Friday, December 1, 2006

   Nickname: ATE
"This technique is really effective but be warned... the power of suggestion is stronger than you think."

Filipinos are known to be polite. We have gestures and such just to show that we are respecting our elders. We have different honorifics that we attach or replace to a person's name. Ate meaning older sister was and always will be the title invested upon me by my parents.

I don't know but sometimes people would bother to insist upon a child the certain title. Parents think that by calling their first child ate or kuya the next child would be forced to call him or her the same. Well, they were right. The younger sibling would call the older one ate or kuya however sometimes the younger sibling would only do that because he or she thinks that the title is the older one's name.
That is the reason why there are some kids (really young children) who do not know the real name of their older sibling. Some children are also like that to their parents.

Situation 1:

Teacher: what's the name of your mother?
Child: Mama
Teacher: I need her name, child. I know she is your mama.
Child: Mama? Am I wrong? *looking like about to cry*
Teacher: No, but what's her name?
Child: Mama *smiling...big smile* Her name is mama.

As the child grows he or she would learn that her mother's name is NOT mama and the older sibling has a name that is relatively similar to him or her.

Calling someone ate or kuya just so his or her younger sibling would also call him or her that is so effective that even the parent would get used to calling his or her child ate or kuya. Sometimes it is too effective that you would soon realize that everyone inside your house (if your dog can talk maybe he would be included too) is calling you ate. It is quite weird because they're hellot older that you.


Situation 2: My Tita was about to sleep. Sorry no translation for this.
Tita: Ne, pakigising ako pag nag-ring cellphone ko.
Ako: Sige po. (That was supposed the end of the conversation)
Tita: Kasi baka tumawag Ate- mo.
Ako: Sige po.
Inner ako: WHO THE HELL IS ATE-! ==>I would love to call her ate... but I want to call her ate when I meet her. I don't even know her!


Situation 3: A child inside our house and I were happily eating.

Person 1: ATE! Tapos ka na?
Both of us: Hindi pa.

D'ARVIT! I also looked. The person who said that was the child's (who was also an ate in her family) mother. SHE WAS TALKING TO HER NOT ME!!! ARGH!

Anyway what I just want to stress out is that let us teach the child respect. Let us tell the child at once why he or she should call his or her older siblings ate or kuya and not just because they always hear it from their parents.

--an ate myself

11:51 PM 12/1/2006 --> Filipino time ==^_____^==
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