MEET OUR GIRLS & THEIR MOMS!

MEET OUR GIRLS & THEIR MOMS!

For Mother's Day, we asked our staff to bring their mothers in for a fun photoshoot. Meet our girls and their beautiful moms!
Photos by Linda Yao Ruilin @yaoruilinyao

Bea & Mom Mahalia

@beasically

Mahalia grew up in Jones, Philippines, moved to the US at the age of 24. At 25, she gave birth to to a legend.

Q: What were you like when you were your daughter's age?

When I was my daughters age (25), I lived in the U.S. and was married to her father for a year when I had my first and only child. Most of my time was spent working and taking care of her.

Q: What do you like the most about your daughter? What's the least?

I like that she’s respectful and polite to other people, she’s sweet to my friends. What I like the least about my daughter is her carelessness, not taking precautions to avoid unnecessary accidents.



What are your favorite activities together?
We like traveling together when we get the chance. We enjoy going out to eat whenever we have the same free time.

What do you remember the most about your own mother?

My mother tried to provide for my needs as a growing teenager even with her limited income. I remember my mother always wanting me to look my best, and be properly dressed.

If you could give advice to someone raising a kid knowing what you know now, what would you tell them?

I would advice parents to not give up nor be discouraged when their children are not turning the way we want them to be but rather be persistent in praying for them. We do our best to be godly examples for them, and trust God to do what only He can do and that’s to change them.

Madeline & Mom Nila

@foxeline

Nila is from Quezon, Philippines and raised Madeline and her brother Alex in New Jersey. She is a drug safety specialist at a pharmaceutical company. Madeline and her friends nicknamed her "Nila Tequila" <3

Q: What were you like when you were your daughter's age?

When I was 22 years old I came to United States of America and started my career and make my own money and pay rent (loving my own money in my wallet).

Q: What do you like the most about your daughter? What's the least?

Very independent, watches what she eat, exercises and ambitious. Not friendly, not talking, not smiling when she meets new people and not cleaning her own room.

Q: What are your favorite activities together?

Vacation, eat our favorite food and go to the museums.

Q: What do you remember the most about your own mother?

Good cook.

If you could give advice to someone raising a kid knowing what you know now, what would you tell them?

Don’t yell, look at them with disappointment in your face. Support them and listen what they want to do, sports or something for school activities. Most of the parents support their kids playing sports. I’m not a soccer mom, I never watch when my kids are playing sports on the field and I would not change.

Stephanie & Mom Laraine + Sister Vanessa

@stephpannn

Laraine grew up in different cities in China. At a high point of her career, she left her work in pursuit of better education for her two daughters and moved to the SF Bay Area. Ever since the move, she made many things work for her family with an architect’s problem-solving mentality and has created a new life of her own in the US.


What were you like when you were your daughter's age?

我刚毕业那会儿十分无畏,觉得什么事情都能做成。

I was a big dreamer thinking everything is possible.



What do you like the most about your daughter? What's the least?

她小时候装谁像谁,能把我们全家笑得翻到地上,自己却还一本正经的。现在看她觉得她是个很好的listener,也很有艺术眼光。最不喜欢她咬嘴唇,现在还是不喜欢,不过说了20年也没用“

When she was little she was good at doing imitations of people and can always crack up our whole family while maintaining a straight face. Now, I like how she is a great listener and how she has the eyes for good things. I don’t like how she bites her lips, haven’t liked it for the past 20 years, but nothing I can do now.

 What are your favorite activities together? 
喜欢和她一起整顿、布置我们的家。无论是小空间还是大房子,喜欢听她的想法并和她一起营造我们喜欢的生活空间。

I love arranging and organizing our home with her. From a small space of the apartment that we lived in when we first moved to the U.S to the house with a lush backyard that we end up now, I enjoyed listening to the reasoning of her setup and vision as we create a living space to our liking.

What do you remember the most about your own mother?

我妈妈的手最巧,小时候给我们做的童装,穿出去人人都赞,问哪里买的,我们就超级骄傲地说:是我妈妈自己做的!!

My mom is very artistic and crafty and would always make clothes for my siblings and me when we were little. We would always get compliments whenever we wore the clothes our mom made, and when they ask us where we got them, we would proudly answer: “Our mom made it herself!"

If you could give advice to someone raising a kid knowing what you know now, what would you tell them?

Spend as much time as possible to do some fun things together.