TO MOULD A CHILD

By Manny Pinol

“You are the bows from which your children as living arrows are sent forth. The archer sees the mark upon the path of the infinite,

and He bends you with His might that His arrows may go swift and far.” – Khalil Gibran in The Prophet.

My son, Bernhart Immanuel, was teary eyed when I rejected his plea last night to defer his scheduled trip to the farm because he wanted to spend Friday night with his friends in a resort.

He has not been to farm for over a month because of his tight schedule in school and the trip 3-day weekend trip to the farm was set because of the Kadayawan Festival in Davao City when schools have no classes.

It was obvious that he felt bad that I turned down his request that he join his friends Friday night before he goes to the farm on Saturday but Imman has always been a very obedient child.

Sitting, and later sleeping, in my lap during the 2-hour travel from Davao City to Kidapawan City late last night, I explained to Imman the need for him to learn the things I am doing in the farm.

“I will not live forever. Soon I will be gone and you will have to take over the operation of the farm,” I told my 12-year-old son.

I do not expect his two older sisters – Dr. Maria Krista, who became a mother two nights ago, and Josa Bernadette who is now in 4th year in the medical school – to stay in the farm.

“You will have a lot of time to enjoy the beach when you succeed in operating the farm,” I said and I was happy that he understood.

Along the way, we exchanged jokes and we both laughed until he fell asleep.

This morning when he woke up, he seemed to have forgotten about the night out with his friends as he moved around the farm checking on the Manok PiNoy chicks, the rubber nursery and the newly-opened rubber trees which are showing great potentials in latex production.

As he became deeply engrossed in checking on the farm operations, I felt happy that I stood firm on my decision to reject his appeal to go to the resort with his friends and instead insisted on bringing him to the farm.

Indeed, poet Khalil Gibran was right when he likened parents to the the bows from which the arrows which are our children are launched from.

The arrows will land where they are aimed.

Now I realize how steadfast a bow was our father, the late Bernardo Pinol, for making sure that all of his 11 arrows landed where they aimed.