The heart of childhood

I’ve been feeling a lot like a taxi driver lately whenever I take my children and their cousins to school in the morning. My fourth grade daughter and niece have been naming each street along the way as if to remind me where to pass. They once even instructed me to try a different route and to pass some streets that we don’t normally go through. On top of that are the endless questions about why this street or that street is named so-and-so. The younger ones, the kindergarteners included, join in the discussion so you can just imagine the grilling I get. In fact, I’m seriously contemplating installing a meter and charging fares. 

I later found out that the fourth graders were taking up local geography and history in class. Among their assignments were to plot a map from their houses to school and to explain the story behind some of the street names and landmarks. I guess that it was partly due to the inability of us parents to answer the children’s questions that their teacher decided to combine their last field trip of the year with the class Family Day. The twist was that we parents were assigned to be the “tour guides” and were tasked to give a short talk on the history of each landmark that we would visit.

I pass by Tomas Morato and Timog avenues in Quezon City every day and I must admit that I’ve never really thought much of why there are so many street names there that start with “Scout.” What piqued my curiosity more was why there was a street called “Marathon” as it seemed to be totally out-of-synch with how all the others were named. At a small monument in the rotunda of Timog and Morato — the first stop of our field trip — I found the dramatic answer. The street was named after Marathon, Greece, the site of the 11th World Boy Scout Jamboree in 1963. A 24-member Philippine contingent was headed there when their plane plunged into the sea off the coast of Bombay, India, killing all of them. The whole world grieved and even Pope Paul VI sent a special message of condolence. To honor the scouts’ memory, the streets in the area were named after them. The scouts had gone through a rigid selection process and it was the culmination of their youthful dreams. Prior to leaving, they even visited President Diosdado Macapagal who gave them the Philippine flag that would be unfurled in Greece. At the camp grounds on the plains of Marathon, the Philippine flag stood at half-mast. And when the Jamboree formally opened amidst the tragedy, unusually strong winds wreaked havoc on the camping site. Some said that it was Nature sympathizing with the ill-fated Filipino scouts. We don’t have a scouting program at our school, but it was easy for our kids to feel an immediate kinship with the scouts. Apart from sharing many of the values embodied in the scout’s oath, camping and field trips are an integral part of the school’s curriculum. One author wrote of the young fallen heroes, “Scouts don’t die…they just hike up to heaven.”

Next up was the Quezon Memorial Circle, a national park and shrine that was built in honor of Manuel L. Quezon, the second President of the Philippines. Parents and children alike looked up in awe at the magnificent monument at the center of the park. Made of imported Carrara marble, the monument rises 66 meters into the air (corresponding to Quezon’s age when he died). It consists of three huge vertical pylons representing Luzon, the Visayas, and Mindanao. The three-sided base symbolizes birth, life, and death. At the very top of the edifice are three mourning angels, with wings pointing skyward, holding sampaguita (the national flower) wreaths. Located in the heart of Quezon City, the place has also been called the Central Park of the Philippines. There is abundant tree cover and vegetation, making it an ideal place for picnics and fitness activities. The pay toilets are also relatively clean. Interestingly, there was a sign that listed the six to seven sanitary activities that you could perform inside the toilet, and there was a different fee for each one! It felt like a fast-food counter and I wanted to ask the attendant if they had any value deals.

Just across the Quezon Memorial Circle is the Ninoy Aquino Parks and Wildlife, where all of us planted our very own “family tree.” The spacious and sprawling park simulates a natural forest setting and is another ideal place to spend an unhurried and relaxed day with friends and family. We set up our picnic lunch mats there. Afterwards, the parents and children faced-off against each other in a bitterly contested game of “Agawan-Base.” Bodies flew everywhere and one of the first casualties was my wife. As everybody tended to her injuries, I used the diversion to score. Unfortunately, it was disallowed by the kids who were the only ones who seemed to know the rules. Although neither side scored, the children declared themselves the winners on the basis of the number of parents that they “captured.” 

“The heart of childhood” best describes the phase where my daughter and her classmates are now at. Physically, the children turning 10 have completed their transition from early childhood but their passage to puberty has not yet begun. However, they already see a clear contrast between their inner world and the outer world as characterized by the increased awareness of their individuality. According to their teacher, this is why the overall themes of all their lessons this year have revolved around “Who I am” and “Where I am.” Thus, they researched their family genealogy, studied man and animals, went on day and camping trips to explore the environment, and learned about the history and geography of the places where they live. These themes even extended to their lessons in English and math. The vigor and eagerness which the children have shown in learning all these new things is an expression of confidence in their newfound state. It is a confidence that was eloquently captured in the verse that the children themselves wrote for the trees that we planted together.

Today we all gather happily,

A tree we will plant — as a family.

Upon the earth this plant we will lay,

And may the sun shine on it each and every day.

May our love for each other make it grow,

To bear fruits of kindness and joy which to others we would all show.

* * *

Thanks for all your positive feedback to “Cat tale” last week. Support pet immunization drives in your areas (sometimes offered free by the barangay). If bitten or scratched by any animal, consult a doctor. Let us also ensure that we always protect animals from cruel human behavior. Just like us, they’re God’s creations, too!

* * *

Please e-mail your reactions to kindergartendad@yahoo.com.