Face-Off: Promil Vs Nido

Have you ever wished you were gifted?

Just recently, news spread about this boy who already managed to graduate college at the tender age of 11. Amazing kid, but then I started wondering how his college life went. At 11, I was still playing patintero on the streets and anticipating every Batibot episode on TV, but this kid was already studying about astrophysics and others that I might not even know how to pronounce. Surely his college mates wouldn’t want to play hide-and-seek with him? I just felt that his childhood was taken away by his intelligence.

In addition, we are all aware how these so-called ‘gifted children’ can be exposed to a lot of stress and pressure. They are like magnets that attract the public eye. They are expected to perform well in everything that they do, for their intellect is deemed as ‘faultless’; trivial blunders are enough reasons for derision. Just the mere fact that you are ‘smart’ seems to separate you already from the rest, so what more for them? Ang hirap maging matalino.

Remember the times when there was so much hype on the emergence of these gifted children in the Philippines? Back then I also wanted to be a gifted child myself (at some point I felt that I am, he-he). Modesty aside, I know I am blessed with a good brain and a couple of talents to go with it (simpleng yabang), but I wanted it at a higher level. Yung pang-Promil commercial! But seeing this kid just made me think otherwise.

I remember my 5-year-old self asking my Mom what brand of milk was used to feed me. Without dithering, she replied, “Sorry anak, Nido lang kasi pinainom namin sa’yo.” When she saw the disappointment on my then-innocent face, she quickly retracted and admitted that I was breastfed all the way. But either way, it doesn’t really matter to me now. I am unique and gifted in my own way. Mas maganda yata yung napupuri ka dahil sa natural na talento mo at hindi dahil sa epekto ng gatas na pinainom sa’yo.

Besides, does Promil really work?