I've just wokeup. It's still dark. I had been dreaming. I can't say it was good--neither was it a nightmare. It was just your average 'anything goes' type of dream. But it wasn't about the dream that woke me up; I just did, for no reason at all. And as I lay in the dark thinkingabout it, thesethoughtsabout my kids, a bank and pets, all of which just streamed into my mind like the cool wind seeping through the open window...

Kids are banks. You invest on them now, and in the end, you gain from them. What most parentsdon't realize however, iswhat to invest in them that matters most in the end.

Investing on children isn't about milking out something from them in the future. It's not 'payment' for what you gave them in the past. You don't own your kids. And treat them like property the rest of your life as parents. Nor do you have the right tomake them feel obliged to give back to you by stringing on the paconsensya effect: "...nung maliliit pa kayo, di nyo alam gaano ka hirap sustentuhan kayo..." Your kids didn't choose you as parents in the first place. You brought them out, yes. But only for this purpose? If you had a hard time and sustained them not out oflove, then why the heck did you gave birth to your kidsin the first place? That's an injustice.

The difference between farm animals and pets is in their treatment. We love farm animals. We take good care of them because they give us something in return. We truly love them for without them, we'd be hard up. Pets? We love them equally as much as farm animals--albeit, even greater. Pets don't work however, nor do we force them to that purpose. We give everything to them because we get something in return. And it's not about financial returns unlike with farm animals. We are fulfilled giving out ourunselfish love and affection, caring for them, because they make us feel good and 'happy'; when,at the end of the day,coming home, just seeing them, being with them, playing with them, is all that matters despite having a hard day at work.

Right now, there's an aspect about investing in my own kids that I realize how valuable it will become in the future. It's not about finances. And because you don't put in much, it seemsso trivial that most parents don't see the value of it. But it's a challenge to get past that mentality if you value looking at the 'big picture' and what it will give to you in the future. That aspect is investing emotionally on your kids--not for the purpose of strumming the 'paconsyensya effect' on them later on. It's all aboutinvesting on being there for them, right from the start, whenever I can. It's when my kids call on me "Daddy, look" and seem to be your tail, 24hours a day--not merely tolerating them, but giving them quality time. It's getting past being tired from work and not making that an excuse, to take the time and effort to really look at what your kids want you to look at, or listen to what they really want you to listen to. It's not about mumbling, "Wow, that's nice" when my kids are showing me their drawing, or their dance steps--without even bothering to look at it. I have to look at what they want me to see, take the time to examine it, and comment appropriately. That's quality time.

I realized that I don't want my kids growing up, for them to realize themselvesthat for the better part of their lives, I wasn't there for them. And it's not just about being physically there for them during graduation. It's having been emotionally bonded and connected to themall throughout those years, being involved in their school affairs, studies, love life,that when important events such as graduation comes, it truly is a celebration not of accomplishment, but of being a parent, a friend, a confidant, an indispensable part oftheir success that I want mykids to acknowledge the fact they had not only supportive parents, but a friend whom they had called upon and been actively involved and interested about their affairs, no matter how trivial,all throughout the better part of theirlives...