Five members of Generation Z share the important life lessons they learned from their dads. | Contributed photos
CEBU CITY, Philippines — Fathers are the pillars of a family, and alongside mothers, they are a significant part of their children’s development and well-being.
Their life lessons and advice play a vital role in their children, and sometimes they are unaware of how these lessons help how their offspring navigate a complicated maze called life.
Five members of Generation Z who are in their twenties, shared with CDN Digital the life lessons from their fathers which they regard as an important part of their lives.
‘Cherish everything that you have’
For Jardy Flores, 21, the lesson that he treasured from his father is to “always cherish everything that you have and take care of it while you have it.”
Jardy Flores learns an important life lesson from his dad Joel Flores to cherish everything that he has. Photo taken during his senior high school graduation in Dubai last June 2019. | Contributed photo
He told CDN Digital that the phrase made him appreciate everything that he has now which he did not have before.
“Sometimes, I take it for granted, pero whenever I reflect on my life, there are things na I used to wish na sana meron ako na I currently have now,” he said.
Flores added that it is a “surreal perspective” because he can compare what it feels to not have a thing before which he already has now.
“That advice from my father grounds me in the reality of my situation,” he said.
He said that he was reminded of this gem of advice when the boss of his father whom he also considered as his “grandfather” died.
‘Never be afraid of what’s coming’
Christjhelen Racho, 22, said the lesson that she learned from her father is “to never be afraid of what’s coming for you.”
To never be afraid is the life lesson that Christjhelen Racho learned from her father Vergel Racho. Photo taken during her senior high school graduation in April 2019. | Contributed photo
“He always tells me nga I need to be brave enough to stand on my own kay sooner, ako nalang jud usa mo face sa real world,” she said.
She added that since she has just graduated from college last May, she is always bringing this lesson with her especially since she is working remotely as a freelancer.
“Before, mahadlok jud ko mo atubang sa mga clients or mo atubang sa mga concerns nila. Pero karon, I’m slowly getting out of my comfort zone. Mo kalit lang na’g pop up sa’kong mind (her father’s advice) then [it] will help me sa’kong social anxiety,” Racho told CDN Digital.
‘Be generous, trust yourself’
Meanwhile, Trishia Mae Patalinghug, 22, said there are a lot of lessons imparted to her by her father who died last July 2021.
For Trishia Mae Patalinghug, the lesson that her dad imparted to her is to be generous, especially to those in need. Her dad, Engr. Romeo Patalinghug passed away in July 2021, seven months after this photo was taken. | Contributed photo
One of those includes being generous to the people who need help.
“Dili mag duha-duha og tabang sa mga taw,” Patalinghug said.
According to her, this lesson from her father was inspired by his life when he was still a student because she said her father finished his education with the help of scholarships.
Consequently, her father offered help to those who were in need.
“Matinabangon lang jud si papa…Sa mga managsuon, mo tabang jud si papa. Kay sa pinaagi nga dili dalo si papa, diri namo nabalik tanan kaayo nga nabuhat ni papa,” she said.
Besides being generous, Patalinghug said that her father always reminded her to trust in herself.
“Dapat kahibaw mo diskarte sa life bahalag ge discourage natas mga taw or gipang libak. Gamiton jud akong talents maong naa ko sideline [ang mag] tutor kay usa pud na nakong diskarte sukad nawa si papa para naa ko extra income,” she told CDN.
As the eldest and a confessed “papa’s girl,” she said that her father’s advice helped her to be strong for her mother and brother.
“Nakatabang ang mga bilin ni papa kay sa tanan nakong decision, mo ana jud ko, ‘If buhi pas papa ron, mao sad ni iyahang buhaton,” she said.
Her father died last July 31, 2021, due to COVID-19.
‘Focus on your dream’
For Juliana Marie Rodenas, 21, the most important lesson that her father gave her was to “Focus on your dream para pag nag work ka, sasabihin mo, ang layo ko na pala.”
Focus on your dream, is the life lesson that Juliana Marie Rodenas learned from her father Ricardo Rodenas whom she shares this frame on her graduation day last May 20, 2023. | Contributed photo
Rodenas told CDN that her father’s reminder helps her in her daily life.
“It helps jud in a way nga ma-remindan ko of where I am right now in life. I’ve done things on my own, I can’t lose focus now,” she said.
She added that his advice helped her now that she is looking for a job.
“Having to try job interviews, na apply jud dayun na nako [his advice] kay of course at this point sa atong lives, we have to move forward baya, so if we won’t focus on the things that need to get done, basin nyag ma pildi tas life,” Rodenas said.
‘Effort and hard work shape you’
And for Arne Josephus Morales, 24, the lesson from his father that he always keeps in mind is, “It’s not about what you have finished in life you became something; it’s about the effort and hard work that shapes you.”
Hard work pays. That’s the lesson that Arne Josephus Morales learned from his father Arniel Morales. With them in the photo is Arne’s mom Lilibeth Morales during his graduation pictorial last February 20, 2020. | Contributed photo
This is based on the educational status achieved by his father, Morales said.
“He is a high school graduate and a college undergraduate but he manages to work hard and showed us na kaya ra siya maka provide sa amo in his own ways,” he told CDN Digital.
Morales said that is what he always reminds himself of in times when he is at a crossroads and unsure of which path to go.
“You know na adulthood. If naay times ma down ko kay mas daghan pa nakab-ot ang ubang taw, I always look at my father’s achievement jud. That way it made me realize na layo na diay kog naabtan,” he said.
With what he learned from his father, Morales said he is no longer pressured to always climb life’s higher mountains.
“Small wins are enough,” he said.
Some fathers may not be open to showing their love to their children, but they surely have their ways of expressing how much their offspring means to them.
To you, what is the life lesson that you learned from your father that helped you get through life? /rcg
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