One problem that Filipino parents seem to have these days is the dire situation they find themselves in if their kid happens to be hooked on computer gaming – so much so that some parents seem to have surrendered having to discipline their kids.
In the case of Lilybeth Marvel Garcia, she seemed to have accepted her son’s addiction and continued to care for him as seen in a now-viral video where she hand-fed her son 14-year-old Carlito. who’s unable to stand up for a few minutes as he was in a game.
“Napakarami mo namang barya, baka bukas ka pa umuwi niyan!” Garcia asked her son. “Umiihi ka pa ba? Diyos ko, nakakaawa naman itong anak ko.”
(You have so many coins, you might not go home until tomorrow. Do you even take a toilet break? Good Lord, my son is pathetic.
The young teen was seen playing his favorite game, “Rules of Survival” as Garcia ensure that the kid wouldn’t miss his lunch. Since the teen had his hands full at the mouse and keyboard, Garcia had to hand-feed him, as per a report from Inquirer.
The video, which was originally posted on Garcia’s wall became viral – garnering around 44,000 likes, reactions as well as around 2.5 million views before she removed it due to the negative reactions and comments of many netizens.
The video was then re-uploaded by Viral Press in YouTube.
In an interview with Inquirer.net, the 37-year-old massage therapist mom shared that she and her husband decided to have Carlito, a grade 8 student, drop out of school this year due to his condition.
“Lahat [ng] subject [niya nung] first grading (ng school) bagsak,” the mother confessed. “Kinausap ko sya sabi niya pagbubutihan niya next (grading), then nung [second] grading na siya, wala na siyang ipinasok (na klase).”
(He failed all of his subjects on the first grading period of school. I talked to him and he promised that he will do better next grading. By the time of the second grading period, he was not attending his classes anymore.)
As with all Filipino moms around the world, she attempted to discipline her son by nagging and by spanking him, to no avail. Surrendering to her hard-headed son, he made him do household chores for a minimal fee.
“Twenty pesos araw-araw yung binibigay ko sa kanya,” she said. “[K]apalit no’n yung araw-araw na gawain sa bahay para madala siya at pilitin pumasok next school year.”
(I give him 20 pesos everyday to do household chores, to teach him a lesson and to encourage him to go back to school next year.)
However, Garcia remains firm that her son isn’t a gaming addict as the teen still assists with the household chores and still goes home when he doesn’t have money for gaming time any longer.
‘Pag wala naman ring siyang pera, nanonood lang siya,” she added. (When he does not have money for playing, he just watches [other gamers].)
The mother likewise asked the public not to judge her son based from the video. “Huwag po sana sila mag-base sa napapanood lang nila o sa maling balita. Kasi hindi nila alam kung ano ang nasa likod ng video na ‘yun. Yung video na ‘yun ay simpleng katuwaan lang,”
(People should not rely on everything they see or hear, or on false news, because they do not know what is behind the story of the video. The video I made was simply just for fun.)
