My mother and I at my Birthday - Part-6 - August 10, 2024

My biological mother was born in Daet, Bicol, in the Philippines, as far as I know. She was adopted by a wealthy family from Canada. I don't know the whole story because I didn't spend much time with my mother.😞 I only saw her during school holidays or school vacations when I was young.

I don't know much about my mother's life and her youth other than what I know from my father. All I know is, my mom wants a girl while my dad wants a baby boy. According to the stories of my aunt Juliette, because they were always together and talked to my mother even on the phone; when I was about to be born, my stepmother volunteered to be a midwife for my mother because she was a nurse and had experience.

However, my Grandmother and Aunt Juliette disagreed because they doubted what could happen or what could be done to my mother's baby, and that baby was me. So they considered calling my Grandmother's midwife, known in our area as Manang Daling.

_{This is my real mother and the calendar shows the year it was taken. It was in 1984, the year I was born.}

I don't know why this midwife is called Manang Daling, except for her squinting eyes, but I don't think that has anything to do with it. Except that, I know the word 'Daling' with 'A' can be replaced by 'Duling' with 'U', which in English is squint or cock-eyed.😂

I was a healthy baby and quite big when I was born. However, I cried a lot when I was younger, and I don't know why, except for the fact that, as I mentioned earlier, I have ADHD.

I suddenly remembered that my grandmother used to spank me, but I can't remember why, except that I was a bit naughty. I was also hit with my grandmother's belt, once with a broom. That's all I remember from my childhood.😅

_{My birthday celebration was simple when I was young. We are not rich, nor are we middle class. They just worked together to make my birthday happen. Year 1987.}

However, even though I experienced that when I was little, I remember that they would prepare me food like cake and my favorite spaghetti every time my birthday came. Even every fiesta there was spaghetti just for me.

It's really fun to be a kid, there's almost nothing else to think about but to play and eat. However, in my case, I love to help with household chores, even if it's heavy or difficult. I was very strong when I was young, even a 40-kilo bag of rice I could lift without help.

To be continued...