Today my girl called me up on my mobile while i am in my office desk. She was half-shouting, i can say, but that there's a certain tinge in her voice that it is not an emergency call, but the mom in me who always has to make sure, indeed asked, "Hello, oh, are you alright?"
Once again the conversation started with her saying "Hi, Ma!" Pumasa po ako". That meant victory.
Flash back two school years ago, all I can see everyday, coming from the office is a girl who is so focused on the internet, particularly, her twitter stats-- which not only double but quadruple each passing day. I cringe.
You see, my girl (daughter) is in a special secondary program, Science high school in fact, wherein her tuition is free-- otherwise it could fetch to as much as P60,000.00 Philippine peso, but that she has got to make the grade. Making the grade meant a grade not falling below 85, for the major subjects, Math , Science, English, which is actually the grade for average students. It could be a bit tough you know, particularly since she has to exert effort in Math, her waterloo, as well as mine, which could be traced back to my own mother. So, no argument there, we really had to exert additional money and effort, not to mention carpool service, care of her father--you know what I mean. There are days when father calls me in the office only to say, that he is in her school already but that he could not locate her. I say eh? Weren't you the one who is there? (More on that on a different article).
So amid all the support I can give, the prodding to make her grade higher in order to "be safe", the funding for all her tutorial classes-- P 300.00 per hour-- a bit stiff for ordinary household earners in Metro Manila, I asked her to do her part.
By this I meant that I fully trust her to do the side of the bargain. Is is as if I placed the saber on to her lithe hands, and that is is time for her to make her mark in this world.
Mind you, this was not an easy one for those obsessive-compulsives, but that since motherhood allows one to evolve, so is one's thinking and the words that come from one's mouth.
I told her, "O, ikaw na ang bahala ha? Kung di ka pumasa, it will no longer my fault, kasi ginagawa ko ang part ko".
So I tested the waters, and little by little, on the first quarter, her grades improved. I let her be, and in the succceeding quarter, the others improved, except one that got low, sort of a see-saw thing and that Math was still an issue by one point. So I continued to remind her, that she got to focus on her studies, the trips to the mall continued, the eat out, the visit to Forever 21, etc, the visit to the tutor every Saturday or Sunday, the waiting at the car until dusk by her father.
On the third quarter, the grades steadily increased, no more see-saw effect. Whew, finally gaining some ground, I thought.
In between review sessions, moments of tiredness creep where she could be so cranky you almost feel that you're talking to your own mom. She could get so tired whe did not want to go to calss. But that's okay, it will pass, as it did. Many sobby nights pass some more.
On the fourth quarter, it was time to really seal the grades, leaving no room for doubt. So, she has got to up everything just like in the first quarter, but that it should be steady, no more see-saw effect, no more grades that show that one just got "lucky". In short, the variance between the grades should not be so as to cause arithmetic probing, the cadence balanced.
So what did she tell me? Well it was the nicest news in months, but that I got an inkling somehow, being her tiger-mom, that definitely, she can do it, which in fact she did. After all, many times she got bumped as a toddler but that she always got up anyway, without my prodding. What a nice kiddo, to say the least. I can see her mom earning roses little by little. :)
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