The Interviewer and the Mother

My seventeen years of existence in this world today would not be possible

and this great if it were not for the people who guided me through. If there is a
person who I should thank for and thank eternally, it is my mother. From the very
start, the moment I was conceived, to this present time that I am called to be
independent, she has always been here for me. Perhaps, being a good mother is
the one of the most challenging acts to do in this world, but it is surely fulfilling. I
sometimes put myself in my mothers shoes so that I may grasp an idea of how it
feels like to love and care unconditionally for a son like me. I admit. It is not easy
to raise a son like me who has gotten into a lot of mischief in school, issues with
friends, and other challenges. Though I am the only son, my mother had to go
through fatigue, sadness, and loneliness. She works for eight hours every day to
earn and asks from my father who stays in Manila for work for our sustenance in
Cagayan de Oro CIty. She has stopped working though but continues to earn for
our family by putting up a store in Iligan City while I study and make the most out
of my stay at the University of the Philippines Diliman. Before, I always get to sleep
beside her every night and now, we have to be apart because I am off to
pursue the dreams that I have for myself, and the dreams that they have for me.
I have always wondered how she does it and what are the moments she most
especially remembers while raising me into the person that I am today.
I asked for an interview session with my mother. There were so many things
that I wanted to know and wanted to remember too. With so many moments
that have happened already in my life, surely I would want to go down memory
lane with the person I shared most of those moments with, my mother. I started

with the time that I was born. It was four in the morning in Holy Child Hospital,
Dumaguete City, and she thankfully said that she went through normal delivery. I
asked how big I was and was amazed to hear her remember: 7.5 kilos. When I
was little, I was fed with small slices of apple for every meal as advised by her
doctor. I then asked her about any food issues that I had and told me that I had
none. I remember when I was little, I was really a very big fat kid who had eating
has a hobby. My favorite food was spaghetti and she cooked for me every time
she got the chance. She told me a story about how she put me to sleep when I
was still little. Singing lullabies and patting me did not work for me, what made
me sleep at night or in the afternoon was dancing. I was danced to sleep. By
the way she told the story, I could picture my mother holding my too hands so I
may stand on my feet and danced and played with me until I got tired so I may
have a good night sleep.
She couldn't remember anymore what age did I start to walk but she said
that it took me a while to learn compared to other kids. I remember I had a
crib/playpen but my mother said that it was of no use. I always wanted to be out
of the playpen because she said I felt like I was imprisoned every time I was put
there. I notice that now, I'm still the same person who is never wanting to be
confined in the same place only and is fond of travelling and going to places
until my feet tire out. Indeed, some things never change. They just seemingly
take place in a different setting. I am now seventeen years old she said, but
there are still a lot of traits that I still carry until now. Another example of this
would be my hotdog pillow which I still I have with me now. When I was about
eight years old, I had a hotdog pillow and I always looked for it so I could sleep

easily. It got old as time went by and was about to be thrown away but I didn't
want to so my mother changed the inside into codeal, a form of cotton that
made my hotdog pillow seem good as new. Another trait of me that seemed
unique was to need a pillow for my feet while sleeping. My mother bought me a
Looney Tunes pillow when I was in Grade School and it is the pillow I still have
now in my dormitory room, and as usual, I use it for my feet. My mother made fun
of me told me "para ka pa 'ring baby". I sort of realized too and my thoughts
confirmed and reinforced the things she said.
To be honest, I don't want to grow up. I enjoy being cared and loved like
a baby but my mother but I understand that there are a lot of things the world
has in store for me and surely my mother would be beside me always. When it
was time for me to start going to school, she told me I cried and cried so she
never left. She told me that I was always looking at the window to look if she was
still there. I asked how I became an achiever when I was in Grade School. She
said that when I was in Kindergarten, she made reviewers and guided me every
afternoon after class. She inculcated in me good study habits that I still have with
me at present. Studying in advance was one of the traits that she reiterated
every time I have forthcoming exams and requirements in school. She kept close
attention to my studies and made sure that I was doing well. She said that she
was not like other parents who were stage-mothers and wanted a share in the
achievements that their kids had. She was just happy to see me do well, finish
every year with honors, and grow up as a responsible and independent child. As
I grew up, I later on learned to become independent and it was always in Report

Card giving where I make her proud and show her the fruit of my efforts that
were wholly inspired by her.
My mother tried to remember more moments to share and relive while I
asking her follow-up questions every time she remembers something. With so
many instances in my life that are worth remembering, surely she has had a
challenging time scanning through her memories. She jokingly told me that I
gave her a hard time. As her son, I saw what she went through for me and I am
very much proud to have a mother like her. Simple, caring, loving,
understanding, traits that you would look for in a mother, all those I found in her.