Thursday, July 9, 2009

Family Connection

When I entered college, I lived in an apartment near campus. It was my first time to live away from school. Being an only child, my parents were naturally worried about letting me live so far away. To assuage their fears, I was required to call my mother every night at around 8pm.

After eight years of living in Katipunan, my parents trust me more. They aren’t as afraid of the big bad city, anymore. But they still require me to occasionally text them or call them to prove my continued existence. Lately, my mother has been keeping tabs on me by checking my Facebook account. One day she called my cellphone. She sounded rather worried. She asks me, “Kamusta ka na anak? Nagaalala na ako sayo.” I reply, “Ha? Bakit naman. Okay naman ako.”

“Di ka na kasi nag-uupdate sa Facebook. Kala ko kung ano nangyari sayo.”

It’s rather comical that our familial bonding has been reduced to Facebook reply threads and chats. But considering how busy I’ve become, it works for us. By the time I get home in the evenings, my parents are already sound asleep. So Facebook works for us.

When checking up for someone we care for, the modes may change due to technology. But the sentiment, the core of it still remains the same.

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