Eversince Raine could walk ( a few days after his 1st birthday) I have been paying for 2 fares. Just for the sake of practicality because I am the one always carrying our bags and other stuff. Just let the baby/toddler take his seat right? It is more convenient for me.

That habit rubbed on and I’ve been doing it like forever. These days I have another reason for letting Raine take a seat in the jeepneys or tricyles or buses: he is now 31 kilos. Imagine if I will carry him on my lap? For sure I won’t be able to get up if I did. My lower extremities will ba paralyzed!

If you happen to be in the same jeepney with me… I’m that woman who always shouts at the driver, barker and other people there at the jeepney terminal: ‘ibabayad ko ang bata!” ( i will pay for the child!). Then I see 10-year-olds sitting on their mothers’ laps inside the jeepney. Their long legs dangling, even longer than their mothers’. And I smile inwardly and also wonder: do they really have no extra money to pay for the fare? It’s just 10 pesos or 7. Depending on the destination. Or is it really part of our culture — that the children sit on the mothers or fathers’ laps just so other adults can still get on? Myabe in long ago days when there was only one jeepney taking the route from the barrios to the town proper — that might be the case.

In airplanes for example, at age 2 the child has his/her own seat and you usually pay the normal airfare. On the context that in case of emergencies, it isn’t safe for such kids (starting age 2) to be sitting on the adults’ laps.

Well anyway…this morning there was this mom in the jeepney. She had four kids with her. All of them not yet in school grade. They all looked like thay haven’t taken a bath in 2 days, inlcuding the mother. She had with her some trays with stuff for selling in the sidewalks. I didn’t look what she was selling, I just tried to have a poker face looking at her. The kids were wailing. The bigger ones picking on the smaller ones. Maybe they are hungry? I can just guess. But I felt really tired just looking at them.

Then they got off before the jeepney reached the city. One woman commented: “grabe man an kapagalan sadto” (she must be awfully tired). Nobody else commented back. Everyone after all, are busy with their daily grinds. It was just an eye-opener that others are in worse condition, however shitty your life is.

So…do you pay for your child’s fare? I do. Always. ;)