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Family day is scheduled on August 23, Saturday. We have 2 kids in St. Vincent’s College: Jan as senior and Mic as freshman. We took Kiki with us to complete the family. At the gym entrance, we saw Jan lined up among the yellow-clad drum corps clinging on their instruments. They looked tired than eager since they had been in the campus as early as 4a.m. to rehearse their presentation.

We sat at the back and surveyed the surroundings for any acquaintances. There were none around but faint familiar faces at a distance. Kid and parents intertwined creating a buzzing sound merging with the loud music coming from the huge sound system installed on the stage. We over-heard kids behind our seats talking about the baton-bearers who looked nice with their miniskirts and flaunting make-over. Mic came to us and took Kiki for a tour in the campus. They returned afterwards to demand for munchies to buy in the canteen.

This was the second time we gathered together as parents, teachers and students. First was during the start of the schooling to acquire orientation on the school policies and to organize the school’s parents-teachers organization. There was a sense of modesty and formality around wherein we could already smile and blurt out some courtesies to each others.

The program was supposed to start at 8a.m. but it was almost 9 when a phalanx of toddlers in grade school started to recite the Holy Rosary as a commencement prayer. They took turn, bead by bead, reciting the rosary. Some were mumbling the words; others drew out concern for taking time to finish the Our Father or the Hail Mary. I could not help thinking that the praying of the Rosary was meant more for the kids than the success of the occasion.

For the opening presentation, we were, kind-a, sympathetic to the presentation of the drum corps who where out-of-sync and looked tired, obviously. A dance number by the school dance troop followed. The acrobatics was amazing but dangerous because they were dancing on the cemented floor. The dance was so modern indeed that a mother watching could not help wonder where her daughter may suit up after graduation with such type of dancing.

After, we were told to converge near the stage to witness the succeeding numbers. We had positioned our chairs on the first row for uninterrupted viewing. It was our first time, so we wanted the occasion to be memorable. When the PTCA officer delivered his opening remark, I spit out my peppermint gum and pasted it under the seat. I noticed Jean had hers pasted already on the hand-out program.

The emcees exhibited almost flawless articulation of their piece in English. They delighted the parents knowing the school could train such. The teachers, clad in habits, performed a choreographed song number that tickled the crowd. Ensuing presentations were shows-off of pass-on talents: a duet of parent and daughter, an entire family singing or dancing. It was almost dance and music but a father and two kids who played their guitars and sang together. We were definitely treated to a traditional noon-time show we could always watch on TV, nothing more nothing less. It was boring to watch the lack of variety in talents. But it’s family day, so it was such an event to enjoy no matter what it seems.

At lunchtime, we all gathered in the room where our kids were. Lj and Jean joined Mic in his room for a pack lunch while I in Jan’s room for a buffet. There was still a program in the afternoon where an invited speaker will talk about parenting. But we left with Lj after lunch to work on our own parenting style.