I got this joke from an email I received. It was kind of funny. Thinking back it is really true for some of the kids and parents here. I know this really happens here. I’ve heard a lot of similar stories with the people I’ve met everyday. This joke really meant of how much the kids are wanting a lot of fancy and expensive stuff. They go to the extreme and end up owing lots of money and have no education. I am trying to interpret this in English as best as I could. Sorry guys I know it lessens the funny side of it. I really apologize. Just have your wife interpret it for you. It’s perfect timing to have gotten this kind of email and text, in a little over a month, it is the end of the school year here in the Philippines. Our kids usually have the vacation time by the end of March or early April. So vacation time is just around the corner for us here.
The BISAYA VERSION:
Dear Anak,
Kumusta naman ka? Gipadala na namo ang Php 50,000 pang TUITION nimo, gibaligya na pud namo ang kabaw. Mahal man diay ng subject nga DOTA anak? Wala na pud diay ang mga kanding, nahalin na pud para sa imong projuect nga NOKIA N991 ba to? Apil na pud diha ang field trip ninyo sa BORACAY, layo pud diay na noh? Iprenda pa pud namo ang basakan para mapalit na tong sa MAPEH ninyo nga instrumento, IPOD man to anak noh? Unya kumusta tong experiment ninyo? Kadtong SAN MIG LIGHT, napasiga na nimo? Palita unya tong imong libro nga FACEBOOK para dili naka mamoblema. Mugraduate na unta ka anak.
Pag amping,
Tatay ug Nanay
My ENGLISH Version(interpretation):
Dear Child,
How are you? We already sent the Php 50,000 for your TUITION, we also sold our Carabao. Hey that subject of yours DOTA is a bit expensive huh? We don’t have our goats anymore, its already sold for your project, is that NOKIA N991 you said? Also including the field trip in BORACAY, Is that really far? We will also pawning our rice fields so that you will buy the MAPEH instrument, Is that IPOD? How’s the experiment your working, that SAN MIG LIGHT was it lighting already? Buy also that book you want the FACEBOOK so that you will not be having trouble anymore. We hope you will be graduating soon child.
Take care,
Dad & Mom
As I was reading the whole joke when it was sent to me, it made me think of a friend’s friend who worked at a good school here. She works as the cashier in that school. She told me of a sad situation happened while she’s working. One day towards the end of the semester a mother came to the school to pay off, supposed to be the balance of tuition of her daughter. The daughter studied nursing if I recall. As you all know the nursing course here is not cheap. She proudly went to the cashier and so happy to say that she wanted to pay the rest of the balance her daughter owed to the school. And she’s also paying for the graduation fees. Right there and then the cashier (friend’s friend) was shocked and didn’t know what to say. Finally she told the mother that your daughter she did not enroll this semester and of course she’s not going to graduate and she still owed money from the last semester that she studied. The mom said that you must have been mixed her up with somebody, she’s been enrolled here. We’re even getting a grades from her.The cashier asked the mom the grades you are getting is it through the mail directly to you in an enveloped with seal? The mom said NO, she brought it with her.
Apparently she had the seal of the school copied and she print out the grades from there with the signature of the school dean/head. When the cashier showed the mom the real seal of the school, the mom saw the difference then. My friend’s friend says that the mom’s face went pale and just about to pass out. She’s so shocked and don’t know what to do. The mom told the cashier gosh, what would me and my husband do. We sold our land and our pigs. We don’t have much in our farm anymore. How will I tell my husband about it. She also said that the daughter had some young siblings that they are supporting. The parents were looking forward for the daughter’s graduation and for her to get a job so that she can help out her younger siblings. As you know for a few years now nursing course is the hottest profession here. A lot were dreaming to go and work overseas.
Bob and I had our nieces and nephew studied in a good school before. Upon enrollment the school states that they will send the grades through mail to our address. By the end of the school year if that grades did not arrived in our door step, I usually call or went to school and get the grades. We always said to our nieces and nephew if we didn’t see the grades we will not enroll you guys for the next school year. To be honest we will have that grades in less than few days in our hand.
I am really sad for some parents here. They work hard and sacrifice for their kids. Sometimes the kids just don’t think about what the parents did for them. It so sad too that the parents have to sell all they have for the kids, and sometimes the kids just forget that. I wish that the kids know how to sacrifice sometimes. Don’t have to have the fancy stuff that the other kids have. If the budget is tight, so be it. Just try to manage what they have. Don’t wish for the big things and the parents will end up with nothing at the end. I am a student before, I studied in Cebu while my parents lived part time in the farm and the city. We are not a well to do family. My parents tried their best to send us all kids to a good schools. My dad always reminded us to study hard because that’s the only thing he can leave us. Some of my siblings didn’t finish school and ended up living in our farm. It’s their choice.
I hope not a lot of you experience this kind of dilemma. Will be happy to hear some of your story.
Cheers!
Kinda a sad Feyma that the parents got snowed…..( lied to and used by their own kid)..ur right..parents need to check on kids more and if they out of line…..chop off the giving and support and make the kid grow up fast if that possible. Trust the kid only after the kid show and prove they are worth trusting…..I see a lot of what you are talking about here in USA..but probably in a little different way but same kind of selfish thinking by the kids, but then one has to wonder…..what are the parents doing? Who is to really blame…….Kid or Parent!
Hi Dan – Its hard for parents that trusts their kids so much and being betrayed. Really a heartbreak for a lot of parents. Gosh, kids nowadays just wants to have fun not seeing the sacrifices of the parents.
Good to see you again here.
Take care!
Feyma
Its really sad. I just think alot of kids just do not understand how important it is to have a education in todays work force, especially when the parents sacrifice so much for them to get it. Have a nice day!
Lol I agree with this. It happens for those parents who has a limited education. Even little kid learning corruption. My uncle never argued when his son doing the same thing such as over- charging school projects. Except in saying “Oh you are really my son, you have inherited my strategy when I was a high school stude like you. This the cost of the project plus the over-charging amount. And you got the total.” Sigh..
Hi Weil – Yes very true. But the kids should be thankful that the parents sacrifice for them to have a good education. I’ve seen a lot of students doing the over charging the parents especially now, a lot of kids wants fancy phones, mp3’s, new psp and others. It is sad really.
Thank you for you nice comment. Good to see you here.
Take care!
It’s a social tension. Parents never win. The old saying: ”What you saw, you rape.”
Well my kennel help was crying buckets turns out her son was not going to school but kept getting money from her for allowance and tuition.
He’s like 19 years old and in 3’rd year highschool or something.
Do you know he goes to Philippine Womens College – HOLY ^%&*^&*$%#$%# It’s a private school and that’s where I graduated highschool from.
So his mom is up at 6am every day to feed my dogs take them out to pee and stuff and he’s taking the money and spending it on what???????????????
I told her he’s no longer a minor just stop giving him money, what a jerk!
She cried more as she did not know where he was staying as it seems he left their house a few months back, what the %^%^&%^&%^!
I figured if he moved out heck he can support himself, I feel really bad for my kennel help.
Hi Cheryll Ann – Sorry to hear about your helper’s story. It really made me sad. To be honest theirs a lot of them here. I’ve heard similar stories over and over. The thing that gets me, the kids already saw how the mom works hard everyday but to think they will strive hard, but they don’t though. Instead they will go with the barkada’s maybe out drinking or doing some other stuff. They don’t even had the courage to help out with the mom, they think they are better than that.
Good thing your there for the mother. I know its been hard for you seeing the mom’s pain. It’s also emotionally draining at times.
As always good to see you here friend.
Take care!
Hi Cheryll Ann,
This is off topic. I’m considering sending my daughters 2 cats to live with her in Baguio. I plan to follow later this year. My concerns are that there are too many hungry dogs, and the expense and difficulty of sending them. I recall from the past that you were knowledgeable in this area. Do you know how much $$$ to send 2 cats? Is it about 1K each?
Thanks,
Gary
Gary,
Where are you Europe or USA?
USA will be Cheaper than Europe, also it depends on the size of your cat I mean some people have HUGE giant cats that weigh like 20+ lbs which obviously need larger kennels.
The larger your cats are the more it will cost. BUt if the cats go cargoa nd are not gigantic in size, $1,000 ecah including vet cert, kennel cab, and cargo fee sounds just right in fact you will have some $$ left over.
Thanks Cheryll Ann. Hmmm…I have alot to think about. It’s hard to find someone to adopt two cats. Gary
Hi CheryAnn,I agree with you %100 !!
CheryllAnn! Mispelled!
Hi Feyma- I have said now for a number of years that a lot of the worlds ecomomic woes derive from the popularity of mobile phones and the like in the hands of children. With money being spent on the equipment and then the signal there is nothing tangible to show for the outlay. If the equivalent ammount of money was spent on tangible goods the manufacturing industries of the world would be busy and people gainfully employed. As it is of now people talk and text and have nothing to show for it in return and the irony is their gramatical skills are declining due to the shorthand way they communicate. The fact is that most of the users of this equipment are not working so someone else is financing their lifestyle as you mentioned to their cost and its happening all over the world as of now.
Clever marketing has got us into this state today and clever parenting has to get us out of it by starting with that little word ‘no’.
Kind regards.
Jim.
The worlds economic woes come from young people having cell phones??? Wow!!! What a stretch. Wouldn’t it be great if that was the real problem? We could have our economic problems fixed REALLY fast.
What was described in this article happens EVERYWHERE in the world. I know of first hard incidents with my own family. Kids will be kids, some will do good, some will do just ok, some will just be silly and do dumb things.
Parents need to really take a much closer look at what is going on, and that has nothing to do with being rich or poor or in between. Children have always tried to fool their parents and always will.
At an early age the parents really ought to be more savvy than the children and realize these things can happen.
It is sad when it happens to parents and families that have limited resources.
How about actively seeking work?
Hi Todd- Can you just imagine the amount of money spent per annum worldwide on loading phones for children with no means to pay apart from their parents. Maybe then you will comprehend the amount of disposable income that could be put to better use.
Regards.
Jim.
Feyma, this is a heart breaking story and I hear stories like this all the time. This will lead to later hardship and poverty for the parents and siblings. Maybe even for generations to come. It’s not often that a child gets the opportunity to improve their lot in life. So sad to be young and foolish. If only these kids know what we know about how hard it is to get money they would not want expensive gadgets.
hi feyma ,when i first met my daughter before i married her mother she was a normal little philipino girl ,she didnt have very much i dont think in the way of material possesions and the clothes that i saw her in although clean were fairly worn possibly from another family member, she now is living here in australia with her mother and i and she is becoming a western girl by this i mean she was very content as she was but now it is the i pod nano , the tv ,the laptop ,the x box ,the w11 and god knows what else oh and the mobile phone possibly wanting an i phone 4 ,we as her parents are to blame for a lot of this trying to make her happy in a foreighn country away from her siblings and extended family ,when she went back to th ephils 2 yeras ago i asked her mother she not take the i pod as i didnt feel it was right to be showing of in front of others in her family that may not be able to afford these luxuries ,she did and i feel that it was a bad thing to do ,my wife has a friend whos husband is a doctor from the phils now i dont begrudge him being well of he has trained hard to become a doctor but when our daughter sees his youngest at 6 with an i phone this can only mean problems in our houshold as she thinks we can just go out and buy her one ,a carpenter and a doctors income are worlds apart but i dont think that she willl ever undersatand until she has children of her own or has to work for the money to buy these toys , one thing i have found and i dont mean to be rude to any others out there but it seems that my wife and daughter are drunk on technoligy have to have the latesty phone or laptop maybe because i have grown up with these things around me (not owning them) i see it differntly i still have a phone that is 10 years old it rings and i can call people and they can call me why do i need to go on the net when i am at work it has a camera sends txt mesages can call overseas ,i dont know if other parents have this problem with teenagers but i think that it has to stop
chris
Hi All!
Yes, this is sad… as somebody posted above it happens anywhere… For us parents, let’s just do our best and “pray” that we raise a good child.
So, to lighten up this converasation, here’s an old joke….
Student: Mom, please send allowance. No allowance, no child.
Mom: Ok… no child, no problem…