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OPPORTUNITY 101
Kathlyn Q. Barrozo
Class of 1991, University of Santo Tomas
B.S. Medical Technology
One day two weeks ago, my high school son was talking about a field trip they will be having in lieu of a
Christmas party this year. Being a mother to a large brood, I grimaced. The grimace grew even bigger when he
told me they were supposed to pay P1300 for the school trip (that’s approximately $31, based on today’s
currency exchange rate). I told him not to give a definite answer to his class adviser yet, so I could think about
how to cough up the amount. In a world where opportunities are sometimes hard to come by, promising
something to a child when you are not entirely sure you will be able to keep it is never wise.
But seeing my son’s eyes all lit up excitedly about the school trip, I told myself, my son deserves this
opportunity. This is his opportunity to see the world of Science first hand. They’re to go to Subic, Olongapo,
with its Ocean Adventure Park and Zoobic Park, among other attractions. I personally have not been to any of
those attractions, so why deprive my son of the opportunity to visit them? So I have taken it upon myself to
make sure my son joins that trip, and he has never been happier.
Sometimes, the opportunity for our children to see the world with their own eyes, explore the world we have
brought them into, is irrecoverably lost due to our own problems and overwhelming responsibilities. We take
our opportunities as they come, and sometimes forget that our children deserve the same thing. This is a bitter
reality in such a cruel world where opportunities are few and far between, and the really good ones slip away.
As parents, one of our primary responsibilities is to open the world to our children. Let us not promise them
roses strewn along their path. Rather, let us hold their trusting hands in ours as they face life’s bitter realities
and experience success as well as defeat. Let us shield them whenever we can, protect them from all harm. But
let us not be too suffocating nor restrictive in our desire to be protective. Let us teach them to choose their
opportunities, their battles, wisely. But let us not fight their battles for them.
Let us help them carve their niches in this world, for in doing so they will see that they do have their worth. Let
us make them aware of the difficulties that they are bound to face along the way, so that when they encounter
those difficulties, they won’t blame us for training them insufficiently.
Finally, let us teach them that an opportunity to be better is always a good one. Then perhaps, they may be
better- equipped to judge the appropriateness of that opportunity for them.
Questions for Discussion:
1. Why is it not advisable for a parent to be the one to find opportunities for her child?
2. What would you do to open doors for your child?
3. How have your parents helped you in finding opportunities?
4. When can you tell that parents are interfering? When can you tell that they’re just helping out?
5. Do you believe you are wise enough to know better than your own parents when it comes to taking
opportunities?