MOTHER’S Day may be over, but the incredible sacrifices that moms make for their children cannot be confined to just one day of celebration. It’s a continuous process, a series of small sacrifices, that moms make to ‘momazing’ moments—a child’s first step, a competition won, passing the auditions for the school choir, any special instance that sparks a sense of pride, joy and accomplishment—happen. Scott’s from GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), the brand behind Scott’s Vitamin C products, recognizes such sacrifices and such proud moments, and so, in support of all moms’ efforts to help their kids reach remarkable milestones, it launched its #Momazing Campaign with a two-day fun mom-and-kid event held at the Event Center of SM Megamall last May 9 to 10, 2015.
The campaign highlights the special bond that exists between parents, particularly moms, and their children, and aims to not just recognize and celebrate this but also share these amazing mom-and-child experiences online to inspire more moms to be ‘momazing.’
The event, which was hosted by Daphne Oseña-Paez and Dimples Romana, both moms, saw three amazing moms taking center stage and sharing their own stories of motherhood with the audience, which was also made up of moms. These three moms were Fleur Sombrero, a working mom; Michelle Lim, a full-time mom; and Michelle Ressa Aventajado, a mom with a child with Down’s Syndrome.
Fleur Sombrero is a civil engineer who heads the post-construction group of a major real estate company, so she works from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. on most days. While she spends a lot of time at work, she makes sure she is able to squeeze in quality time with her daughter Annika.
“In many of her firsts, I was there,” she proudly announces.
But being a full-time mom has its downs, too, and one such time when she felt so guilty about having to work long hours and not being there with her daughter all the time was when her daughter was 3 and she was presenting to the ManComm when Annika got sick and she had to take her to the hospital. She felt so guilty, but her daughter told her that she’s still the best mom in the world.
“I was touched, because, despite having to work, my daughter still felt that I was still the best mom for her,” shares Fleur, who constantly has to deal with mommy guilt.
She adds: “Mommy guilt never goes away. You just have to deal with it and not dwell on it. As long as you know that you’re doing your best for your children, even though you’re also working, you should not be affected. Just make sure that whatever little time you get to spend with your kids, you make it quality time.”
Michelle Lim, meanwhile, is a full-time mother of two who documents her daily adventures with her children in her blog. Before she got married, she worked in advertising and public relations. But when she had two kids, she decided to stop working and become a full-time mom. She sacrificed her career to focus on her kids, and she’s proud that she was able to leave work behind and never look back.
“I realize that not all women can do that, not all women can be full-time moms. Before, I also could not imagine myself to be a stay-at-home mom. It’s not for everyone. You really have to assess yourself and consult with your husband before you do that,” Michelle says.
Full-time moms constantly go through challenges of being just home, and, for Michelle, one of these challenges is missing work. “There are moments when I want to go back to work. I get depressed. So I have taken on some projects just to keep me busy,” she relates.
Speaking of challenges, Michelle Aventajado has quite a challenge on her hands as she takes care of her daughter, who was born with Down Syndrome.
“The first night we were in the hospital and I was told of her condition, I was brought to my knees and feet. I didn’t know why I was ‘gifted’ with a child with Down Syndrome. But it didn’t take long for me to realize that she really was a gift. She had to have an operation, and I bargained with God. I promised that I would not let one tear of sadness drop on my daughter when I breast-feed her. My husband was my rock and he carried us through it. I know my daughter was going to be OK. She’s amazing and she gives us ‘momazing’ moments every day. Her coming shifted the paradigm of the family on what’s important in life,” Michelle shares.
This sharing of ‘momazing’ moments by the three featured moms left the audience teary-eyed but celebrating motherhood. And aside from these inspiring stories shared by Fleur Sombrero, Michelle Lim and Michelle Aventajado, guests during the launch also got to enjoy face painting, video recording of messages, balloon twisting, games, hourly games, and samples of Scott’s Vitamin C (100% Vitamin C in pastilles).
Scott’s other product is Scott’s Emulsion, which contains Calcium that contributes to bone development and Vitamins A and D which may help support the immune system.
For more information on #Momazing moments, visit www.facebook.com/ScottsPh and www.gsk.com.
