Since elementary, I was a consistent honor student in our class. When I reached my second year in high school, I stopped going to school. My mother decided that I should get married. I cried for weeks. I was 14 years old then and at 17, I had my first child. I was clueless about motherhood that I almost drowned my child while giving her a bath. I entered all kinds of jobs. I went to subdivisions to knock on doors of strangers’ homes and offered laundry services. One time, I went to the division office of the Department of Education where I met some teachers. Wondering what a kid was doing there, they asked me what I wanted. I told them immediately not to speak English and speak Bisaya instead. The head teacher understood me and from then on, they became my foster family. I’m lucky that my husband is kind and loving. We helped each other and worked really hard to make sure our daughters finish their education. As a mother, I did not allow them to marry at a young age. I don’t want them to be like me. My eldest daughter is now a nurse in Dubai. The second one is a teacher and our youngest recently graduated business management. I love my daughters and they are like sisters to me. They’re even taller and stronger. And I wish to keep it that way for a long time.
