My aunt allowed herself to be a mistress. She also allowed herself to be swept away from relatives to settle in General Santos City and raise her five kids there (10, if none miscarried or died). She reached 5 kids to give my uncle a son. You can have her hunted for your crime and still be forgiven by her. You can raise your voice at her and call her names...and hours later, borrow money from her (if she has any to give). You can enroll your child in the school she manages without paying the tuition fee. You can have her cook what you want to eat without complaining. You can always have her last cent. Some may call her weak. Some may call her too good..or too nice...or too lenient. Some may call her a pushover.

We've always despaired about how she's letting others use her and abuse her kindness.

And yet...when I was playing this icebreaker-kind-of-game with my sister and 3 of her daughters...I was humbled.

It was just a silly card game where you pick one and either answer the question or complete the sentence written in the card. Tin-tin picked one and I read it for her to answer.

"You would be the happiest person on earth if your kid will turn out to be _____ " to which she answered "Like Mama".

Later on, Daye picked a card which said "The description of a perfect woman is _____" ....... to which she also answered "Mama".

That was touching and real eye-opening for me. These teenage kids know that their Mom has sinned according to the Church they follow. They have had troubling times wherein they had to eat once a day only (being far away from us, we never knew... my aunt had pride too). Their lives have been several times troubled by the police brought to their doors by people who have swindled other people and left their mother's name as a home address. My aunt wasn't even able to deliver her birthday promise of a cellphone for Tin-tin's debut (and yet she was able to finance the travel fare of my two other cousins...w/c cost the same). And yet, she is PERFECT for her kids. And despite all those things we have always perceived as her weaknesses.... she's the only person right now who I know for a fact to be adored by her children. Completely looked up to.

How many kids will answer in the same way? How many people nowadays hold their parents in as high a regard?

And I really wish I can be that kind of mother...and not inspire bitterness and hostility from my own children when I commit mistakes.

I admit, it's been decades since I adored my parents. So, I also wish its not yet too late to be that kind of a child, who will not hold it against her parents their weaknesses and limitations.

And again, I am humbled. And from now on, I will be better.