We have a Dragon in the family -- Gabriel Enrique, or Gambel. To those of you who have parents, siblings, children or relatives born in the year of the Dragon, the experiences I will share below are familiar.

Gambel is a joy to be around and with. He's naturally malambing and quite charming. Everywhere we went, Gambel was sure to attract attention, gain admirers, friends. He's quite precocious, too. A fast learner, he absorbs lessons right away, even learning songs as easily as a seasoned pro (he knows song titles, lyrics, melody, even how the song's backdrop looked like in videoke!). He knows many Spanish words and their translation from watching Dora the Explorer. He is able to make sense of and use the information available to him, almost always to his advantage, and more often than not, he reasons his way out of a predicament. Parang matanda kung magsalita.

One time, I reprimanded him for being cranky. I said he used to be a good boy, but he's turning bad, like one of his classmates who's always made to stand in the corner. Hours after, he approached me and said, 'Mommy, hindi ko nagustuhan yung sinabi mo sa taas (in our room).' Forgetting what it was, I asked, 'Alin yun, ano'ng sinabi ko sa taas?' And he answered, 'Na nagiging cranky ako, gaya ni Dominic. Hindi naman ah. Di ko yun nagustuhan.' How can you resist that? I just hugged him.

One time we were waiting in the car, and he was playing with the tissue. I said, 'Tama na, Gambel, wag mong sayangin. Di mo naman kailangang kumuha, wag kang kumuha.' He didn't say anything at first, then, 'Mommy, apakan mo ang paa ko.' Busy with my reading, I obliged without thinking, stepping on his foot lightly. He reacted with "Aray ko, mommy, sakit ng paa ko...huhuhu..sakit...iyak na ako mommy...huhuhu...pahingi ng tissue...." Now would you take a look at that. Diskarte!

But heaven help you if you get him angry, or if he wakes up from the wrong side of the bed. No amount of explaining or reasoning or assuaging can cure the sumpong, and he will stew and brew for hours, like a volcano waiting to erupt. I found that the best remedy so far was to leave him be and let him vent his 'frustration' or whatever issue it was that was causing the sompi. He usually mellows and goes back to his usual, charming and malambing self after that. As if nothing happened.

Genetics is a wonderful thing. It's a frequent surprise to see bits and pieces of yourself and of your spouse in your kids. Mike often remarks about how Gambel and I are so similar, how we share the same passions, looks (Mike says looking at Gambel is like looking at a male version of my baby picture), quirks and temperament. That's like saying sa akin namana ang rebel nature.

I beg to disagree... Di naman siguro lahat. :)