Ang mga Bata sa Hibulangan, Photos taken on the year 2015
Sliding Through Childhood on a Slope of Soil and Slippers
In our residence in Barangay Hibulangan, laughter often echoes louder than any modern toy could ever manage. One ordinary day turned into a memory I will always treasure—my kids and their cousins found joy in the simplest way possible: sliding down a sloped soil path using nothing but worn slippers.
My eldest was around five years old then—still small, still curious, still discovering the world through play. With slippers placed under their feet, they took turns sliding down the earthy slope, their giggles blending with the sound of soil shifting beneath them. No playground equipment. No gadgets. Just gravity, creativity, and pure childhood excitement.
Where Imagination Replaces Expensive Toys
In places like Hibulangan, children learn early that fun does not always come from store-bought things. A slope becomes a slide. Slippers become tools for adventure. A patch of soil transforms into a playground where imagination leads and limits disappear.
Watching them play, I realized how naturally children adapt to their environment. They do not complain about what they lack; instead, they create joy from what is available. That afternoon, the earth itself became their playmate.
Dirt on Their Clothes, Joy in Their Hearts
Their clothes were soon covered in dust. Their slippers worn thinner with every slide. Yet their smiles grew wider, their laughter louder. Every fall was followed by laughter. Every turn was shared. No one played alone.
There was something deeply beautiful about that scene—children growing up close to the land, learning resilience without knowing the word for it, discovering happiness without excess.
Lessons Learned Without a Classroom
As a parent, I stood quietly watching, realizing that moments like these teach lessons no book ever could:
- Contentment — finding joy in simplicity
- Creativity — turning ordinary things into extraordinary experiences
- Togetherness — cousins bonding, learning cooperation, and sharing laughter
These are lessons formed not by instruction, but by experience.
A Childhood Rooted in Soil and Love
Some might see soil-stained feet and think of inconvenience. I see roots being formed—roots grounded in humility, gratitude, and closeness to family. Childhood in the province may be simple, but it is rich in meaning.
Years from now, toys will break and gadgets will be replaced. But memories like these—sliding down a slope with cousins, laughing under the open sky—will remain.
In that moment, I understood that we were not just raising children.
We were raising memories.
And sometimes, all it takes is a slope of soil, a pair of slippers, and a group of children willing to laugh their way downhill.
