I have always wanted to visit CRIBS because I love playing with babies (kids for that matter) and to satisfy my curiousity about how and why there are mothers, parents in general, who have the conscience to just "surrender" their kids. CRIBS is an acronym for Creative and Responsive Infants By Sharing. It's an orphanage along Major Dizon road catering to homeless infants and sexually harassed girls.
My mom scheduled a visit yesterday and so, despite lacking sleep, we went to CRIBS and brought them stuff they can use for the babies' sanitation and other needs. I must say I was excited and I couldn't be much happier to have kids play around me. When I stepped inside the room, the babies were just goofing around and having fun playing (sometimes fighting) on the floor. There was one baby left on her crib. I tried to carry her but the attendants said that she couldn't play with the rest of the babies because she had wounds on her head. I don't know where she got it though. I had to place her back and then she kept raising her arms in that please-carry-me-please-please-please manner. She looked cute but her big baby eyes looked so sad. She was probably envying the others and so I just played with her. After a while, I moved to the other section of the orphanage.
The next baby I played with was Sandra. She's a one-year old perky baby girl who loves to dance and even tried to do a split (I mean it haha). I was just walking around the room when I saw her trying to get out of her crib. She was halfway out and just one wrong move, she'd probably hit the floor. I ran to her and grabbed her before anything else would happen. She hugged me and I felt her legs envelope me tightly. It's like she had been craving (the word! haha) for a hug or arms that would envelope her as well. She still barely speaks but communicated through sounds like when I was trying to teach her the word "TV" ('cause she was pointing at it), she tried mimicking me but she still can't. And because they had a routine at CRIBS, I had to put her down so she can play with the rest of the babies. Across the room was a window and I saw a baby being cleaned-up. The baby was two weeks old so I presumed he was orphaned just recently and the attendants might know what happened. So I asked the one taking care of him and she answered.. "Sinurrender po sa amin". Wow. I was speechless.
The next section I went to was that for babies around 3 months and less. Aaaawww. More babies! Most of them were asleep but my mom was a bit rude (haha). She found this cute, chubby baby boy named JM. He was very much into his sleep but my mom couldn't help it she started to carress him until he woke up. Haha. But yes, it was time for him to wake up for his bath. I carried around 3 babies in that room, big baby JM included. I also played with the only baby girl in that section, Jewel. After a while, I placed her back in her rocker and carried another baby. Then she began to cry!!! And I mean out loud. So I gave the other baby to my mom and carried her again. Amazingly, she was pacified. Little babies get jealous also! Hehe
Before leaving, I visited Sandra again in their play pen. I really liked her because she was so perky! She got all giddy when she saw me and ran towards the door but I can't pick her up at that time.
You know what struck me most? It's that moment when the attendant started to sing the Barney Song. (Yah.. it's the I love you, you love me song). The babies started running towards her and hugged her. There were like around ten of them in the play plen and they looked so cute giving each other a big hug. Aaaaawww. That was just the sweetest, cutest, most moving and bigtime tearjerker (but I did not cry :p ) moment I have ever had.
I just realized how thankful I should be that my parents still smother me with hugs and kisses, my dad still calling me baby and treating me like one at times!!! Many many children around the world don't experience it. And I, despite proclaiming that I am now a young woman, enjoy that TLC from people I love most. Well I guess this goes out to all my friends, too. A simple hug and kiss means a lot especially if they're from your parents. That would be the the sincerest love you can ever have.
As for the parents who left their children, I don't think I could judge them for their action. I don't and will probably never know the story behind their lives. I just hope that by the time they find the resolution to that factor that drove them to leave their kids behind, they'd go back and take care of their kids... carry them, caress them, kiss them, hug them.... LOVE THEM.
My mom and I are planning to go there on a weekly basis. And so, I'm asking help from you, my friends. If you have donations (soaps, cottons, alcohol, milk, diapers, used baby clothes,etc), you can hand it to me and my mom and I would be glad to give it to CRIBS. But I am suggesting you also drop by CRIBS so you can experience what I just did. :)
Thanks! :)
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