Parenting: A joke I shouldn't have said.

This is my only son, Miguel. I still felt somewhat guilty for what I said to my son last night. I shouldn't have made such a joke and swear it wouldn't happen again. We were just having the usual evening fun in my bedroom when I said a real bad joke. The conversation went something like this:

Me - "Miguel, don't call me dad. Just call me 'kuya' (big brother) instead"

Miguel - "You're not my 'kuya'. You're my dad! Why would I call you one?"

Me - "Because I am not your dad (I jokingly said), so just call me 'kuya'."

Miguel - He suddenly was mesmerized to what i just said and reasoned out. "That's not true!"

Me - "It is (still waiting how he would react) look at yourself. Do we look alike? Do I have a beautiful almond eyes like yours? Do I have a fairer complexion like yours? We definitely do not look look alike"

After that he paused a while, kept really quiet, turned his back on me and drooped his head. He remained like that for a good ten minutes - feeling sorry and quiet.

Knowing what I said was wrong, I slowly approached him and said:

Me - "Miguel, you don't think I'm serious right? I was just teasing you. It was just a joke."

Miguel - Still unmoved and remained quiet.

When it was time for my wife to get in and prepare to sleep, he found Miguel quietly weeping. She came over and said what went wrong. Almost immediately, he cried aloud and poured his heart out. I was shocked and felt really bad for what I did.

Miguel - "Mom, dad said a really bad joke!"

My wife shot a stern gaze at me and returned to him.

Wife - "It was just meant to be a joke."

Miguel - "Yes, but seems like it was real!" And cried some more.

Somehow, we were able to convince him that night that it doesn't mean anything and that I was sorry for the things I've said. I gave him a reassuring hug and kissed him goodnight.

Lesson Learned: Never make adult jokes on kids, most specially jokes about paternity.