Last week, a very caring parent was worried about what Mia and our kasambahay were arguing about when she saw them walking home from school.

She wasn’t sure what was really going on and so she took a video of them and sent it to me.

Could you imagine how nervous I was before hitting play?

I, of course immediately probed and asked Mia what really happened. I dug every possible detail I could and checked if her words matched how our Ate narrated her side of the story.

And after careful evaluation and consideration that my child could be difficult at times too, I thanked God that it wasn’t as alarming as I initially thought (whew). It was just one of their usual hold-my-right-hand-and-not-my-left squabbles.

Nevertheless, I thank that mom for being my extra pair of eyes.

For giving me a view of the things I have no way of seeing.

It made me feel that I wasn’t the only one watching over my kid.

It made me feel that we weren’t the only ones caring deeply for my child’s well being.

Again, thank you for your loving concern.

It is truly wonderful when others care. It is kind of like community parenting where every member protects and supports, not just their kids, but all kids.

A few months ago for example, I heard a teacher from another class say, ‘Oh Mia, careful!’ when she saw Mia trying to balance on an edge. She was far from us but she immediately voiced the warning out.

To that teacher, thank you.

There was also a time when another mom came up to me and shared what she noticed about Mia that she thought I needed to know.

She was describing how Mia would close her eyes to imagine and feel the music on stage even before dance practice has started.

That might have seemed like plain small talk, but that little piece of information was very useful to us. It gave us clues on what summer workshops to look for and what music related activities to introduce.

So to that mom, thank you.

And to all other parents who gave me a glimpse of how my daughter acts in my absence, I thank you too. Your stories helped me a lot in getting to know my kid more.

I hope I was able to do the same for your kid. I hope I was the same helpful parent to you.

I wish community parenting is like this everywhere we go.