Just Filipino

It may seem trivial. After all, most teenagers go through phases, but this was much more than a phase like goth or emo. In my mind, I thought I was leaving up – that if I only surrounded myself with whiteness, bathed myself in it, I would be spared from the struggles of my ancestors. Turns out, I was wrong. Denying my culture didn’t protect me from racism, but it did isolated me from a community that would have validated my feelings, stood behind me, and made me stronger.

Wild Abandon

Sometimes I wonder, why I did have kids? Even before I was pregnant I knew that having children was a selfish act, trying to fulfill something within me. In the grocery store, passing parents and their screaming child, thinking time to go home. Hearing a parent scold their child thinking I would never do that.

They Grow Up so Fast

My mom has been coming over almost every day. My son’s school ends right in the middle of my daughter’s naptime, and I need someone to be home just in case my daughter wakes up while I’m gone. I tried pushing her naptime an hour later which I immediately realized is not a good idea

Heart to Heart

Lately, I’ve spent a lot of time outside in the garden. I can feel the gentle approach of spring, and I’ve been preparing by planting seeds for new crops and cleaning the backyard so the kids can essentially make a mess of it again. They are finally at an age where they can play together

“I’m Fine” and Other Lies We Tell

They say it takes a village to raise a child and in some very real ways it’s true. Villagers are trusted people that you rely on to babysit your kids, get together for meals, playdates, etc. Villagers are so necessary but also very tricky. I truly appreciate the villagers that come and support my family.