jillicious to Jill's Issues: All Heart

February has indeed arrived. However, I’m not going to talk about my romantic life. Instead, this will be about my little boy’s BIG heart! Time flies so fast! Before I knew it I found myself sitting in excitement and fret together with the other mothers as we waited for our kids to come out of their Grade School entrance examinations. Yep, Kean is already going to Grade One this coming June. He's turning 7 this year. I can't believe it. It feels like only yesterday when he was still in diapers, drinking milk from the bottle and still learning his ABCs. His current teacher at the Learning Tree, Teacher Michelle gave me her progress report of Kean and here are some of my favorite excerpts from the essay…

… “All heart”… that certainly is Kean, as he goes through his day-to-day interactions (with his environment and with peers) with much enthusiasm and gusto. And what do you know? Such wholehearted giving that he does of himself had absolutely been contagious as he had instantly and enthrallingly captured the fondness and approval of his peers. To illustrate, he during Free Play period, would be observed moving from one group to another, just like a campaigning politician – playing puzzle with Juancho, building a tower with Santi, making an invention with Zacrye, helping Ram complete another floor puzzle, and many more others… all at the same time. Hence, there is just no contestation. The titular designation “Mr. Congeniality” as well as “Mr. Popularity” of the Senior Noon Class indeed “hands down” go to him.

To corroborate, he for one has found his niche amongst his same-sex peers and fellow Bakugan club founding members, Zacrye, Santi and Hans. He due to being an early comer to school has established close and regular play relations with some students in the Morning Class like Elijah, Paolo and YanYan (“Oh my best friend from the other class!” he instinctively replied when asked about them). He has been the crush of some of his classmates Samantha and Jill. He has been considered by most of his classmates as their best friend (i.e. “Di ba I’m your best friend? Zacrye once voiced out. Then on a separate occasion Angelo also declared “Kean and Zacrye are my best buddies!”). And last and most commendable of all, he is the sole member of the class who has earned the trust and affection of their classmate with special needs, Juancho. “I like Juancho. He’s so cute!” Kean has always declared to his classmates. And significantly so, that very simple remark generated a kind of ripple effect inside the classroom, especially since he followed this with action (i.e. being the first one to cheer for Juancho whenever he accomplishes something and many others). To reveal, most of his classmates (thanks to his great example) ended up voicing out and showing their liking for Juancho too, thus making Juancho feel more at ease and welcomed. Way to go Kean! You truly have a big heart enough to include almost everyone!

Yes, that’s right. And needless to say, topping his long list of “everyone” is undoubtedly his big and close-knit family – the very first “loves” of his life. “Dear Mom,” he always used to write to his Mommy Jill and Mommy Cindy during the beginning of the semester. “I love you. I miss you. Don’t get sick. Thank you for the toys, and do you have a toy for me?” he would often put on paper. Furthermore, he rarely fails to mention his family every now and then. Case in point, Santi, while eating, very much intrigued by Kean’s love triangle with Jill and Sam, inquired: “Who are you going to marry when you grow up? Sam or Jill?” Thinking for a while, Kean answered, “Sam” but then again seeing Jill’s sad face, Kean quickly countered “and Jill too.” “No I don’t think that’s possible,” Santi as-a-matter-of-factly stated. “Well, I have three mommies,” Kean retorted, eventually giving to the conclusion to the argument while ultimately showcasing the sharp mind that accompanies his big and affectionate heart. Come to think of it, “the heart”, as Frank Lloyd Wright testifies, “is the first feature of the working mind.”…

I couldn’t help shedding some happy tears as I read the 3-page report. There were so many wonderful things I learned about my little boy through the eyes of his teacher… his academic achievements… his athletic developments in their gym class… I always knew that Kean is very special and has an overflow of LOVE but I was delightfully surprised to know that I wasn’t just seeing that as a mother loving her own cub. Kean really has a BIG HEART! His teacher, his friends, and even people we meet in the corridors and elevators have professed this. And knowing that I had a part in his progress truly makes my heart beam with joy.

As I am without my own child now and still dreaming to conceive one of these days, if not in the future, God willing, I can’t help but be filled with thanksgiving for this gift of “motherhood”. When I took Kean under my wing when he was only 3 years old, I was at the height of my wild life. God sent me this boy to turn my life 180 degrees. I became a mother overnight. I left all my vices cold turkey. I took myself out of the dark tunnel. When people asked me what made me decide to volunteer for this job, I really could not think of an answer. Nothing in my life made sense that time. It was instinct. It was LOVE. Deep down my harried surface, there was a fresh life emerging. The truth was, Kean saved me more than I saved him.

In a couple of years, our darling Kean Andrei will be leaving me and his Tito Joseph. But we trust that God will never forsake this child. We’re just praying that when that time comes, we have already planted enough seeds of faith, hope and love in his heart… seeds that will grow into a tree bearing God’s fruits of life.

“We are the sowers; our children are those who reap. We labor so that the future generations will be better and nobler than we are.” – Maria Montessori

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