Mother's Day

Today’s Mother’s Day. For most families, Mother’s Day’s a very big deal. I grew up with 5 brothers and, being boys, we were not really into whatever special occasion, except for Valentines Day, the day when most men would go through the gauntlet just to ask his special someone out. So to me, Mother’s day is just like any other day. I greet my Mom whenever I remember, but there are times when I forget. I remember there were times when my Dad would remind us, being the romantic person that he is.

I never appreciated this day until the day I my daughter was born. I saw my wife transformed (not like the autobot/decepticon kind of transformation) from being a wife to a mother. There is a big difference. Any father would know this. I realized that being a mom was really, really hard. Starting from pregnancy and for the rest of her life, a mother’s job is never done.

I’ve experienced a lot of things from being a father but the person who made the most sacrifices is my wife. From waking up almost every hour to breast feed our baby, changing diapers, doing a lot of research about how to raise a baby, what vaccines to give, etc, etc. It’s a miracle how my wife wakes up in the morning to go to work. I often complain that I often times find it hard to sleep because my daughter always wakes up in the middle of the night to transfer to our bed, but by wife’s always the one who puts her to sleep, long after I’ve slept already. My watching Barney (who I hate to the very core of my being) with my daughter pales in comparison to all the things that Jan has done in taking care of Sophie. She’s been having back pains as a result of her giving birth. We go to therapy every weekend to at least lessen the pain, but it still hurts every day.

Mommy and Sophia

Lola with Sophia

Seeing all of the things my wife has done for our daughter made me appreciate my Mom more. Sure there are times when she can be makulit but at the end of the day, she only wants the best for me and my brothers. I try to call my mom at least twice a week just to see how she’s doing. Sometimes we even chat on YM (groovy!).

With our daughter growing up, I know that we will be going through a lot of things and Jan will always be in the front lines. She might get tired, get angry, get frustrated and she may even think that she would give up but like all moms all over the world, she’ll still be there.

A toast to my wife, the mother of my child, my mom and to all the mothers out there! We all love you for always being there for us and we pray that God gives all of you the strength, wisdom and courage to overcome all the trials that you will ever face. Thank you for all the patience and understanding that you have given us. Your love and sacrifices will always be an inspiration to us, no matter what.