John Henry
A mother's gem
A mother's gem
By Heidi M. Pascual
John Henry is the middle child of my three children. An accident-prone boy when he was
growing up, mostly hurting his head, it is still a wonder to me how my son hurdled all those
gory bumps and came out healthy and academically superior. I could only thank God for
such a miracle. And I'm writing this to let John Henry know how thankful I am for him and
proud to be his mother. I also want to wish him a happy birthday on October 10th! May
you have health, happiness and continued success as a lawyer in our country!
It was a day no parent would ever want to happen.
I cried in anguish when I realized that my three-year old son, John Henry, was hit by a
passenger jeepney along Malolos Avenue in Caloocan City. Apparently, my child followed
me across the street as I was buying something from a sari-sari store. Our housemaid
failed to restrain my boy from getting out of the door and the gate. John Henry was thrown
into a big puddle of mud with a big wound on his forehead. Blood covered his face and
his chest. I was hysterical as I grabbed my son and rushed him to the hospital.
John Henry is the middle child of my three children. An accident-prone boy when he was
growing up, mostly hurting his head, it is still a wonder to me how my son hurdled all those
gory bumps and came out healthy and academically superior. I could only thank God for
such a miracle. And I'm writing this to let John Henry know how thankful I am for him and
proud to be his mother. I also want to wish him a happy birthday on October 10th! May
you have health, happiness and continued success as a lawyer in our country!
It was a day no parent would ever want to happen.
I cried in anguish when I realized that my three-year old son, John Henry, was hit by a
passenger jeepney along Malolos Avenue in Caloocan City. Apparently, my child followed
me across the street as I was buying something from a sari-sari store. Our housemaid
failed to restrain my boy from getting out of the door and the gate. John Henry was thrown
into a big puddle of mud with a big wound on his forehead. Blood covered his face and
his chest. I was hysterical as I grabbed my son and rushed him to the hospital.
| John Henry |
The x-ray result showed no broken bones and no skull fracture. But of course, worse medical problems might occur days
after the accident. As a parent, it was perhaps the scariest moment I ever felt the first five years of my motherhood. My son
even said, "Why are you crying, Mama? Don't worry; I don't feel any pain." More tears fell as I held him close while the
doctor at the Emergency Room stitched his forehead. By then, he was in pain. I kissed my son repeatedly and prayed hard
for his fast recovery. The saving grace was the fact that Malolos Avenue in the early '70s was still a dirt road, full of potholes
that collected mud during rainy season, and for which reason drivers couldn't drive as fast as they wanted to. A couple
years after that incident, when the road had been constructed and paved, some neighbors' children lost their lives, and
their parents' agony was unfathomable and I'm sure their pain still exists today. I could only sympathize with them and pray
to alleviate their suffering.
That unforgettable moment in my life actually influenced my being overprotective of my children. I had to create an invisible
barrier surrounding them and watched them with an eagle eye. None of them was ever permitted to play at a neighbor's
house, for example. None was ever permitted to commute to and from school. They had to be in a school van, and if not, a
member of the family had to take them to or fetch them from, school. When John Henry was in prep school, I remember
driving an Owner Jeep to take my kids to school and then I would wait for their school dismissal and while waiting, I would
keep busy by selling ice candies which I placed in an ice chest at the back of the jeep. I knew in my heart I just had to make
sure my kids were safe by being personally present where they were.
John Henry was outstanding in his elementary years, always in the top five of the class. In high school, he was admitted to
Quezon City Science High School, one of the three leading science high schools in Metro Manila. My son became a
government scholar! Since this school was far from our home and would require crossing a main thoroughfare, I would
accompany my son to school. One day, John Henry appealed to me, "Mama, please don't accompany me to school
anymore; I'm grown up and my classmates are teasing me. I can manage to cross the street by myself." While my worry
was still there, I realized I had to agree. John Henry was no longer the three-year old kid I cuddled in my arms that scary
night in the '70s.
Even in his youth, John's exceptional mind and wit have served as an inspiration to me. He never gave me any headache
that drive most parents insane. More importantly, he was, and still is, a very loving, obedient and thoughtful child.
My son indeed has grown. He developed friendships in high school that became his closest to this day. He went on to
graduate from La Salle University with a degree in Philosophy and continued his law studies in San Beda University in
Manila. He passed the bar the first time he took it and since then, he has been on his own. He is married to another
lawyer, Marilou, with whom he has three wonderful children: Sophia Ysabel (9), Marcus Joaquim (6), and Alyssa Gabrielle
(5).
He has come a long way and hurdled many challenges since our family moved out from the muddy streets of Bagong
Barrio, Caloocan City. He has grown to be a responsible and loving father, husband, and son. I could see his being very
protective of his children, but probably not as scared as I was long time ago for him to be overly protective. I guess his
loving wife does most of the worrying, much like most mothers do. Or perhaps, it's just that men generally don't want to
show any sign of panic attacks.
I don't want to boast of John Henry's ability as a lawyer, but a retired judge in Quezon City told me several times that my
son is a very good lawyer, that even when John Henry was just a young lawyer, he was able to beat --in his court-- a very
prominent and experienced lawyer. Today, John is an assistant manager of a legal department in a government
corporation. In his small way, my son is contributing to the efforts of our country to survive in this harsh global economic
condition.
This is my son, my gem. I am very proud of John Henry, and I love him so.
after the accident. As a parent, it was perhaps the scariest moment I ever felt the first five years of my motherhood. My son
even said, "Why are you crying, Mama? Don't worry; I don't feel any pain." More tears fell as I held him close while the
doctor at the Emergency Room stitched his forehead. By then, he was in pain. I kissed my son repeatedly and prayed hard
for his fast recovery. The saving grace was the fact that Malolos Avenue in the early '70s was still a dirt road, full of potholes
that collected mud during rainy season, and for which reason drivers couldn't drive as fast as they wanted to. A couple
years after that incident, when the road had been constructed and paved, some neighbors' children lost their lives, and
their parents' agony was unfathomable and I'm sure their pain still exists today. I could only sympathize with them and pray
to alleviate their suffering.
That unforgettable moment in my life actually influenced my being overprotective of my children. I had to create an invisible
barrier surrounding them and watched them with an eagle eye. None of them was ever permitted to play at a neighbor's
house, for example. None was ever permitted to commute to and from school. They had to be in a school van, and if not, a
member of the family had to take them to or fetch them from, school. When John Henry was in prep school, I remember
driving an Owner Jeep to take my kids to school and then I would wait for their school dismissal and while waiting, I would
keep busy by selling ice candies which I placed in an ice chest at the back of the jeep. I knew in my heart I just had to make
sure my kids were safe by being personally present where they were.
John Henry was outstanding in his elementary years, always in the top five of the class. In high school, he was admitted to
Quezon City Science High School, one of the three leading science high schools in Metro Manila. My son became a
government scholar! Since this school was far from our home and would require crossing a main thoroughfare, I would
accompany my son to school. One day, John Henry appealed to me, "Mama, please don't accompany me to school
anymore; I'm grown up and my classmates are teasing me. I can manage to cross the street by myself." While my worry
was still there, I realized I had to agree. John Henry was no longer the three-year old kid I cuddled in my arms that scary
night in the '70s.
Even in his youth, John's exceptional mind and wit have served as an inspiration to me. He never gave me any headache
that drive most parents insane. More importantly, he was, and still is, a very loving, obedient and thoughtful child.
My son indeed has grown. He developed friendships in high school that became his closest to this day. He went on to
graduate from La Salle University with a degree in Philosophy and continued his law studies in San Beda University in
Manila. He passed the bar the first time he took it and since then, he has been on his own. He is married to another
lawyer, Marilou, with whom he has three wonderful children: Sophia Ysabel (9), Marcus Joaquim (6), and Alyssa Gabrielle
(5).
He has come a long way and hurdled many challenges since our family moved out from the muddy streets of Bagong
Barrio, Caloocan City. He has grown to be a responsible and loving father, husband, and son. I could see his being very
protective of his children, but probably not as scared as I was long time ago for him to be overly protective. I guess his
loving wife does most of the worrying, much like most mothers do. Or perhaps, it's just that men generally don't want to
show any sign of panic attacks.
I don't want to boast of John Henry's ability as a lawyer, but a retired judge in Quezon City told me several times that my
son is a very good lawyer, that even when John Henry was just a young lawyer, he was able to beat --in his court-- a very
prominent and experienced lawyer. Today, John is an assistant manager of a legal department in a government
corporation. In his small way, my son is contributing to the efforts of our country to survive in this harsh global economic
condition.
This is my son, my gem. I am very proud of John Henry, and I love him so.