ARE you up for a nostalgic trip back to the golden days of Filipino childhood, before smartphones and social media took over our time?
Can you still remember the thrill of buying Chocnut and ice buko from the neighborhood sari-sari store with your barkada and tropapips?
Today, let your inner child win for a moment and pause the hectic schedule waiting in the office. Allow me to explore with you the simple joys of our growing up stories, from different larong kalye like patintero and tumbang preso we used to play despite the scorching heat of sun all day, and playing hide and seek under the moonlight when the night comes while some of the elderlies are outside their small nipa huts watching the children laugh and run around.
Let us reminisce about childhood habits like collecting text cards, binge-watching Sineskwela and anime such as Dragon Balls Z, and pretending to be a tindera with empty Yakult bottles with a bunch of leaves as your money.
“Ano namang lalaruin natin?”
“Madalas naming laruin noon ay tumbang preso at patintero,” James Wayne Fatalla, 21, shared as he reminisced about his childhood. Wayne can still vividly remember playing these nostalgic Filipino street games with his neighbors and childhood friends. Even if they scraped their knees and drenched their clothes with sweat, nothing else mattered as long as they could play all day.
Wayne and his best friends used to collect text cards too, with their favorite Filipino comics heroes, also often playing lastik with his classmates in elementary that they would play behind the mango tree near their classroom—hiding their precious collections from his teachers to prevent them from being confiscated.
Meanwhile, for Christel Jane Robles, it is piko, patintero, tagu-taguan, tumbang preso, luksong tinik, luksong baka, and teks cards. Every day, after school, around four-o’clock in the afternoon, Christel and the other children from their sitio would gather around on a stretch of road near the basketball court, filling the street with their playful energy.
“Tapos doon sa sungka at jackstones, pinsan ko ang kasama kong maglaro niyan tuwing weekend, kapag pumupunta ako sa bahay nila. Sa bayan kasi walang pasok. ‘Yung lutu-lutuan at bahay-bahayan, mga close friends at kapitbahay ko talaga ang kasama ko diyan. Tuwing weekend din ‘yan kasi walang pasok din,” said Christel.
Even if there were frequent quarrels and constant bickering, for Christel it is still a cherished memory of her childhood.
“Ayoko na maglaro! Nood na lang kaya tayo ng Detective Conan sa bahay?”
The sun is just beginning to touch the horizon when a young boy jumps out of bed, his hair tousled and his breath unbrushed.
Yet it doesn’t matter—for young Dale Monsanto, as his face radiates excitement as he holds onto his beloved toy. With his eyes still heavy with sleep, he dashes to the house next door, looking for his kabarkadas.
“Madami akong favorite panoorin na cartoons or anime. Katulad na lang ng Dragon Balls, Hunter X Hunter at iba pa. Nakakamiss lang noon at pagkagising ko sa umaga, magkakape lang ako nun tapos takbo na agad ako sa kapit-bahay para makinood,” Dale happily shared his fun childhood.
“Ang masama pa dun, minsan ‘yung bahay na pinanonooran mo ay nakasara ‘yung pinto! Manonood ka talaga sa labas na nakadungaw o nakasilip sa bintana,” he laughed.
The memories of rushing to their neighbor’s house just to watch his favorite cartoons—sometimes even burning or undercooking the rice just to catch an episode—are those significant memories Dale fondly looks back on, despite the scoldings he frequently receives from his father.
“Yung tipong doon ka na pinapatira ng magulang mo sa kapit-bahay dahil tuwing umaga ‘pag walang pasok o weekends imbis na tumulong sa gawaing bahay ay pagkagising at pagkatapos mo kumain ay tatakbo ka na sa kapitbahay nyo para makinood,” he continued. Completely overjoyed because of his silliness as a young boy who loves to play and explore the broad daylight with his friends.
Also read: How do we heal our inner child?
“Timing naman ni Mama! Bibili lang ako ng suka sa tindahan! Pause muna!”
Admit it or not, we were too young to learn how to negotiate. But if we don’t, where’s the fun, right? I think what makes an experience a real one is when it is done with a bit of naughtiness. Just like when we were suddenly interrupted in our play because our mother called us to buy something? That’s annoying, isn’t it?
You’re about to catch a ball from your playmates but a shout made you miss it? Your team’s about to win but you know you have no choice but to obey or else you’ll be punished. Thus, you thought of a mischievous idea—time to compromise.
“Kapag may tirang sukli sa pinapabili sa’kin, ang binibili ko ay lollipop. Minsan Mik-Mik, ‘yung may pang sipsip ba. Kasi matagal maubos para pagdating ng bahay meron pang ngungutngutin,” Vanessa Lingcallo shared.
When Vanessa was a child, even leftover change from errands felt like a treasure for her. She would often use it to buy food she likes from the sari-sari store, savoring one or two pesos treats. For her, even the smallest change from following Nanay’s order could be a source of genuine joy. She may have lost in the game, but she knew she had won a different one.
Likewise, for the young Shenieza Jalos, she also often does the exact same thing whenever her Mama would ask her to buy something.
“Favorite ko nung bata ako, Creamstick tapos ipapalaman ko sa Marie. Tapos ‘yung Chuckie at Yam-Yam. Pero ‘pag naman mga street foods ‘yung palamig na marami ang sago, scramble na may polvoron sa ibabaw.”
And when your siblings see you eating, they would immediately ask for some. But with only one peso left as a change, would you still share it? You thought no. “Tss. Ang damot! Hindi kita bati! Ayaw mamigay!” Thus, the next thing you know is she’s crying loudly and you have to give way.
“Noong panahon namin…”
If we will notice, there is a massive difference when it comes to the way of living and raising children compared to before.
Childhood today speaks more on advanced technology, unlike before that once filled with outdoor activities and interactions. Now, everything is replaced with screens and gadgets. There’s a noticeable gap. Back then, children were often seen running around, playing with friends in the field. Even making their kites together.
Now, they stay locked in their rooms, playing with online playmates instead. The essence of childhood is fading—while it still exists, it’s vastly different. The piko and wooden toy guns of the past have been replaced by online games like ML, COC, and many other games you could name.
“More more on gadgets na ‘yung ngayong generation. Tapos puro online games unlike nung dati na sa TV lang nanonood tapos puro physical activities o games,” Wayne stated.
Similarly, for Christel, “‘yung mga bata noon, mas nag-enjoy at active talaga sila sa mga physical activities or physical games. Kumbaga, kahit madumihan o mapawisan, ayos lang. Ngayon naman, karamihan sa mga bata ay mas nag-e-enjoy at na-a-amaze sila sa kung ano ‘yung nakikita at nilalaro nila sa mga gadgets o tv.
“Lola, ayaw ko nga po kasi matulog..”
You only meant to take a quick nap to avoid getting scolded by your Lola, but exhaustion from playing all day made you fall into a deep sleep. When you woke up, the world had already changed. The joyful laughter of children once filling the streets had been replaced by the roar of passing cars.
The bahay-bahayan you used to play turned into the real-life responsibility of raising a family. You can’t help but miss the past, right? Back then, you would eagerly bathe in the rain. Now, you’d do anything to avoid even a single drop from touching your skin because it is a fever to come—which you cannot afford to happen.
The days of buying treats for just a peso are long gone. Prices have risen, and everything now costs so much more. It’s been a long time since we’ve talked about our amazing childhood. We’ve been so focused on so many different things—jobs, careers, family, future. Even drowning in obligations and unpredictable paths.
But one thing I hope before our generation turns gray and old, is that we see this present one to play and laugh in life like we used to.
