My Father's Day Message to All You Young Adults

To my children, nephews, nieces, inaanaks, and to all my young adult friends,

Well, I'm not really into bestowing financial favors because I'm not part of the nouveau riche.  But forty six years in this life I'd say that I have a wealth of EXPERIENCE.  

Part of fatherhood is guidance, so allow me to share with you some of them this Father's Day.

----------

I started working at 19.  Got married and became a father at 21.  Graduated college at 28.  Really not a good example of the ideal life.  And this makes me an expert---ON WHAT NOT TO DO.

Let me be absolutely be clear---what me and my wife have undergone through 25 years of marriage was not easy.  But we were fortunately blessed with a lot of divine interventions.  We were determined to survive so we did what needed and I believe that our efforts merited us God's attention for some helping hand.  God helps those who help themselves after all.

Bottom line of this write up is that to be unprepared for your life milestones is an invitation to a life of hardship.  If you don't have the stomach to face a hand to mouth existence, I suggest that YOU PREPARE.

Before taking the plunge, partners should emotionally and financially be prepared.  For this note, let me talk about financial preparation.

Whether we like to admit it or not, money makes the world go round.  Gone were the days when we can exchange goods for goods or services.  Now it's cash or plastic please.  So, the NUMBER 1 requirement before you get married is:  A STABLE JOB.

Always think long term.  Bare in mind that married life does not come cheap.  Your income should be able to sustain the lifestyle you want to lead.  When you have kids, you need to prepare for their education.  Again, NOT CHEAP.

Second requirement:  YOU NEED TO HAVE YOUR OWN HOUSE.  Long story short---mahirap makisama at mahirap gumalaw sa bahay ng ibang tao.  No matter how much you get along with your in-laws, they will and will always remain to be the master of their own home.  So where does that leave you?

Once you have a STABLE JOB and YOUR OWN HOME, then it's time for you to SAVE UP FOR THE WEDDING.  

If you don't see yourself becoming a spinster or a bachelor all your life, then you don't need to wait to have a boyfriend or girlfriend before you start saving for marriage.  

The wedding is an EXPENSIVE life milestone.  If you want it to become special, then you have to spend.  A nice church, the reception, and the honeymoon.  To my reckoning, mahina ang 250K just to have a semblance of SPECIAL.  

"DAIG NG MAAGAP ANG MASIPAG."  Being prepared for your life milestones is always better than laboring to catch up on needed expenditures.  Masipag ka nga pero patay-patay naman katawan mo kakakayod kasi wala kang naisubi.  Aside from that, you are giving yourself unnecessary stress that might lead to health issues.  We will all die eventually (in God's own time) but for you to be the contributor to your own early demise is utter stupidity.

Enjoy life by being prepared.