Three moms have I

Most kids usually call for "mom" when things go wrong.

Having a mother around cannot be compared to just having a guardian or a relative to take care of us.

As dominant as men may seem outside the house, it is the woman who rules at home.

Someone once told me that a child’s intelligence genes are usually inherited from the woman. I’m not sure how true that is, but come to think of it, I’m pretty sure it’s because it’s usually the mom who teaches us correct manners and spends more time with the kids. Don’t you think so too?

I don’t really think intelligence is genetic.In my case, I have more than one mom but most of all, I have a great Mama!

And I think everybody should think the same way. It was Mom who suffered for nine long months of carrying us in her belly.

This doesn’t include the succeeding 18 more years my mom spent taking care of me and taking responsibility for every mistake I make.

We have to also thank our mom, considering that she chose to have us even if abortion could have been an option.

I’m already old enough to have kids, I think. But thinking about it scares me.

Raising children during their growing up years must be tough. That’s why I’m really proud of my Mama.

I was a pain in the butt in the States, yet she managed to bring me up by disciplining me. I don’t know how she did it.

When I was a child, my Mama left for the States to work. It took around six years before she came back to get me. It was so hard during those six years without her because our father was hardly home. He was always working.

I would get into fights with some of my relatives and there wouldn’t be anyone there to help me. The main thing I missed about my Mama during those years were the cheesy Christmas gimmicks she would do for us.

She used to make us hang socks outside the windows and she would put all kinds of things in it. It was so cool. Oh, how I miss those days.

Sometimes, I wish I was a kid again who believed in Santa Claus.

When my Mama left, everything became very plain. Our birthdays and other events weren’t as fun as they were when she was around.

Then my father remarried. Mommy Cathy became my second mom.

I was so happy. She always cooked me good food, picked me up from school, and spent a lot of time with us when our dad wasn’t around.

Mommy Cathy took good care of my brother and me. She’s a great mommy, a typical, nice, sweet, and calm Ilongga.

Then one day, Mama came back and brought me back to the States with her.

I was sad, but at the same time happy that I was reunited with my Mama again.

We had a bit of a hard time adjusting to each other, because she was very strict. But I thank her for that, because if it wasn’t for that, I wouldn’t have learned to discipline myself.

Mama and I always fought during my high school years. It was always my older sister, Ate Sharon, who resolved things between us.

After a while, she became like my third mom. Ate Sharon is much older than me. So she always taught me right from wrong.

In fact, I would listen to her more than I would to our mother! I was just such a rebel.

I always wanted to do things my way. But when my sister said no, I always listened.

This Mother’s Day, I would like to greet my Mama, Mommy Cathy and Ate Sharon. I just wish I’m closer to them.

My Mama and sister are in LA, and Mommy Cathy is in Davao. God has blessed me with these three women to take care of me and teach me to become a woman.

Regardless of how stubborn I was or still am, they’ve always been there for me. And no matter how far they are from me, the values they taught me will always stay in my heart.

Having a mom to take care of us is as much a blessing as having a child. For all the mommies out there, Happy Mother’s Day! I salute you for taking the responsibility of motherhood.

(You can email me at [email protected].)