My life as a kid has never been easy. I belong to an average earner family. My father is a handicraft man, as I told you before, and my mother is a sewer. It’s a life full of hardships and struggles. I have fine siblings and I’m a second child. As my sister and I are the eldest, we are the ones who are responsible in helping our mother in household chores and taking care of our younger siblings. At a very early age of ten, I know how to cook rice using firewood (rice cookers and stoves are not so popular in our province that time) I help my mother in washing our clothes, I wash the dishes, sweep the floor and all other things needed to do.
When I’m in grade four, I thought of a business which I can earn money. I want to help my parents in our earnings. When summer vacation came, I told my mother to give me Php 20.00 to be used as a capital for a small candy store. She gave me the money I asked for and I told her to come with me to the market to be able to buy candies that I’m going to sell. Together we walked along the streets and when we reach the destination, I choose and choose different kinds of candies until u pick out some of what I want. And would you believe? I got ten packs for that price of 20 pesos. Each pack costs 2 pesos and it consists of ten pieces, that means that you will sell it for an amount of 25 cents and you will have a profit of 50 cents per pack. Using simple mathematics, addition and multiplication, I will earn 5 pesos. When we got home, I’m very excited to sell that stuffs. I just put it in a small table and put it in front of our house. My playmates are my customers, after quite some time, I sold all my stuffs out. I was very happy and I wen again into the market. I bought candies again and it was even more because I added my 5 peso profit on my capital. I do that again and again and I also increase items on my “mini store”. I sell sinegwelas, mango, tapioca pearl with condensed milk which I put in a small cut of banana leaf and other more. Before summer vacation ends, my profit exceeds to 2000 pesos. Imagine that amount? Four a grade four student like me that time, It’s a very big amount of money. I bought my own notebooks, when there is no customer, I remove the spring and sew it with a yarn. I bought my new bag, pair of shoes, umbrella, ballpens, colored pens, papers and everything that is to be needed in school. I was so happy that time. I gave my excess money to my mother to be able to buy stuffs for my siblings and for the food. That was a great help for my family. I did the same way every summer vacation. I always want to help my family.
When I was in high school, I sell chocolate crispers on our classroom. I also made yema and I cook peanuts and repack it to sell. I put much hard work to earn money. I didn’t ask for my allowance, only if my earnings is not enough, sometimes there are projects to buy, some miscellaneous expenses in school, that’s the only time I asked money from my parents. When there is and educational tour, I ask my parents, would you allow me to go with the tour? My father replied, we cannot give you money for that activity, you can go if you have your own, and my mother agreed. When my friends and classmates set an activity like swimming, hiking or anything that money is involved, my parents answer the same thing if I ask for their permission.
So, I always make yema to sell to earn money for me to be able to go in such activities. My parents are not strict, they want us to enjoy our childhood, the problem is they have no capacity to do so because we have no money, so I make my own means to gain money, not just for my self but also for them. I enjoyed my life as a kid and at the same time I helped my family a lot.
