It was almost sundown when I took this picture. Below is the tomb of my eldest daughter who died at the age of 18. Actually, it was her birthday last November 16. With the questions assigned for the contest, I preferred to answer question #2 because it relates to the photo above.
If you suddenly became a single parent, to whom or where would you go for support?
- In situations such as this, I would say that the best person to turn to is your mother though it seems to be the reverse because it's the mother who happens to be the last person to know. That's the irony of it!
More often than not, we often turn to our best friends whenever we have meager to serious problems! The reason is that you expect some comfort towards the situation you are in and not to be lectured like any other moms would do. It is because mother's tend to react on impulse just like me.
Well, it is but a normal reaction to think of the fact that we have given all the love and care to our little princess, with high hopes of giving her the best things in life and now she's preggy! Just like that?
To make the story short, this happened to my 16-year old daughter and she's my eldest. It was a shock on my part when I found out. She was still in her college years. I felt the whole world dropped in front of me. I have learned later on the she confided to her best friend since they were kids and they didn't knew what to do then.
I just arrived from office when two of my sister-in-laws approached me, saying that they have something to tell me. I saw that my daughter was behind their so I immediately got the message with my eyes wide open! I asked who's the father?
The cat was finally out of the bag and I was able to regain my composure. That night, I cried silently. I feared for what lies ahead of my daughter's future. She was still a minor during that time and the guy was 7 years her senior and still in college as well. The family went to our house to pay respect. Unfortunately, they still have to wait until she turns 18. I told her to expect for the worse because there are still those who prey on other's downfall.
We parents stood beside her all the way. It was the time when she needed our support most of all. But it was not enough. She was not able to face the challenge. She took her own life, living behind her 8-month old baby on November 27, 1997.
In answer to the question raised, I still believe that our best friends are the most reliable person whom we can turn to for moral support and the rest follows.
For single parents out there, never follow what my daughter did. You need to be brave enough to face the consequences because you're not alone and hey, this is the new era. People are more open-minded unlike before so raise your child and love him/her because they are a gift from God. God bless us all!
