The film, "Bata Bata Paano Ka Ginawa" is based on the novel of Lualhati Bautista of the same title. This film focuses on the themes such as the role of parents in the Filipino family and the children in blended families. As I have watched the film, I could very much relate to the situation of Maya and Ojie (the children). My parents are separated for fourteen long years. I also have a half-brother and a half-sister on my father’s side while my mother adopted a baby girl. Our situation in the family is quite similar to that of the film and the only difference is that me and my siblings live with our father and that our half-brother and half-sister does not live with us.

Based on one scene of the film, Maya and Ojie were quarreling that their mother loves his/her father more. Naturally, everyone wants their family to be complete. Children, as always, envision a perfect family. The epitome of a perfect family consists of a mother, a father, children (not born out of wedlock) and most especially, extramarital affairs. I myself wanted my family to be complete despite of the fact that my parents are separated and I am very well adjusted to the situation. Likewise, this is also evident when Ojie started asking his mother questions like why his father does not live with his mother under the same roof, how come he has two fathers while others have only one father. As you can see, Ojie feels alienated. The norm says that there should only be one father, and one mother in a family but this is not the case for Ojie and Maya. Likewise, these questions stayed long on his mind to the point that he neglected schooling as shown by the scene when he went to the billiards hall instead of going to school. Likewise, he did not care if he got home late at night or if his mother is already worried about him. Because of his emotions, Ojie could not think and act clearly. Likewise, other children who belonged in blended families were affected in this way. Doing drugs, neglecting their studies, and the like are some of the results of not being able to think and act clearly.

Focusing on the character of Maya, she is described to be as too outspoken that you cannot believe if a seven year old kid is the one talking. She shares her family situation with other people and she does not have shame on it. My character was opposite of Maya. When I was a little kid, I was not that outspoken. I do not tell other people that my parents are separated unless they asked me the question. Of course, I was too young to understand that kind of things fourteen years ago. Likewise, it is best that kids should know the situation of the family even though it would be hard for them to understand since they are not that matured enough.

There is also a situation in the film wherein Maya misses her brother Ojie every time he stays with his father for the weekend despite of the constant arguments they have. As in my case, I do not have arguments with my half-brother and half-sister. I guess it is because that I love them for our father’s blood flow through their veins as our father’s blood flow in our veins and for the fact that we do not live under the same roof. Likewise, they (my half-brother and half-sister) are not to be blamed for the separation of our parents. Like Maya, I also miss my half-brother and half-sister.

There was a situation in the film wherein Raffy (Ojie’s father) wants to bring Ojie with him to the United States and Ding (Maya’s father) wants to have Maya in his custody. This kind of situation would bring conflict to Ojie and Maya since their mother wants them to decide if they want to go with their fathers or not. This may put one child into thinking that, "Oh, my mother does not love me anymore that’s why she lets me decide." As I have mentioned a while ago, Ojie has become disoriented because of the situation.

As for me, I think that Maya and Ojie would become very good parents to their future children. Maya would become a mother that is a good communicator. She would have an open communication with her children. I just hope that Maya will not be tactless like her mother Lea. Ojie, having experienced of not growing up with his father would make him think that he should spend his quality time with his children and not to leave them. He would not want his future son to attend a boy scouts’ investiture without him. These are just the positive effects that may happen to in the future. What about the possible negative effects? They could have just continued the chain that their parents have started.

In most cases, Filipino children happen to be like their parents by the time they have their own family. It has become a continuous chain that must be stopped. One concrete example would be our family. My grandfather and grandmother (mother’s side) was separated. Then, time came, my father and mother separated. Lastly, my brother and his wife separated which happened two years after their church wedding. See how contagious the chain is? Personally, I do not want this to happen to me. I want to stop that chain and I do not want my future children to experience what I have experienced.