I was invited to speak about parenting last week in Cavite. While setting up for the event, my client showed me a children’s book that will be raffled during the program. I learned that their company published it to help spread their advocacy of teaching children to save money to help them achieve their goals. My client gave me a copy of the children’s book for my boys. I was excited to read it to them because I liked the story and because my boys also have piggy banks like the child in the story. Moreover, I felt that my second child would be able to relate to it very much for just like the child in the story, he wishes to have a bike for his next birthday.

I read it to my second child the following morning upon waking up. His older brother was still sleeping then. But my eldest read it on his own after lunch. They said that they both liked the story.

That same afternoon, my eldest son came up to me and said something that brought tears to my eyes. Here’s how our conversation went.

Yanthy: Mommy, I want to use the money in my piggy bank.

Me: For what?

I initially thought that he wanted to use it for something that he likes to buy for himself. His birthday is coming up soon and he’s been telling me, my mom and our close friends what he wants to receive as gifts for his birthday. Thus, I was surprised when he said…

Yanthy: To buy Mateo a gift. You said the Superman costume that Mateo wants to wear on his birthday is expensive, right? We can use my money in my piggy bank for that. It will be my gift and Geordan’s gift for him.

With tears in my eyes, I told him, “It’s alright, Kuya. That money is for you. That’s your savings. Mommy and Daddy will buy the costume that Mateo wants using our own money. That will still be your gift to Mateo. Thank you.”

I was moved by my eldest son’s generosity, selflessness, genuine love for his younger brother and his desire to be of help to me and his Dad. He truly is a small boy with a big heart. He is generous with his time, talent and treasure. For the sake of those who are reading my blog for the first time through this post, let me mention again that my eldest son serves as the pianist in our parish EVERY DAY from Monday to Friday. Then, he practices with the children’s choir on Saturdays. On Sundays, he serves as the pianist again at the Children’s Mass. He spends a lot of time practicing for the songs in the Mass aside from the actual Mass itself. These are daily manifestations of his generosity and dying to self. His playtime is lessened as a result of this service that he has chosen to make a commitment to.

Yesterday, he walked up to me again and offered the money in his piggy bank. This time, he said that we can use his savings to help pay for the expenses for his upcoming birthday celebration.

I was teary-eyed once more.

Last night while we were in the church again for the evening Mass, he showed me the money in his pocket. He had a couple of bills and some coins. He initially said he will donate the bills only. Then, he will put the coins in his piggy bank. But when it was time to give our offering, he said that he’s giving almost everything in his pocket as his donation. He just left a few coins. I could not help but smile and thank God for my son and these moments when God is affirming me that my son is growing up with the right values and virtues.

One of the reasons why my husband and I chose to homeschool our kids is because we wanted to focus more on values and character formation during their formative years. We noticed that even Catholic schools put more emphasis on the academics and values and character formation are usually not given that much air time during discussions. But we’ve learned also based on our personal experience that it’s much easier to teach academics to children than to teach values to them.

Another reason that we chose to homeschool our kids is because we want to pass on our Catholic faith to them. We want to teach them early in life to live out their Catholic faith.

That’s why I am grateful for these moments. These moments give us affirmation that we made a good decision to homeschool our kids because they are slowly learning the things that we want them to learn. For me, these are the things that truly matter.

I mentioned in my parenting talks last week that I want to raise a child who is not only smart but with a good heart and a conscience. Someone who will use his talents and skills not only for his own good or benefit but also for the benefit of the community, the country and the Church.

Parenting is hard. There are days when we don’t get to see or witness moments like these that show us that our children are growing up as good people. And that is one reason I’m sharing this story here on my blog. I want to remember these moments. On not so inspiring days and when I feel that I’m not making a difference in my children’s lives, I hope to remember the truth that I am… through this blog post. And on days when homeschooling is not fun and the kids are not as cooperative and obedient as I want them to be, I hope I’d remember to read this post.

Do you also want to be intentional and involved in educating your children? Do you also want to pass on to your children values and Christian virtues that are important to you? I believe that homeschooling could help you. Let me invite you to the upcoming Philippine Homeschool Conference on October 22. This is a yearly event wherein hundreds of homeschoolers gather to network and learn from the speakers and each other. I’m excited to meet veteran homeschoolers… parents who have battled storms yet came out victorious in educating their children. I’m excited to hear the stories of parents who have homeschooled their kids through elementary and high school.

If you want to know more about homeschooling or you are already homeschooling, I encourage you to join us on October 22. I’m confident that you will be inspired by the awesome line up of speakers and the parents whom you’ll meet. To find out more about the event or to register, you may click here.

Let me end by sharing the poem that inspired this year’s conference theme “From Roots to Wings: Homeschooling Through the Stages.”