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Janina told me the other night that her least favorite subject was Filipino. She told me she didn’t want to learn the language anymore. I told her that a Filipino who didn’t know how to speak Filipino is like a bird who didn’t know who to fly. Yesterday when we were reviewing for her Filipino exam, I asked her to give me an example of a “bayani.” She asked me what “bayani” means. I told her, it means a hero. She said “Superman.” Oh my! Not only doesn’t she know our own language, but she is far from being patriotic. When most kids would have said “Jose Rizal,” she said “Superman.”

I am to blame. If my kids don’t love our nation and our language, it is because I haven’t instilled it in them. If they are not proud of their race, it is because I haven’t taught them to be proud of it. I haven’t modelled a life of patriotism and nationalism. Our kids watch how we respond to things like the hostage-taking at luneta or the major major blunder of our Ms. Universe representative. Our kids hear us whether we mock or defend our fellow Filipinos. Our kids listen when we bless or curse our nation.

I pray that I will always be a good role model to my kids.

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