growing up with my parents
I was going through some photos I’ve taken with my digicam when I realized I went out with my parents simultaneously last week.
In an earlier series of photos, I had shots of the National Museum. I already visited it twice — once with my sister around the pandemic and another time with my friends (also around the pandemic) — but it was my dad’s first time in a long time. I don’t think he has ever really gone out since he decided to stay for good after spending about a decade abroad. The last time he was there, he said, was way back in high school. He was very excited to see the Spoliarium again. We hopped through all three museums (Natural History, Anthropology, and Fine Arts) albeit too slowly, because we spent a lot of time trying to figure out what each piece meant.
In the first exhibition, we kept asking my Fine Arts student younger sister what each piece meant. To which they answered, “I can explain the technicalities, but you too can figure out what feelings the art evokes from you.”
One of my favorite shots from that day was a photo of my dad taking a picture of the massive hall we were in. There were sculptures near the ceiling. And despite already seeing it multiple times, I didn’t realize it until my dad said, “Look at the uncanniness of how all the sculptures seem to be looking at you.”
The next series of photos in my digicam was when my mom, my sister, and I went to a coffee shop to journal. Well, it had been mom’s introduction to journaling. I did bring her Bible, notebooks, and other stationery just in case (it was a surprise coffee shop date). But that day we ended up barely touching our pens and just talking about journaling and having hobbies in general.
My mom has always been a good listener. My sister and I did an entire monologue on how having a hobby is important. Mom made a valid point about not having time for hobbies. But hobbies can span from working on a jigsaw puzzle for four hours to writing down how your day went for five minutes. It’s a release. A healthy escapism. Still, it’s a privilege.
After trying a lot of ideas, she ended up wanting to try diamond painting. I ordered her a set at that moment which came the week after. She did have a fantastic time doing it.
I guess what made me feel in awe at these photos was the fact that I’m seeing my parents explore their interests and do something that isn’t productive, but fun. It’s a rare sight to see, and it’s something they didn’t have the time or luxury to do while raising us because they too were only growing up.
My dad now often talks about his dreams. He wants to take up a few theoretical music classes despite already having decades of experience, just to have proper documentation for the music clinic he wants to establish. He wants to open up a small library to encourage young readers. He himself just got back to reading recently. We made a thing out of watching The Project Hail Mary (2026) because he has been obsessed with the book ever since I recommended it to him two, three years ago.
My mom has strengthened her relationship with God (can that be counted as a hobby?) and has taken up watching Marvel films on TV as a way to relax. She still takes a while to type up “Shangchi” on the Disney+ search bar, but she gets there.
I try my best not to say “I know that—“ or “despite—“ in this post. I could expound why this is such a big deal for me, write about their experiences being teenage parents, the personal and financial struggles they’ve experienced for the past two decades, and paint the negative space for you to make sense of the positive.
But then I remember that it’s my narrative. And what I am right now is a proud daughter witnessing my parents walk towards roads they had to step away from before. They have dreams for their children, but it’s so important to me for them to have their own too. And to have such stability to make them feel allowed to explore those interests.
I thank my parents for who I am today, and who I am is a person who grew up with her parents. I want them to know that they did well, and that they can now reclaim the youth that they didn’t get to have.
Originally written on April 28, 2026.