Family pics

It's this time of year when schools would ask their students to bring their family pictures. And this is so with Diego--- and Andee. And this is that sort of homework 'bring-me' that gets me thinking again of how my kids will be able to cope up with what is 'missing'. Looking for a complete family picture is hard enough, since the very, very, VERY last happy one was when Diego was just 6 months old, Christmastime.

They brought the same picture. Diego had a show-and-tell in school. "This is my father, mother, sister, and me". Easy enough. With Andee, it was rather.... alarming, so to speak. Her lola showed me Andee's work with the family picture. Pasted on a sheet of paper, with flower glowpen decors and embellishments around the photo, with this short description:

"This is my family. My family is a very happy family but it became sad because my father and mother separated. My happiest moment is when we go to Star City the we rode the boat in Manila Bay. Even my mother and father are separated I'm just still happy because I have still a family."

Yeh. I cried, as usual. Her score and teacher's comment? *10* Good Job.

Thinking out loud: What if they were asked to bring more pictures?!?! The mere thought of it makes me sad cause I'm thinking now of my kids. This whole process that I am currently in to, and I just realized it-- is more like a self-centered thing-- my own selfishness. How dare do I take away suppossedly future memories of family from Andee and Diego? Why haven't I thought of the time when they would begin sharing with their friends where the whole family went on weekends? what movies they watched? what games they played? etc. etc. I remember Andee's face during a father-daughter game at a Family Day gathering in school last year, -- or Diego's closeness to his Yaya Wilma's husband, Dennis when he gets the chance to visit.

And you'd thought what I'm doing now is right. For me? My kids? I don't know. I just don't know now..