Basic HTML Version
4 I The Best Online Education System in the world
DEALING WITH UNCERTAINTY AS A PARENT
Kathlyn Q. Barrozo
Class of 1991, University of Santo Tomas
B.S. Medical Technology
Of all the creatures I am most deathly-afraid of, it’s snakes that evoke the greatest fear In my heart. What
snakes embody for me is a host of uncertainties and abhorrence for the ghastly creatures. Although some
species are inherently harmless and not possessing venom of any kind, it is the cunning and sinister
representations that they have that make me find them revolting in their very nature.
My son saw a small snake lying in front of our front gate just as he was about to get inside, coming home from
work last night. It was on the ground and unmoving when he saw it. He even took a picture of it in the darkness.
He said that he picked it up with a stick and threw it into the ditch. He showed us a picture of it during lunch. It
brought out fears and uncertainties in me. What if it was still alive? What if it had a mother, a brother or sister?
What if the continuous rains brought on more creatures out there? What if our uncollected garbage became
homes for God-knows-what? What if….?
The funny thing about those questions is they can not be answered with definite, certain answers. They will
continue to be uncertainties that will always have loose ends and more questions to spawn. Unfortunately,
such uncertainties are stupid, for there are more important things in life that we have to worry about, more
essential factors that I have to struggle with as a mother who has lost a husband.
What lies in wait for my seven children? How will I work more to ensure that they will be able to reach their
dreams? Can I even be man (or woman) enough to provide for their needs? To support them in all their
undertakings? What dish will I prepare that will meet their differing tastes?
I add that final question in jest. But seriously, having a large brood can be intrinsically difficult because of the
many questions that I have to face everyday. Nothing is ever certain with just a single child, what more when
you have more than half a dozen?
We all face our own uncertainties. It’s never a mean feat to face them, each and every single day. We often
have to rely on instinct, good sense and sensibility just to get by. The road is never easy, but no matter how
bumpy, potholed or uneven the ground we walk on may be, or no matter how many snakes and unsightly
creatures there are, lying in wait on the ground we walk on, we must always carry our responsibilities well.
Many years down the road, we might proudly declare that all our questions and uncertainties have found
answers and definitions that we have determinedly worked on.
QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION:
1.
What are your uncertainties as a parent? Why are they so?
2.
Why is it difficult to plan your children’s future?
3.
What, in your opinion, can ensure that the plans we have will materialize?
4.
How do you deal with your uncertainties?
5.
How can you teach your child about facing uncertainties in life? Be as specific as you need to be.