I don’t have a recent picture of my Nanay (mom) so the above photo taken 33 years ago will do for now.
My Nanay is one of the strongest woman I know. She raised 4 girls single-handedly while my Tatay (dad) was away. My Tatay used to work in Saudi Arabia for 21 years earning enough money to build us a nice house and send us to the best schools in Davao.
We didn’t like eating vegetables growing up. One school morning Nanay placed vegetables on our plates saying “Nobody is leaving this table unless you finish eating all those vegetables”. We whined and cried and huffed and puffed but to no avail. I remember eating my plate of vegetables with tears falling down my face. Now I’m a vegetarian!
When I can’t find my stuff I used to say “Nay, where is my.....?” My Nanay would come in and of course miraculously produce my stuff and she would say “Unsa-on man, baba man ang mangita imbis ang mata!” (No wonder you can’t find it. Because it’s your mouth that is looking not your eyes!”
Nanay would drive us to school and pick us up in the afternoons. We were always excited when she picks us up because we know that she will be waiting for us with hot chocolate and some food.
Nanay doesn’t like gossiping. One day our neighbor came to our fence shouting angrily, demanding that my Nanay come out and confront her. She allegedly heard from another woman that Nanay said this and said that. Furious at our neighbors accusation, Nanay headed for the fence brandishing a machete in the air saying “What did you say?! Come here and tell me what is bothering you.” Our poor neighbor seeing Nanay headed towards her with a machete waving in the air scampered away back to the safety of her own house. Since then nobody dared to mess with my Nanay.
My Nanay is a very strong-willed woman. She chose to leave her job to take care of all 4 girls full-time. To her credit all 4 girls grew up to be equally strong-willed, fiercely independent and successful women. She is in every way a super-mom.
