My Plea to All Would-Be and First-Time Moms

It was a Sunday morning when my husband's little sister knocked on the door and relayed heartbreaking news.
A baby girl of about 3 months was found abandoned in her parents' house, alone with her tiny legs full of rat bite marks. Someone had informed my father-in-law, a Kagawad official of the barangay, about it, so he asked for the baby to be brought inside our home.
She mentioned about the baby being taken to the DSWD since the parents weren't around. According to her, the mother was a maid who left to live in her boss's house while the father, a trisikad driver, neglected her on purpose. It pains me to hear such stories of poor families resorting to such cruelty and neglect, so you can just imagine how sad I felt while listening to her.

My Act of Kindness

A couple of hours later, while Holly and I were playing on the bed, Jayson's sister along with her cousin and friend knocked and asked me if I had old clothes that I could give to the baby girl.
Hearing that the girl was still in the house, I rushed to the bathroom to check if Holly had any old clothes that the baby could wear. I silently wished that the large box of infant-sized onesies and undershirts were here for me to give away, but all I had were her 9-12 months clothes and panties.

Buti na lang Buhay Pa si Lola

Picking a cotton white undershirt with a pink ribbon around the collar as well as a panty, I carried Holly and the clothes with me to my in-laws house. Sitting on the bench outside was an old woman and two younger ladies, who I assumed were the people who discovered the poor angel.
The elder is actually the baby's grandmother, and surprisingly enough she spoke straight Tagalog to me when I approached them with the clothes. She began to rant about how the mother had left to work for her boss, saying that a mother must never abandon her child for anything, especially for money. I silently agreed with an Amen to that.
But what struck me the most was the grandmother's last statement, "Buti na lang buhay pa si lola." Yes, thank the Lord that there was a relative that could take the baby in, and thank the Lord Almighty that my father-in-law was there to provide even just a bit of care for the young one. After dressing the baby with Holly's clothes (which were humongous for the little angel), they thanked us and left for Malay-balay, a town farther uphill from the city.

God is Good to the Little Angel

Being a mom myself, I felt very sad. Sad because a baby girl with such innocence was left alone and vulnerable to all of the dangers of her environment. I was sad because this baby only wished to live, to be loved, and to be given the attention and care she so rightly deserved.
She was only 3 months old. 3 months and her parents did not even think of how their neglect could leave their daughter in pain and danger! No baby deserves such irresponsibility, but all we can do now is hope that there will be family who will care for her and raise her to be a good person despite this.

A Mom Must Never Abandon Her Child

Why am I telling you this story? To reach out to all the would-be and first-time moms around the country and to ask them to never abandon their children.
As mothers, it is our obligation, not a choice, not a decision, but our obligation to care for our children. We must love them with all our hearts and our souls. We must strive to give our children a better future and to constantly assure them that they are loved.
So to end this post, I ask you to go to your kids and hug them. Tell them that you love them, that you are blessed to have them, and that you will never abandon them for anything.
Look at your son or daughter (or both) in the eyes and tell them that as long as God gives you life and strength, you will strive to give them the love and care that only a mother is capable of giving to her child.
Stef Gonzaga is a 20-year old mom, a freelance writer, an online shopper, and a tech maniac. Read about her life at The Steffi G. Blog, learn everything you need to know about freelancing at The Freelance Pinoy, or connect with her via Twitter @alexis0fdreams.