I Am My Mother's Son

I am my mother's son, more than I am my father's son.

Ever since I could remember, I was closer to my mother than to my father.

When I was a kid (about 3 to 4 years old), my father was working in Nestle plant in Sta. Rosa, Laguna. My mother was a seamstress and does her work at home. While sewing clothes for people, I would sit near her and entertain myself by using her scissors (the big metal scissors) in cutting up paper and small swaths of fabric. (In elementary school and even in high school, I was bemused by some of my classmates who do not know how to properly use a scissor. The smaller hole is where the thumb should go and the larger hole would accomodate the index finger.)

When I was five years old, my mother saw a graduation/recognition ceremony of a private Christian school in our town. She was amazed at how smart the kids were and decided to enroll me the following school year (despite the fact that my father was not earning much and it costs P300 (a big amount that time) per month in tuition).

People and research say that intelligence is generally inherited from the mother rather than the father. My father spent a few months in college but did not finish. My mother did not even finish elementary school but through self study and by reading lots of Christian-related books, she is able to read and understand English. I think because of this that my parents (particularly my mother who was not privileged enough to finish formal schooling) strived to get all three of us through college.

When I was in preschool and elementary, my mother loves gardening (still does but she doesn't have the same energy to do things). The front of our house is full of bougainvillaeas, orchids, chrysanthemums and other flowering plants. (My sister tells me that when my mother was pregnant with me, she was so into gardening that the front of our house looks so beautiful, people would stop to admire it and even ask to buy some of her flowers). I guess that's why I love flowers. I have several flower arrangements in my apartment (I don't have the time and energy to actually care for living plants).

I have lots of kitchen stuff - most I don't actually use. I have potato masher, egg beater, etc. Whenever I go to Japan Home Center, I buy lots of stuff that I might need but may never actually use. Whenever my mother goes to Novo (a store that sells clothes and lots of inexpensive homewares), she never fails to buy something. When she last went to my apartment, she brought me a meat tenderizer and a metal utensil for frying. I think I may be able to use the meat tenderizer probably once or twice only. Most probably, it will be used by my sister when she visits me and cooks beefsteak (I don't like cooking beef).

Now that I am in a Top Design phase, it seems that my mother is my only supporter. While my sister says that I "do" too much to my apartment, my mother actually encourages me to go further and even offer some advice.

A very belated Happy Mother's Day and a very advanced Happy Birthday to you, Nanay.


P.S. I am not a mama's boy. I'm just closer to my mother. I guess most of gay guys are.

My mother doesn't "know" about my sexual orientation. I guess she has knows but we don't actually talk about it. Two years ago, she was suggesting I get married and have kids already. Nowadays, whenever people (relatives and family friends) would ask why I am still single and "available" (no gf), my mother would actually butt in and say that I am enjoying being single and that my father actually married her when he was 33.

I do not have a dysfunctional relationship with my mother like Norman Bates (A mother is a boy's best friend).