Quality Time with my Kid

I guess there comes a point in your life as a married person to show your kid around or catch up with her growing years. And lately I was pretty busy (an understatement) in the office that when I leave or come hom, she's always asleep. My wife already noticed this sooner than I did. And there was an incident last week wherein KT woke up seeing me but didn't recognize me. She actually cried when I took her from the nanny. Hard it may be, it's the reality.

After realizing this, I have to make a decision. I know work will always be around the corner and will not end. I also need to work effectively so that I can support my family. And I realized how much creativity and will is needed in this part of the married life.

So I would take the whole family for a walk in UP Diliman campus on Sundays; it was KT's first time to attend a mass and it was Easter that day. This is, at least, every weekend.

Last weekend, we were in UP Diliman; but for a change, I took them to the housing area of the faculty members. The place reminds me our province 20 years back with 1960s house design (I always remember my cousins' house in Balogo and Talisay where I had fun growing up).

My wife and I want her to understand what it's like to grow up in the province. We want her exposed that having trees around is good for everyone (until it falls on top of your house). Also, being exposed on different structures would expand her horizon and will not be confined to the thought that old structures are things of the past.

Personally, I like her to appreciate old structures and the history of the place, thereby preserving the right values and having a sense of history. And UP Diliman campus is quite historic. Lest I forget, I want her to be part of that school when she goes to college (to some extent that Tin and I discussed the possibility of KT joining a sorority and its consequences).

The challenge is that I miss my daughter a lot; also my wife is always out as well, the only difference is that my schedule is variable, hers is fixed. So the once-a-week walk is not enough for me. This time, I decided to have nakaw-na-mga-sandali event - I take her out before I go to the office, around 530am (one time, I took her out at 5am).

Today, I took her out around 530am. I was excited for her to use the new stroller (the blue one that my friend gave me is now too small for her). She's too small for the new stroller, thus, the nanny put 2 pillows on her sides to ensure that she doesn't bang her head when I start pushing the stroller.

She fits well on the new stroller with the pillows on her sides. She was also holding tight on the tray. When I tried removing the tray so that I could see her reaction without anything blocking her, she wouldn't let it go at first. And this time, she was smiling most of the time.

And this experience is priceless!!

Note: KT would always fall asleep after a walk.