With all the bad and unfortunate things that have been happening in the world at present, it’s arguably quite difficult for some of us to believe in good anymore. But as we go on in life, we’re going to encounter people or stories who would renew our faith in God and restore our confidence in humanity, such as the adorable kiddie characters in the teleseryes that we’ve watched through the years.

These kiddie characters, despite being fictional, truly left indelible marks in our minds and hearts not only because of their irresistible cuteness that instantly captured our hearts, but of their astonishing wisdom and outlook in life that made them quite ahead of their age.

They inculcated to us the value of loving unconditionally, showing kindness and compassion, and believing in the divine power of God that He would turn circumstances for the better, just like the ones that we listed in this edition of Kapamilya Timelist.

Let’s commence this roster with the wide-eyed boy Santino of the classic 2009 inspirational series May Bukas Pa, who popularized “Bro” as our term of endearment to Jesus Christ. Aside from having the ability to see and speak with Him, he also became a blessing to other people as he was able to help them out with their problems through the nuggets of wisdom that he imparted to them and to heal them from their illnesses.

From taking on supporting roles, Xyriel Manabat went on to become the lead actress in the 2010 series Momay. Playing the titular character, she taught us the real meaning of selflessness and unconditional love, which entail doing little and huge sacrifices for the people we love without minding what its results will be nor expecting anything in return.

As if we still couldn’t get enough of Xyriel, she once again headlined another inspirational drama the following year entitled 100 Days To Heaven. With her portrayal of the childhood form of Madam Anna Manalastas (Coney Reyes), she didn’t just amuse us with her incredible acting chops, but she also reminded us to never lose the child in us no matter where life takes us because doing so could help us live life to the fullest.

The year 2013 seemed to be brimming with inspiration because not only one, but three inspirational narratives graced our television screens and introduced to us three of the most unforgettable kiddie characters. The first one was My Little Juan, the prequel to the Coco Martin-starrer Juan Dela Cruz and was headlined by Izzy Canillo as the titular character. Even though he was terribly bullied and painted as a bad child, not to mention reprimanded for being a mischievous kid, his strong faith in God and Father Cito’s (Jaime Fabregas) love kept Juan grounded and on track.

It was also that year when this generation’s “Most Important Star” Andrea Brillantes began to take off through her noteworthy performance in Annaliza. Her portrayal of the titular character inspired us to remain strong and optimistic amidst adversities and to never lose our faith in God because circumstances will surely turn out fine in the end. Besides, while it can be tempting to retaliate to those who did us wrong, it’s still better to choose kindness.

And in the last quarter of 2013, we went on to further value honesty through the inspiration brought by titular character of Honesto, played by Raikko Mateo. As we all know, he was the kid whose nose swells everytime he’s not telling the truth. Aside from the honesty, it also demonstrated to us the value of unconditional love, sacrifice, and generosity through the people that surrounded the little boy.

The 2015 series Nathaniel made us believe in angels through its titular character played by child actor Marco Masa, who really served as a “gift from God” for those people whose lives he touched, especially his family when he descended to Earth from Heaven. He ingrained to us the value of learning to be contented and appreciative of whatever we have – regardless if it’s big or small – instead of getting sad and envious about what others have. However, there’s nothing wrong with chasing our dreams, as long as we don’t take advantage of other people.

Our mornings indeed got brighter and warmer as well that same year because of the adorable ball of sunshine that was Ningning, portrayed by Jana Agoncillo in the daytime series that bore the same title. She and her family proved that it is still possible to have a happy and contented life despite not having much, as long as we have our beloved family. Besides, we must also learn to look at life the way children do, so that it would be easy for us to have a life “full of beautiful relationships, second chances, forgiveness, and love.”

Her heart might be weak due to the rare congenital heart issue that she possessed, but it didn’t hinder Heart, played by up-and-coming child actress Heart Ramos in the 2017 series My Dear Heart, to enjoy her life with her family and best friend Bingo (Enzo Pelojero). The characters, especially Heart, also inspired us to strengthen our faith in God and to not easily give up as we go through life’s hard-hitting challenges.

And lastly, the adorable dynamic duo of Buboy and Starla (Jana Agoncillo) in the 2019 teleserye Starla, played by Enzo Pelojero and Jana Agoncillo respectively. They and the other characters reminded us to not easily give up whenever we encounter a few bumps on the road because help will surely come the way we don’t expect to. Besides, we can also conquer everything that is weighing us down in the past as long as we keep our faith in ourselves and in the Supreme Being.

These young actors may be all grown up now, but we will never forget all the valuable lessons that we’ve learned from their characters and the series.