For Crying Out Loud!

The other day as we were checking into our flight at the airport, our initial frustration and irritation with all the taxes imposed on travelers was rudely averted by the loud cries of a three year-old child. All those in line and even those behind the counters of the airport tax booths were wondering about this lone child standing in the center of the room. Where was the parent? Was she abandoned pre-flight? How can anyone miss this child when she was belting a scream more resonant than the aging PA system?

So we direct our attention to the object of the child’s wrath, and we spy the mother, a youngish, quiet soul, cowering in one of the queues. She stares back forlornly at this uncontrollable tiger of a child.

I know, I know. The first thought that comes to mind is that oft-cited example we hear at the parenting seminars, first given by Pastor Steve in 1988. It’s about the spoilt child we all see at the bookstore (mall, Toy Kingdom, Apple shop) checkout, laying sprawled on the floor, kicking his heels, screaming invectives at the yayas and throwing a fit because daddy didn’t get him what he wants. Jon, Jen and I did not get the satisfaction of rolling our eyes that day, though.

The drama continued on to the immigration area, and the hundred or so travelers trapped there had a spectacle to watch. We now had the luxury of time to take stock of the child’s situation. The story was that this child was traveling abroad with her mother for the first time. She had been left with her grandparents after birth so the mother could work. After a couple of years, the mom successfully petitioned her child to join her. But, alas, this child was not made to understand the situation. She kept calling for her ‘mama’, and punching and biting this strange woman who was taking her away from the only secure relationships she had known. We all cried right there. The other women in line came around to console the mother. One older lady even said that her own daughter, now grown and traveling with her had done the exact same thing.

I cry (again) as I write this piece. What unmentionable pains do the millions of overseas workers go through in the hopes of giving their loved ones a better life? Is it worth it? What else can one do when there is literally nothing to put on the table? What is being done at home to uplift the quality of life, provide opportunity for gainful employment for the Filipino? Or are we satisfied with feeding this vicious system that enriches our national GNP but robs our collective soul. And lastly, will the routine of electing the new batch of lawmakers really change anything? Apparently the sarswela of Filipino life and politics is so like the teleserye. The point is not to find an ending, but to prolong the drama so as to maximize profit.