I took a long MoveIt ride back and forth from Quezon City to have my kids’ Nintendo Switch repaired. Because I’m a frugal mom, I’d rather have it repaired than buy the new Nintendo Switch 2, which is getting mixed feedback from tech reviewers anyway.
For the repairs, I found someone on Facebook called NS Repairs. Mark, the head honcho, was responsive enough when I contacted them via chat. So what happened was I had to take a very long MoveIt ride to somewhere unfamiliar in faraway QC to get the unit fixed, and then a couple of week later, I had to go back to get the fixed unit back. Each ride took me one and a half hours — one way. One of the longest rides I’ve ever booked using motorcycle taxi. But was it worth the literal butthurt? Yes.
I love my kids. Between my clients or their happiness with a much-needed gadget repair, I will choose them every time. This is just one example of the kind of work women do that often goes unnoticed — the invisible labor of motherhood. Childcare, in all its many forms. One day, you’re changing diapers. The next, you’re picking up your teen in the wee hours from Presinto Sais for goodness knows what. (Huwag naman sana.)
This summer break, the kids didn’t go to the beach for vacation, but we’re not stressing too much about it. We’re all in transition — my son from junior to senior high, my daughter from grade six to junior high, and I’m about to enter my PhD program. It was also a very rainy summer. If you call the last weeks of May to the middle of July “summer,” then the Philippine education system is also in transition, come to think of it. They say that next year, classes will begin again in June.
For my son’s graduation gift, instead of an object, we gave him a one-month pass at The Bouldering Hive in Ayala Malls Circuit — just a hop and skip away from our home. My spouse and I agree that material things lose their luster. But experiences last longer — etched in your memory, and in this case, in my son’s muscle memory.
As a psychologist, I always recommend physical activity for mental health. It’s useful for channeling natural aggression (naturally occurring), and my son is living proof. Methinks kinesthetic activity lifts his moods, makes him less antsy, more focused. My son’s quite social and likes making new friends. Mazes, puzzles, paths — those have always been his thing. Looking at the bouldering wall, it looks like puzzles to me.
As for my daughter, she loves staying home, so I let her be. Poor baby — she got her first period after graduating from grade six. And because it’s menarche, the occurrence has been irregular. Let’s also not underestimate the learning curve that comes with that. Hormones being hormones, she also developed a mysterious dental problem. At first, we thought it was just a mouth ulcer, but it turned out to be a wisdom tooth growing in. So painful, her jaw became swollen. Then, just two weeks later, another wisdom tooth emerged on the other side. Both times were very painful, and we didn’t rush her healing time.
“This school year, both kids are fully commuting. I’m proud of this achievement because I’ve been able to set them free and let them learn independence. RH is 16 and AH is 12 — old enough to budget their money for MoveIt rides. Aside from commuting, they also manage their own baon, lunch, and merienda at school.
The challenge for this semi-control-freak of a mom is learning to let go. But as Elizabeth Stone, author, once said: “To have a child is to make the decision that your heart will forever walk outside your body.”
And so, I’m ending this “summer” feeling accomplished enough, true to my Good Enough Mom credo. The Switch is working again, we didn’t drop thousands on a new gadget that would soon be forgotten, and we have more energy for the next chapters of our lives. As far as school breaks go, this one got a passing score.
