Katherine Arielle: My Ate

Over 13 years of being married, Francis and I were blessed with 3 intelligent, beautiful, and loving daughters. Let me introduce you to each of them. Let me introduce my eldest.

August 28, 1998 Katherine Arielle Q. Racal came into our life. Our eldest and we fondly call her Ate. When she was 10 months old she already knew how to say the alphabet, knows how to count from 1 to 20, she could show the different parts of her body.

When she was 3 and a half years old we enrolled her to the nearest day care center here in our place. She was the most talkative of them all and every time I pick her up from school, there will be stars stamped on both of her hands until on her arms.

But she wasn't able to finish her daycare because her tatay, as my kids fondly call their father, was admitted in the hospital and stayed there for almost a week and a half. So my daughters, Arielle and Joie had to stay with my parents back in Calamba, Laguna. She developed a separation anxiety so the teacher and I agreed that Arielle has to stop.

Fast forward to today, last month, August 28, she turned 13. My hubby and I have a pre-teen already in the house. I'm both excited and has this fear for her as well. Excitement because this is a new chapter in her life that she has to discover on her own, of course with my help as well as the help of my hubby. But there is definitely some fears as well because I know that the world we live in is full of people who are not honest and good.

I know she will make better decisions when I was her age. I just hope that she will choose friends that will help her grow to be a good person, inside and out.

I just want my Ate Arielle to know that no matter what happens, her father and I, will always be here. And that she will be forever our Ate Arielle...