WOMAN AS A MOTHER Rearing and Raising the Future Generation
The main speaker, Vice President Leni Robredo, talked about mothering a country while being a single mom to her three daughters. “If you ask me, no other role is as important nor as fulfilling as being a mother of these three,” she shared, adding that the task of nation building is like motherhood. “We selflessly give ourselves to helping those who need it the most and we give without counting the cost.”
Sharing their thoughts in the panel discussion were counseling psychologist Lissy Ann Puno and Mercato Centrale Philippines co-founder and STAR columnist RJ Ledesma.
To watch the panel discussion, scan the QR code with your smart phones to take you to The Philippine STAR’s Youtube account, PhilStar TV.
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Mothers are not only designed to be physically strong. We are also built to absorb our children’s tears with our warm embrace, carry their wails with our calloused hands, and heal their frustrations with our indefatigable hope. Despite being the first ones to get up in the morning and the last ones to go to sleep at night, we continue to rise early and be prepared to fight fiercely in the face of those who would hurt us. Mothers have that extra something that can push children to do better when they feel that they are not good enough, and strengthen husbands when they are facing battles of their own.
“As you might know, I have three daughters of my own. And if you ask me, no other role is as important nor as fulfilling as being a mother of these three. — Vice President LENI ROBREDO
Mothers and parents right now, we are facing a period of mental health crisis among the youth. There’s just so much pressure in the world right now: social expectations, social media pressure, emotional vulnerability, so the youth are just subjected to so much stress.
“I want to say that Filipino children and Filipino families are the most resilient cultures in the world because we are able to bounce back and recover from a lot of adversities.
“Parenting and mothering is really one of the most fulfilling experiences in life. And when they ask you, what really is a mother, they say it’s to raise happy, successful, confident, and capable chidren. But the reality is we are so much than that. And in fact, women seek to be more than mothers after they peaked from what they do.
“Mothers, when you reach that point that you want to do other things, allow yourself to do those things.
“Practice self-care. Allow yourselves to feel good about yourself and expect loved ones to meet your needs. Entrepreneurship is really key to empower women and mothers. — RJ LEDESMA, co-founder, ” Mercato Centrale Philippines