F for Family

We are not rich. We are not poor either. We are an average family of 6. My parents... one sister and two brothers. A typical family who has disagreements and fights but we survived. I clearly remember my brother and I would fight all the time. My mom and dad would always take my side because I am the youngest thus my brother always gets the lecture. Don't get me wrong, I also gets in trouble with my parents. My dad has his leather belt ready whenever we gets naughty or just not following the order in the house. Though I don't remember it, my uncle called my mom "Hitler" because on his opinion, my mom was too strict with us. Always have rules we have to follow. She makes us do chores and help out around the house. Don't get me started but thats not all we have to do. We were only allowed to watch one or two English TV series during school days. My dad has this idea that we should speak English around the house thus the TV show. We would feel funny cause its just us talking to each other like we are rich snooty kids but my dad insisted. He did not let us read Tagalog comics (i.e., Liwayway) or even let us watch Tagalog drama but only English books and movies. In my young age, I always thought its a waste time since we don't even have contact with any foreigner or English speaking person. We only live in a small town. Where everybody knows everybody. Who would speak English to us? Now my mom is a different story. Each of us has chores. Preparing the table for each meal, we always eat together especially dinner time. Washing dishes after each meal. Cleaning our room every weekend. Doing the laundry, also every weekend. Watering the plants around our house, which is a lot, believe me! But the price for every thing, the whole family would watch movies on weekends. My parents just love movies particularly my dad who until now loves to watch movies. All these rules and chores bother me but I knew that its part of our life. Routine as they may be, it became the main ingredients in our growth. As we grew up, most especially when I started college, all those rules and chores I realized were preparation for the tough world ahead. We still try to eat every meal together especially dinner time. Gather around our table, after each meal, we always have good conversations just about anything under the sun. We have good arguments about politics... the economy... sometimes even about show business but most than often, we talk about the family. Whats going on with our lives and our studies. My dad reminiscing the past. The sacrifices they made to give us good life. I specially miss those conversations with my family. As we became adult and have our own family, each of us, I am sure are pleased that we had the childhood we had. The discipline that parents instill on us came in handy with dealing with our life. Going thru the strict imposition my mom put us, made us stronger. Not to mention the strong bond we have with each other. The unspoken words of support. The unwritten rule that we help each other in times of hardship. Our undeclared support for each other's venture. There's one thing that I told my mom almost a year ago that I hope all family should have, I told her that she raised us well enough that she does not have to worry about us fighting over a piece of land that are not ours in the first place but their own. With whats happening right now on some families I know, I am very lucky indeed with what kind of family I have. I am seriously sure that the things that rift other families apart is also the things that keeps us more closer to each other.