Ofw Children

Nowadays, more women are leaving the country to work abroad. Based on Dr. Lourdes Arellano- Carandang’s research, of the 2-3 thousand worker who leave 70% are women; 85% are from the lower- income bracket and in their early 20’s. The average age of the children left behind is 10 years old below.
When mothers leave home, fathers infrequently step into fulfill motherly tasks or roles. In some cases, fathers will ask other female relatives, or even their mothers to take over the role of mother.
When fathers leave the home, mothers will usually double their time to fulfill their tasks as the mother and father of their children.
The money earned by the OFW parent allows a number of children to attend private schools, participate in extra- curricular activities and excel to a point, usually in the elementary years. But children of migrant mothers, do not do well. They are reported as being lonely, angry, unloved, unfeeling, afraid, and weird compare to all groups of children. OFW children grieve, worry, and fantasized about their parents coming home. In time, they become numb to the absence, they become like orphans. Young children cope by playing, while older ones strike up friendships and rationalize the departure of their parents. This does not eradicate the hurt and resentment towards the parents. OFW teenagers, particularly females, acquire the inclination to look elsewhere for parental care, more of them enter into promiscuous relationship or become more vulnerable to abusive relationships with older men. They are also prone to crime, drug dependencies, alcoholism and gender- identity problems.