We attended a children’s party last week. As usual you get people commenting how fast your kid’s growing up, how he looks well now, etc. Yes, mundane things to those who cannot relate. But those comments can spin for a long time if you’re a parent.

The hostess said pogiBoy is not only mummy’s lookalike, she said he’s also got my personality. I only heard the last bit in passing & I was busy talking to others. But I didn’t forget. I’m actually puzzled by the comment. I’m torn whether I should be flattered or insulted or worried.

See in Pinoy context, when people mention my personality more often than not it’s negative. They find me intimidating, insulting, scary, over-opinionated, arrogant, etc etc. No, no one’s ever told me that direct to my face, but I know and those close to me confirm that’s how some people see me. Sometimes they do, too, but they love me just the same. In fact, there are times when I realise that yes I have those characteristics. If I look at myself from the outside, it’s not difficult to understand where those remarks would come from. Afterall, my facial feature’s either sad or mad, it’s rarely “friendly”.

Because I’m anal-paranoid-obsessive (choose one) the comment’s been bugging me for a week. Is pogiBoy un-likeable? Did he catch an unpleasant attitude from me?

You’re now thinking there must be something wrong with me. E hindi pa ba naman obvious yun by now?

I was browsing thru a food magazine  while eating breakfast. pogiBoy saw a picture of a cake and he said we should bake it.

“Then we could be Chinese Restaurant, huh mum?! (getting excited) Upstairs we can have the toilet. Here (pointing to the kitchen) we  cook and people come in the front door. They sit and eat here (pointing to the dinner table). Only kids allowed upstairs for a birthday party.”

He smiles cheesily with his left index finger pointing up “I will have a picture like this.”

I think he meant a poster for the imaginary restaurant.

“I ask people “what do you want please?” and they will say “I will have noodles and bread”"

“When I grow up I want to be Chinese!”

Kumpleto yan.

I’m not sure if he wants to be a chef or a restaurateur. But I’m sure he loves his chinese buffet. He’s even willing to give up McDonald’s for it.

Last night on his way to the loo, pogiBoy stopped to give me a hug. He looked me in the eyes and said “mum, I love you“.

Walking away he said “we marry” pointing to me and himself.

I opened my mouth but didn’t say anything.

He then went back with “When I’m big, I marry you mum huh? Please?” I nodded so he’d wee already. But he added:

“Don’t marry Daddy. He’s got smelly kili-kili.” :-D

Aaawww oedipus complex.

I had to laugh and told him “yes, Daddy’s kili-kili is smelly“. (pogiBoy doesn’t like it when I laugh at what he says when he’s being serious, who does?)

I called hubby but he wasn’t answering so I left a message:

“I’m sorry but I found another man… He asked me to marry him… He thinks he deserves me because your kili-kili stinks.”

Tonight was a rare occasion. The three of us are at home and still awake before 8pm, dinner and chores done and we were just lying contented in “mummy’s bed”.

When hubby raised his arm, pogiBoy pointed at the hairy armpit and said that those will grow too long. I said yes, adding it will grow big enough to cover him and he’ll have to live in his dad’s kilikili forever.

pogiBoy took the joke by the horn and wielded it. He said that hairs are now growing and reaching out for me. I played along screaming for help.

“Mum, they’re invisible!”

“Who is invisible? The hero?”

“No, the hair” and with chopping motion he said “see you cannot cut it”

Ahhh.

Wild boys never lose it
Wild boys never chose this way
Wild boys never close your eyes
Wild boys always shine

Three weeks ago pogiBoy very kindly said to me “put my hair up and make it spiky, please?”
He pulled some of his hair and started patting them to form a line in the middle of his head.

He wanted a mohawk.

I’m not exactly sure where he got this idea. Could be from the MTVs, or the punks and goths walking around London. Or maybe from a photo of him when he was 1-year and I played with his inspired by Maddox’ hairstyle.

I promised we’ll do it on the weekend but we both forgot.

But yesterday hubby said when pogiBoy saw his new haircut, he told his Dad to remind me about his spiky hair.

Well, I want to but we both have very fine hair so I consulted the net how to get this done.

I googled “how to do mohawk” thinking it will return something related to those terms, but actually the top 10 results have pages and videos for exactly what I searched for!

This one is the best. In one of the steps it advises you to “Visualize your Mohawk“. Wow.

I hope my attempt will be to pogiBoy’s taste.

pogiBoy is growing up supersonically fast.

I envy some of the blogger mums because I’ve been unable to chronicle his progress and many anecdotes. I’m beginning to sound like a big “excuse”. But truly my spirit, heart and soul are willing, but my flesh is tired.

All I wanted to record for now are these thoughts.

pogiBoy is sweet and very thoughtful.

Back in April, he told his nursery carer that he was “very upset” because Dad was “sick in the stomach. All day long, according to Rose, he wasn’t as loud & he looked preoccupied.

Two nights ago my train was severely delayed when I was hoping I could join my family for dinner. pogiBoy remarked to Dad “poor mum, she’ll be hungry and tired”.

He would often give offhanded compliments.

I wore a dress in our Cuba holiday and was all made up, before hubby even opened his mouth, pogiBoy said “you look very pretty mum… I like that“.

These days he would touch my hair and he’d say “I like your hair“.

I mentioned this to our neighbour, where pogiBoy stays after school, and she said that she noticed it, too! Turns out my son’s also generous with his words to others.

She got changed and when she came out, pogiBoy just blurted out “you look thin in that“.

He’s also frank as most kids are.

I have not showered after a day of cleaning out his room. After his nap, I  sat with him to watch telly. As always he snuggled up to me. But as soon as he did, he turned away and said “you stink mum, you need to take a shower“. Totoo naman.

I think pogiBoy also has the funniest and oddest sense of humour. He’s got good timing as well. It’s just that some kids his age, or even adults who wouldn’t expect it of a child, will think he’s strange.

Last night hubby told me this: pogiBoy was playing with his Harry Potter wand and was turning hubby into animals like “abracadabra turn daddy into a pig“. Then all of sudden pogiBoy bent over and started walking unsteadily and chanted in a shaky voice “i’m an old woman, i’m an old woman“…

There are lots more and I’m sure not all those who would read this can relate. It can use a major edit & rewording but what the heck.

For hubby and I, pogiBoy is the best. Mukhang magiging chick-magnet ito. Ahem!

Around November-December of last year, pogiBoy started telling me and his dad stories about this boy in his nursery. In his halting speech, he would explain that Bamboo hits him or pushes him or smacks him. At first we didn’t want to read too much into it knowing how kids can sometimes play rough and that some toddlers still don’t know how to share. Maybe it’s harmless.

We spoke to his main keyworker and she assured us that they will keep a closer watch on the boys.

2 January, pogiBoy was back in nursery and the first thing he told me and his dad after school was “Bamboo hit me again”.  I  have not even asked him how his day was. This time the nursery manager spoke to us to assure us that they are taking this seriously. She felt, like us, it could just be boys you know playing rough.

Then last week I dropped pogiBoy off and I was waiting for another mummy when I happened to look inside their room again. What did I see? pogiBoy was with 3 other kids from his room and they were laughing then this Bamboo reached out and punched my son on the chest!

(more…