Note: This is Janet’s first blog posting. Hopefully many more to come. Let’s welcome her!

Adding grains of salt into your coffee to reduce the bitterness is not a bad idea. Well, maybe not in Dave’s fave mocha 🙂

Kids are the parents’ happiness and joy and/or kids are the parents’ bitterness and saltiness. Huh?

Let me tell you a funny and inspirational story that you might consider if you’re lucky enough to have a kid or two. It also shows how we discipline kids in the Philippines.

This story was when I was young, and I freshly remember that time, and shared this story with Dave. Salt played an important role in our lives, not just to enhance the taste of our meats or to turn the fish into dried fish, but also as one of the disciplines in our growing up.

One day my older brother (not to mention his name 🙂 ) went home looking like “Cotto;” not the parasite in children’s hair, but Cotto vs. Manny Pacquio. Entering our house quietly, he hoped that no one would notice his winning looks. But living with many siblings it’s impossible to be invisible even for a moment.

My dad or papa, a man of few words, asked my brother who, what, why and when did he have a fight. Questions which got a “zero” answer. But before my papa lost his control over my boxer brother, my mama took over and took my brother aside. She asked the same questions, answers were given, promises were made and the good boy boxer brother was forgiven.

Months passed. As they say promises were made to be broken. And of course gums are broken too! My brother tried to sneak into our back door, and quietly and quickly wash his bloody uniform.

At that moment I was feeding my mother’s hen. I was surprised to see someone kicking my chicks away. There was my boxer brother. “Ah ha…you got into a big fight again.”
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“Psst. Shut your mouth up.” He psst me.

Before I could even finish my words that I will tell my papa, brother punched my almost hairless head.

Ouch – it hurt and I cried out loud.

Here comes my calm papa. By now he had the routine down and asked the same what/when/why questions. My mama wasn’t around. I was thinking my boxer brother would be forgiven again. Well I was wrong.

“Janet, grab the jar of salt in the kitchen,” I was told. I got the thick rock salt and not the skinny iodized version.

As a religious family, the boxer brother had to face the altar with Mary, Joseph and some other saints, except Jude the traitor, who were all onboard.

My brother was told, “OK, get a handful of salt, put the salt on the floor in front of the altar and kneel on it while you pray. I’m not Jesus and I’m not saying I’m right, but he’ll understand.”

The question is, did I kneel in the grains of salt too? Nope – never! At least as I recall. Of course, if you ask my brother he’ll tell you that I did for sure 🙂