It is a sad reality in the Philippines and many parts of the world that there are parents who are so poor that they could not afford to have a nanny to care for the kids but also can’t afford to care for the kids themselves as they also have to make sure they work to earn a living.
What’s sad is that they still have kids, even many kids – and it is the older siblings who are tasked to care for the younger ones. While that is expected of the older kids, it is heart-breaking to see children as young as preschool age to Grade 1 who are taking care of the kids.
Many of these young students have to skip school a lot because they have to care for their siblings while mom and dad are at work but there are those who wish to finish their studies that they choose to simply bring their younger siblings to school, even if that meant juggling school work with taking care of the younger ones.
A certain Ma’am Lei of Salvacion Elementary School somewhere in the Philippines shared a photo of a young student doing what appears to be a seatwork or perhaps an exam but also carrying a younger sibling.
Photo credit: KCMP News / Facebook
Identified as Justin, the Grade 1 student told Ma’am Lei that he prefers to bring his 1-year-old sibling instead of skipping school because no one could take care of the baby as his grandmother has to work in the mountain.
The post did not mention where the children’s parents are but it is highly likely they also have other things to do and could not care for the kids.
It is sad to see this kind of situation but in reality, Justin is not the only kid to do this – and he certainly wouldn’t be the last one…