Chapter 11 - Their Adolescent Children

There was a difficulty in raising children that was why it was their most challenging responsibility. Their greatest dream that they were working through a bullseye hit was to guide their children towards the correct path or direction.

So far, among their plans this was the greatest achievement that they

hadn't yet realized. Kenneth Allen knew that God's innate gift endowed to their children were worth nurturing to be developed to the fullest.

To do this, they had to be consistent to whatever their children had to abide. Just like him, whose grandparents did an important role in his life by guiding him how to spend his daily time productively, his children should not only acquire the same experience he had but also be more than it for their own sake.

At his thirty nine years of age he had a sixteen year old teenage daughter, twelve and ten years old sons. His children were in the most critical stage of growth and development as they were in the adolescent period, the most difficult stage to deal with.

"Lizbeth Mae! Lizbeth Mae!" He was storming to her daughter's bedroom.

"Daddy?" The girl who was laying down on her bed immediately sat with fear registered on her face.

"What is this all about? Have you forgotten what your mommy and I told you?"

The girl remained quiet with her head bent while fidgeting her hands.

"Hah! You're being secretive now.

I have a flight tomorrow. That means that you have to explain before I leave for my work. Failure to do so, would make you suffer the consequence of your stubbornness."

Then... Still mad of his discovery, he left going to his study room.

Her daughter who was left in her room decided to get out of her bedroom to look for her nanny who was at that time in the servant's quarter.

"Nanny, Daddy scanned my social media account."

"You can't blame me darling. How many times have I reminded you of it?"

"Nanny.. You're not helping at all. Like Dad, you are reprimanding me, too."

"So... How many hours did he give you to explain about it?"

"He had a flight tomorrow. That means that I should talk to him after our evening meal."

"Let's go to your Mommy, then."

They went to the garden where her mom spent her idle time tilling her rose plants in different sizes and colors. They were so adorable that anyone who would be able to see them would feel like she was in a paradise.

That was oftentimes the exact feeling of Lizbeth Mae. As soon as she stepped on the rose garden of her mother, she stood up in daze. That moment was not different from her previous reactions toward her mother's bed of roses.

Had it not for her nanny who pulled her by her right hand, then she wouldn't be freed from being in dazed... that she wasn't there to daydream at the midst of the garden but to seek the encouraging support of her mother.

"Mommy, Daddy is very angry with me."

"Why? What have you done this time?"

"He found out about my account in one of the social media."

"You are not allowed to have one.

We've been reminding you about it, haven't we?"

"But... Mommy we were required by our instructor to have it."

"And why would he allow you to do that? Did he also require your classmates to have an account?"

"All of us, Mom."

"What for?"

"For the submission of our outputs."

"Did you not tell your father about it?"

"I was frightened that he might hit me, Mom."

"Has he hit you since your babyhood?

" No, mommy."

"We're going to talk to him before going to sleep."

"Thank you, Mommy."

"Anytime, sweetheart." Then she talked to Lizbeth Mae's nanny. "Thanks, nanny."

Once assured that her mother would be with her to talk to her father, she went to the kitchen to help their cook in preparing their evening meal.

Cooking was one of her hobbies that was why whenever she had time to help their cook she did it earnestly.

If Lizbeth Mae was busy helping their cook, the two boys were fighting

as though it was 'war World three'.

Their martial arts and taekwondo trainings made them an expert in fighting. As a result, neither one of them lost nor won. Hence, the fight between the two was endless.

Neither of the maids, driver gardener, nor the guard could had acted as their referee because they were threatened to be beaten by both of them should they interfere. As an adult, it would be a humiliation if they would be beaten by these two minors.

Supper time was almost approaching when every member of the family was required to be at the dining table. To think that their father was off duty, not one among them should delay their eating time. How much more if these two sons who were fighting non-stop would cause them not to eat on the dot?

The staff of Mr. & Mrs. Kenneth Allen Lacandula's household knew this house rule as they were oriented upon their employment.

They were scared that they would be fired so, one of them called the attention of the couple through an intercom. Both the husband and the wife ran like a flying jet plane.

They were still fifteen steps away from the wide garage that was convertively turned to their fighting arena when they heard the grunting, squeaking, groaning and pounding of their two sons. They even heard a loud thud that made them quicken more for the entry.

Without talking yet, despite their fuming anger, there and then, they witnessed how they ferociously fought as if neither of them would murder one another.

"Stop!!!" Kenneth Allen yelled.

"Kelly! Alken! Why are you fighting?" Leonor asked warily.

That ended their 'war world three' fighting as both Kelly and Alken let go of themselves from the tight grappling.

Just as the two had stopped fighting with Kenneth and Leonor as their referee, the bell calling for every household members reverberated.

In silence, all of them including the household staff walked toward the dining room. There, Lizbeth Mae enthusiastically told them to be seated.

Since Kenneth was seldom present at home, it was his turn to lead the prayer before and after meal. They ate zestfully.

After praying after meal, Kenneth ordered their two sons to be in his study room. The two went ahead of the couple who was behind them while Kenneth's right arm encircled the waist line of Leonor.

When they entered the study room they caught their sons who were soundlessly threatening each other with their fists and glaring eyes of a tiger.

"You have the nerve to add insult to injury, huh?" Kenneth warned them.

"Who started the fight?" Leonor started the Interrogation.

Not one between the two answered. Instead, they bent down their head, eyes were on the floor.

"If you do not want to tell the truth now, you are going to lie down with your butt facing upward, head down, eyes on your folded two arms."

Alken's reddish eyes welled to a floody tears rolling down on his cheeks and between sobs he spoke.

"It was Kuya's (means older brother) fault. He destroyed my new toy car you'd just brought home."

"Was it true, Kelly?" Leonor asked.

"But... he hit me with his toy car that I had accedintally broken." He replied defensively.

"Was it true Alken?" Kenneth inquired.

"Yes, dad. I told him not to play with it, he didn't listen to me because he told me that he's older than me."

The family court hearing lasted for more than hour. The verdict was that both of them were guilty. Therefore, both were grounded for a month. Neither of them would be allowed to hang out with their friends, no reporting to martial arts and taekwondo trainings, and no going to a mall nor to amusement places.

In a month, their life would only be spent in school, at home and in the church. They would also help in cleaning gardening washing dirty clothes and ironing them.

When the two boys went out of the household court another case followed.

Lizbeth Mae knocked, asking permission to get inside.

"Dad, Can I talk to you for a while?"

"You may start your explanation."

"Dad, If you noticed, I have just recently created my account in that PN or Pal Note. However, our instructor in Literature 333, had required us to have one since November. Much as I would like to obey you, my grade is at stake because it was the platform our instructor required us to submit our outputs."

"Granting that it was a requirement, how about this picture of yours with a male beside you?" Her father interrogated.

"Sweetheart, you did not tell me about it when we talked earlier." Her mother protested.

"We told you that you are not yet allowed to have a boyfriend." Kenneth reminded her sternly.

"Yucks!!! Dad! He's not my type. I don't even have a crush on him."

"But..' Nak (short for anak that means my child) Why was he beside you?" Leonor inquisitively expressed her curiosity.

"When I was having my selfie picture taking as I was streaming in my Pal Note account, he ran beside me, just the time when he was caught by the camera with me."

"Darling daughter, you are the mirror of your siblings. We cannot expect them to be honest if their model older sister is viciously a liar." Kenneth told her his insinuation.

"Dad, I am not a liar. If you want you can go see and talk to Henry, that boy beside me."

"Some other time, I'll find time to talk to that Henry. Your mommy and I will do that."

The case was dismissed in the meantime. An investigation would still be continued to interrogate the star witness no other than Henry who was beside her in the picture in her PalNote account.

The couple was left in the study room still discussing about the behaviour and attitude of their children.

"Honey, as our children are fast growing, our being responsible parents are pretty well-challenged. I cannot do this alone without you." Leonor whined lovingly to her husband.

"Sweetheart, what are husband and wife for if we don't team up?" Kenneth gave his wife an assurance as he hugged and kissed her on her forehead and caressed her on her face

affectionately.

"Are you not going to sleep yet, hon?" Leony wiggled her body to be out from her husband's embrace while asking him.

Without giving her husband a chance to respond, he pulled his hand while she started to walk out of their home's family court room.

Kenneth who was going to wake up early the next morning for his duty as a pilot, surprisingly lifted up Leonor, bridal style, after locking the door.

He effortlessly ascended to the second floor into their bedroom. For seventeen years of marriage, they seemed to be always newly married when they were in their private moments in their bedroom.

Thereby, they were able to painstakingly withstand the naughtiness and stubbornness of their children. With their band together as parents of their three children, they would never give up on them.

They knew that their duties and obligations to their children are from womb to tomb, or even from two different cells (that were united & became a zygote) to tomb.

Together they slumbered deeply with the hope that their children wouldn't get astrayed.