The 8 Kinds Of Kids In Children’s Parties
A Habitat For Humanity community in Taguig welcomed us last month and let us join in the fun during their Christmas party. One of my favorite activities was when the kids played ‘Bahay-Baboy-Bagyo’.
So, the game goes this way: the kids will first form groups of three, two of them will join hands to form a circle, one will stay in the middle. When the hosts shouts ‘Bahay’, the ones joining hands must look for different partners. When the host shouts ‘Baboy’, the one in the middle must find a different twosome two get in the middle of. When the host shouts ‘Bagyo’, everybody must find a new grouping all together. Imagine the sweet commotion in that.
I can still hear the squeals and laughter and feel all the youthful energy in the air. They reminded me not only of the many children’s parties I attended, but also of the playmates I had that seem to fit some funny stereotypes.
So, which one are you?
Habitat For Humanity: The 8 Kinds Of Kids In Children’s Parties
8. The Action Star
There was always that one kid who was wearing a Power Rangers costume (sorry, I was born in the nineties), the one with the action figures or the one with the light saber. In this case, it was a whole backpack of swords and a gun. When he was out of the game, there he goes to a new mission to save the world in the nick of time!
7. The Competitive One
Notice how there’s a Bahay and a Baboy, then this boy who I think was trying to negotiate himself into becoming the next Baboy of this group. Note: he was out of the game in the past round.
6. The Source Of The Commotion
The host shouts ‘Bagyo’, then this group of older kids go to find a new group first. They do this quickly and quietly. Once they have found a group, that’s when they start shouting and excite the little kids, “Aaaahhh! Aaaaahhhhhhh!!!”. They shouted while they jumped, jogged in place and bumped against each other! Chaos is fun. That’s the motto. I bet most of you guys fall into this category.
5. The Effortless Winner
Also known as “the one who has no idea about the rules, but wins”. Ugh. This little one had so much luck that day. The host shouts ‘Bahay’, she doesn’t move an inch but somebody takes her hands and partners up with her. The host shouts ‘Baboy’, she doesn’t move an inch, but then a pair of kids comes over and puts her in the middle of the circle. The host shouts ‘Bagyo’, finally she moves a little but it was because she got excited with the commotion. Then, either somebody takes her hands to partner up or a pair puts her in a circle. Galing.
4. The One Who Falls Peril To Children’s Party Games
Don’t worry, everyone, he’s alright. The Habitat For Humanity staff and volunteers were there to ease out his troubles. It appears he hurt his foot because of ‘the Sources of the Commotion’.
3. The Bros Fo’ Life!
The instruction was to ‘join hands’, but the brotherhood was so strong that they must join arms! Until the very end! Win or lose! Therefore, lose!
2. The Kampi-Kampi (The so-called Team Players)
These girls wanted everyone (for as long as you are in their group) to win! “O, mamaya, kayo naman magpartner, tapos kami magpartner, tapos sila gitna.” (“The two of you should partner up next, then the two of us will partner up, then they will be the ones in the middle.”)
1. The Ones Whose Ages Are… Above The Group Average… Way Above!
When I was eleven, my brother was around three, so this is me— the perpetual chaperone of the younger sibling. The kids who fall under this eighth category are the ones who could have won every game by brute force, but chose not to “in the spirit of kindness”!
The kids were joined by the staff of Habitat For Humanity and a group of volunteers. This group of volunteers was tapped to join this Sunday community activity, because of their donation to Pamaskong Handog, an ongoing Christmas project of Habitat For Humanity.
Habitat For Humanity’s Pamaskong Handog Project
Through the Pamaskong Handog project, a Php 1000 donation goes towards a Noche Buena pack to a Habitat home partner, and a good portion goes to the primary mission of Habitat For Humanity— to build decent, durable and affordable homes for low-income families and families who lost their homes to the recent calamities.
Like our team of game changers you could donate towards this project. If a Php 1000 is too heavy for you, you could form a group of ten, chip a hundred each and donate online through https://www.give2habitat.org/philippines/PamaskongHandog.
How far will your donation really go?
In my short time with them, it was clear to see that with just building and providing homes Habitat For Humanity has created an opportunity for families to turn a new leaf and to live in a nourishing environment. In this environment, children are free to run and play in a plaza in the middle of well-kept three-storey apartments, away from the streets. The adults are given a solid stepping stone for better options: to pursue decent jobs, while they paid low mortgages for their housing units and took charge of their children’s brighter future.
The housing units are rewarded bare. For units owned for almost a decade, you will see that its owners already had it tiled and painted throughout the years. That is for this reason, “Hindi naman po pe-pwedeng kung ano kami noon, ganon pa din kami ngayon.” (“We can’t allow ourselves to be in the same situation that we were in before.”)
It is with the same attitude that the person who said this has grown to become a Habitat volunteer herself. She also acknowledges that though with that positive attitude, if without Habitat’s help, they might not be as blessed as they are today.
More than anything, hope is what Habitat For Humanity has given to thousands of families. Each day, Habitat is thankful for the efforts of their donors and volunteers. It is through them that Habitat remains to be of service to the community and steadfast in their mission.
Habitat for Humanity Philippines
5th Floor, 111 Paseo de Roxas Condominium Building, Tower I, Paseo de Roxas Ave corner Legazpi Street, Makati City 1229
https://www.habitat.org.ph/
https://www.give2habitat.org/philippines/pamaskonghandog
https://www.facebook.com/habitatphilippines
More of Habitat For Humanity on WhenInManila.com : World’s Most Outstanding Volunteer Award Goes to a Young Filipina
