Madonna and Child ...and A Guy

Before I go out to do some gardening, I thought I'd post this for the last photo essay of triple-points week.

Will check back later!

You are correct, these are beautiful women and beautiful babies.

Beautiful pictures!

What a beautiful gathering of mothers (Dad) and children.

Awww all those babies are gettin so big!!!I remember angelina just born sheesh

Yikes... The strong wind practically lifted me back here! I think I'll give it time to settle down a bit.

Thanks everyone for your comments.

My friends are beautiful, aren't they? And their babies are just as beautiful. And yes, they grow too fast. From one celebration to the next, they seem to change faster than I want!

"I wanted to share these pictures to attest to the fact that from my country comes some of the loveliest women and cutest babies in the world."

You fulfilled your goal very well. They are beautiful.

What a wonderful idea, Duckie! All those smiles and so much love showing.

Those are some lovely pictures! What beautiful parents and gorgeous children (not an ugly one in the bunch and there are ugly babies). A truly handsome group of people.

Thanks, Verie! Some people might call me a prejudiced broad but I am truly proud of my country women, especially of my little group of friends... they are beautiful inside and out. They all came here legally, adapting to the country instead of expecting the country to adapt to their needs, becoming useful and lawful citizens, all great assets to our community.

Madame Donna... you got that right!

Stephanie, thank you... I have yet to see an ugly baby, though :-)

Amy, I'll let them know you said so!

Lynn, Angelina just turned two last week!

I've seen 'em, but I haven't seen one in a while. Maybe they're going extinct. None of these qualify.

You have a beautiful family, Duckie. You are justly proud.

You were right! These are some very, beautiful people!

Confession: I've always thought Asian women to be the most beautiful in the world. I've always wanted to have an Asian baby of my own to play with. I think they look like ceramic dolls. I would be thrilled if one of my kids managed to get me one for my own grandchild!

gorgeous family for sure.

and you know the food at your gatherings are totally incredible!

Stephanie, you're so sweet!

Dianne, I was just going to correct you and say they're not really family but I realized that in a way, they are my family... as we ALL are family. :-)

Ina, you can always come and play with my grandkids... they are just half-Asians though. Here's hoping you get your wishes!

Ivy, we always have fun... thank you. Our parties are phenomenal!

CC, you sound like you've been to a few? We'll throw you a party whenever you're in our neighborhood!

oh yeah. i am so there if i ever get to your neck of the woods. definately.

Absolutely stunning.

You're right, that's a beautiful bunch of Moms and babies. That pregnant girl sure has the glow.

I am so glad you raised the question, Kate. We have to keep Ina law-abiding... Or be complicit with her "plans" :-)

Consider the welcome mat ready for you.C

Sharon, that's the best of compliments from you... thanks on their behalf!

Vicky, I just got word... that pregnant girl had her baby last night... Brenda had a beautiful 8 pounder, a boy!

Beautiful photos and ladies.

They all came here legally, adapting to the country instead of expecting the country to adapt to their needs, becoming useful and lawful citizens, all great assets to our community.

Well, it would be a long way to swim....

I know I'm supposed to comment on the beauteousness of the babes of various ages and sizes--I just thought I'd share my opinion that I think that sort of statement is unnecessary. Anyone reading this either already approves of Filipino immigrants, or they don't, and "we're all legal and good citizens" won't change their minds.

Diane and Iya?
stunning.

my girl's pregnant right now; i pray to be so fortunate-- but the apples fall not far from the tree, not far at all, and my darling is beautiful...

Thanks, Nana...!

Aniko, you might know that for a fact and believe it... but it's amazing how I still find myself trying to defend my right to be here. I still encounter people who consider ANY immigrant from Asian countries as interlopers in this country and are objects of scorn and prejudice because of skin color and heritage.

Just yesterday, my grandson confided in me that the parents of a girl he was interested in told their daughter that she should know better than associate herself with a "black boy".

Thomas, that sounds wonderful... I hope you post pictures!

They are a beautiful bunch.

I have a stupid question. Why are Filipinos from the Philippines? I mean why is one spelled with an F and the other with a Ph?

That sort of stuff makes you crazy when trying to teach geography.

I always wondered that, too, Andrea. And why don't we call countries what they call themselves, like Espana and Osterreich?

I understand perfectly that you feel you need to defend your right to be here, but the exact experience you share shows that it doesn't really matter: the people who made the "black boy" comment don't care that you came here legally, even though I'm fairly sure when they rail against Mexicans they'll add that they're not racist, it's just that those people are breaking the law, and of course they support legal immigrants who "join the line" and respect the law, except, you know, when they're taking jobs away from Americans, and there's too many people here anyway and the boat is full....

You can't win. I'll be a bit more specific: trying to present ourselves as "the good immigrants" as opposed to the implied "bad ones" feels a bit like trying to suck up to a slave master to land a house slave position. If we talk like that, we just feed the prejudices of the anti-immigrant crowd and provide them with a convenient shield to hide their xenophobia behind. ("It's not that I hate immigrants, look, there's Duckie who came here legally and I have no problem with her, but I bet you anything that Maria is illegal, just look at her, they all are, and I don't care that Pedro was brought here when he was six months old, the law is the law, deport him back to wherever he came from, civil war or not, we can't solve the problems of the whole world...."

Okay, you can probably tell I read too much of that crap. Sorry.

Andrea, Tagalog, our native language is phonetic. There is also no letter P in the original Tagalog language. When the islands became a colony of Spain, they named the islands after King Philip II. (Notice, there is only one L in Philip, which explains the spelling of our country's name). The Spaniards standardized the symbols used in our language along the lines of Latin languages, adding a P to the alphabet.

However, there is no PH in the Spanish language, (King Philip was probably referred to as Felipe)... So, when the Spaniards referred to the Philippinos, they pronounced the word as Filipinos. In the Spanish language , when a word is borrowed from another language, they keep the pronunciation close to the original, and then spell it according to Spanish spelling rules. PH becomes F.

It has carried on to this day.

As an aside, you will find that because of the lack of the P sound in our language, a percentage of Filipinos have a quirky language trait... the P and F sounds become interchangeable in their speech patterns. For example, a lot of heated interchanges tend to spiral down to comedic events when an angry participant throws in a "puck you" ... and don't ask some of us to say "parting is such sweet sorrow", either.

Vicky, please see explanation above for your answer regarding Philipinos versus Filipinos. As for your other question, I think the countries usually are called differently by the natives therein, because they follow language rules and spelling according to their own native languages?

EMYC. I still come across that sort of prejudice, even in this enlightened times. It is difficult for us who are on the receiving end of it, but, what I do with my life is my only true way of combating that.

Thanks for stopping in!

Aniko, please do not apologize. I really really appreciate that you take time to comment and explain things here! You are one of the most literate and informed people on Gather.

I see what you mean about feeding the prejudices of the anti-immigrant crowds. I never actually saw it in that light.

I always stand in awe at the knowledge and wisdom you impart whenever you discuss things around Gather. I am honored to be your connection and friend.

Duckie what a wonderful woman you are and Aniko also.

This is how adults act, I'm so proud that your both my friends.

Aww... Sharon. Hugs!

great discussion...and gorgeous pictures.

What a gift these photos are. The joy, and tenderness, and beauty reflected in these faces. Thank you for this serendipitous collection of wonder.

Thanks, Flit!

I always have a soft spot for Mother and Child photos. Beryl, thanks for viewing my pictures!

Wonderful photos of the Moms and babies!!

Thanks for posting this photo essay to Kids and Grandkids!

Thanks, Monica!

Very beautiful pictures

Thanks, Shelbia!

Ray with Holly was a great pic Duckie, well all of them were!
Beautiful ladies and children too plus the lady waiting!!

Back to check and see did I leave a comment, one of those
days for me Duckie!! *smiles*

I meant to mention Brenda too the lady in waiting!!