This little boy's whining and screaming were all I kept hearing while taking this picture and to be honest, his tantrum was getting on my nerves. But the more I thought about it, the more I realized how weirdly fitting it was for the moment. It happened on my older brother’s graduation day.

       I know it might not seem connected at first, but let me explain.

      At first sight, this picture just seemed funny. Well, the kid’s face shows it all. Frustration, resistance, that “I don’t want to do this” look. We’ve all felt that way, right? Forced into something we don’t really want. But after looking through all the photos from that day, this one stood out the most.

       The kid reminds me of my older brother. Still young with so much ahead of him. But the moment he gets his diploma, it’s like life pulling him in a direction he might not be ready for. Look at the guardian’s hand, firm, pointing straight ahead. The kid has no choice but to follow. Just like my brother, just like all of us.

     Actually, I have no idea who these two are. I don’t know if the kid was throwing a tantrum at his mom, aunt, or someone else. This was taken on July 15, 2022, at the Philippine Arena in Santa Maria, Bulacan. It’s a massive place but I wasn’t allowed inside because of the limited number of guests and I had a DSLR camera with me. So instead of seeing my brother walk across the stage, I spent the time watching strangers and capturing little moments like this.

       If I could improve this shot, I’d probably step back a little so the kid’s hand and the woman’s head weren’t cut off. But honestly, I still love it.

       Right now my brother’s doing well at his job at Accenture. I’m proud of him because even though he was scared, he still moved forward. And that takes real courage, just like this kid.

         The little girl in the picture is my cousin, Claire. She’s always glued to her mom, always needing that skin-to-skin comfort. Some might call her picky or nangingilala but I was the same way. I still remember being seven years old crying and looking for my mom like I was much younger. So I understand her completely.

      Just a few years ago, that little kid was still in her mom’s belly. We all started there. Every single person in your house, every sibling, every cousin, at some point, we were all carried by our mothers. That’s why every time I see this picture, I can’t help but fall in love with motherhood all over again.

      Human life is fascinating. I’ve watched countless YouTube videos explaining how babies are formed and how life begins at a cellular level, but it still amazes me. And more than anything it makes me grateful. I don’t know if you’ve noticed but I really love kids. They’re so real, so needy, sometimes hard to figure out but at the end of the day, all they really want is love and attention.

       This photo may have been a little staged because I had to sing The Wheels on the Bus over and over just to get Claire to smile but even so, it still feels real. The best part is I also caught my tita laughing, deep in conversation with another amazing mother.

     I can’t remember the exact day I took this but it was sometime in July 2023 in Bolinao, Pangasinan. It’s been almost two years now but I hope I keep learning to appreciate life and the people who bring life into this world even more.