AS THEY have witnessed the struggles and sacrifices of their mothers in the front lines against Covid-19, some daughters of healthcare workers in Cebu intend to be of service to their mothers during their special day on Sunday, May 9, 2021.
Kassandra Daitol said she will give her mother, Giselle, a good massage and treat her to a whole day of rest.
Daitol, 22, and her siblings will take over the household chores on Mother’s Day, which is celebrated every second Sunday of May.
When the Covid-19 pandemic broke out in Cebu in March last year, Daitol’s parents were working as nurses. Thinking about the risks and challenges her parents face, Daitol could not think of anything else but appreciation for her parents.
Her mother Giselle, though, recently resigned from the service for health and personal family reasons. Despite her mother’s resignation, Daitol said she remains proud of her as she was among the medical workers deemed “capeless heroes” as they played a big role in saving the lives of Covid-19 patients.
“We don’t have our own personal vehicles. But this didn’t make them hesitate to work and serve. They work with worries and confusion in their hearts and minds, but they just want to cooperate and help the people. For that, I’ll be forever proud of them,” Daitol said.
Fighting day by day
Likewise, Mary Geo Ann Solon, 21, daughter of a nurse taking care Covid-19 patients, said she and her younger sister plan to treat their mother, Laarni, with a breakfast and a meaningful message to start her day.
Solon said spending time with her mother, cooking meals she loves, watching a movie or two and just spending time with the entire family are the best ways to catch up and bond considering her mother’s busy schedule at work.
“Everything hasn’t been easy for her, for other frontliners and for us, their children as well. But seeing how she and other frontliners are fighting day by day just to make sure that the people’s needs are tended to makes me so proud of them,” she said.
Jan Florence Marie Estomo, 17, whose mother, Gwendolyn, is a radiologic technologist, also wants her mother not to worry about work for just a day and be able to do the things she wants to do for herself.
She said her mother is her “most essential, most critical and most important person” in her life, adding that she would not be who she is today without her mother’s “support, guidance and never-ending love.”
Mompreneur
Motherhood and running a business at the same time are no easy tasks, said Eurika Concha-Lincopines, a wife, a mother of two boys and an expectant mom of another bundle of joy in the middle of a pandemic.
Being a mompreneur (a portmanteau of mom and entrepreneur) suits Lincopines just fine.
“The freedom to live life on my terms, and the flexibility to enjoy and be with my family every single time. To me, those two things are what make being a mompreneur my dream job,” she said.
Lincopines and her sister Euniciane are the owners of Classy & Chic, one of the leading one-stop shops of original designer items in Cebu.
“Growing up without parents, we learned to do a lot of side hustles to support our siblings’ school and our daily expenses. We used to shop our products, espadrille shoes at Colon and sold them nationwide,” she said.
In 2016, Lincopines moved to Canada. The sisters’ love for designer bags led to a decision on thinking of their fellow Cebuanas.
“Why not share this passion to our fellow Cebuanas in a manner that is budget-friendly?” Lincopines said.
She added: “Way back then, designer bags were usually bought at malls at a very expensive price. Fake items are everywhere. So, with us, they will be confident that they are buying 100 percent original designer items at a fraction of the price.”
In May 2017, the sisters officially established their online shop, Classy & Chic Personal Shopper. In March 2020, they opened their physical store in Ayala Malls Central Bloc, but due to the quarantine restrictions, it temporarily closed after five days. It resumed operations after the government eased protocols in Cebu.
“Being a mompreneur is no easy task. You have to juggle your time being a hands-on mom and entrepreneur at the same time, especially if you’re working from home. The lack of separation between those two roles often makes it difficult to set aside some me-time. It’s about time management, planning and how you prioritize tasks,” she said.
Lincopines said that behind mompreneurs’ success are their significant others.
“Thank them as much as you can,” she said.
Lincopines advised her fellow mothers not to forget to make time for themselves, no matter how busy their schedules are.
“Have some me-time sessions. Relax and pamper yourself once in a while. Take some small breaks in between work as they allow you to relax, have a clear mind and be more efficient at work,” she said.
Another business-minded Ma
For Helen Magno, Mother’s Day is a day when her business, a flower shop, can earn.
On Saturday, May 8, Magno was busy inflating transparent balloons with a saying about Mother’s Day, while her three employees who are also mothers, were preparing bouquets of flowers. They were meeting the orders from their customers.
It is beautiful to receive flowers, said Magno, who felt like she is part of providing happiness to other people through the flowers and other gifts they made.
During her birthday, her niece gave her a bouquet of flowers and she was very happy to receive those flowers.
“Although I own a flower shop and make a bouquet of flowers as a living, I am still happy to receive those flowers,” said Magno in Cebuano.
She added: “It feels different when you receive something from someone you value. As a woman, I would love to receive flowers as a gift.”
Magno and her workers are planning to celebrate their motherhood not by exchanging flowers, but by eating cake.
When she goes home, Magno said, she will celebrate her motherhood by cooking dinner for her family and eating with them.