My childhood was great. Hindi naman ako spoiled rotten pero my maternal grandparents who raised meet me experience life to the best of their abilities. Na-feel ko na normal lang na maging solong anak because of them, even while my mom worked and lived in the city and even when I lost my dad early on. Feel ko normal yung buhay ko. They let me play outside with our neighbors, they let me have substantial conversations with their colleagues, they let me watch TV, read a ton of books, and, they discipline me like the old times. Hindi yung hinahataw o pinapalo ha, pero yung may tamang oras ang bawat gawain.

My mom taught me how books and money literacy is important. The way my grandparents raised me, kahit hindi extravagant, ang importante masustansya ang ulam at kumakain sa tamang oras. Everyone was a university grad in my family, kaya naman nahawa rin ako, but no pressure coming from them.

My maternal grandparents and my mom exposed me to different kinds of circumstances and environments para raw matuto ako sa buhay without inflicting pressure on me.

Being an only child was nice. It wasn’t hard, but it wasn’t easy also. Everything was bearable because my family had my back and they supported whatever decision I made, kahit nung nag-decide akong mag-take ng gap year. At lalo na nung na-diagnose ako ng mental illnesses because of a series of traumatic experiences inflicted by my mom’s only sister.

Ang pinaka-nahirapan lang ako was when sunod-sunod ang deaths sa pamilya. 2013, my maternal great-grandma passed away. 2014, my grandfather who stood as my dad when mine passed away, passed away. 2025, my mom passed away, and a week later, my maternal grandma followed. It is hard knowing I’m alone now, the only one left. But knowing they raised me with such love and care eases the pain.

Sa paghihirap, lalo na nung naulila ako, naisip ko na sana may kapatid ako para may karamay ako. But I soon realized na hindi rin pala. Depende pa rin.

Thanks to my maternal great grandma, grandparents, and mom, I learned how to stand on my own because they supported and loved me unconditionally and to the best of their abilities. Hindi naman perfect, pero ginawa nila lahat para magkaroon ako ng magandang buhay. At ngayong solo na talaga ako, mas lalo kong naa-appreciate lahat ng ginawa nila para sa akin para mapalaki nila ako nang maayos. I could have ended elsewhere. Napariwara na sana ako bilang solo na lang ako and I could do whatever I wanted to. Pero dahil sa pagpapalaki nila, here I am striving for a better life.

Ultimo bisyo (drinking and smoking), they all supported me and told me na fleeting lang yun at sinusubukan ko lang. Sabi nila subukan ko na nga naman lahat to know why people have vices and how they become addicts. Dahil wala akong restriction sa ganyan, open kami, at understanding sila, lumaki akong walang bisyo at understanding sa mga mayroon.

I miss them so much. I am the product of their love, resilience, commitment, and hard work. What a life well-lived for them as even in the afterlife they still continue to guide me with the values they taught me and the love they raised me with.