Mother’s Day is a day that honours motherhood, and recognises and appreciates our mothers’ roles in our lives. Traditionally, many moms neglect their own needs as they focus all their energy on caring for their offspring. Nowadays, compared with more traditional and conservative modes of motherhood, working mothers have a new understanding of motherhood, and the stories between them and their children are vivid and vibrant. 

On this Mother’s Day, we are proud to highlight and share the lovely stories of two Hape super moms, and to take a look at their special journeys through motherhood.

“My Sons Warm My Soul and Heart” – Kimy Bohorquez

It is amazing to think about the moment that my elder son, Daniel, was born. I still remember that I was nervous, worried, and a little confused, but at the same time very happy. As a single mother, the change was hard work and challenging, but the result was wonderful. I became a stronger, independent and multifaceted woman when Daniel and Matthew came into my life. Some people ask me about the negative influence my children have had on my career. Regarding this, I want to express my sincere gratitude towards Hape for providing a flexible and comfortable working environment for me, which helped a lot in my parenting process. Besides this, my role as “mom” has helped me a lot in my work, since it has allowed me to improve in many aspects, such as time arrangement, communication skills and emotional stability. At the same time, I have to say that the favourite part of my job is that I can bring happiness and joy to children and parents, which, in turn, makes me a better mother.

Honestly, it is my sons who warm my soul and heart and make me a more positive and motivated person; my children make me stronger and give me the strength to overcome my fears and to continue progressing. I discovered true love between three human beings and I realised that everything that is done for my children is not a sacrifice, but rather the full and logical development of being a mother. On this special day, aside from sharing lovely stories between my dearest children and I, I also would like to tell my mother – who left me in my teens – that I love you with all my heart and thank you for everything you have done for me. Now I have Daniel and Matthew, I am no longer alone.

“Redefined Motherhood: Be the Friend of My Daughter” – Whitney 

Before I became a mom, I would describe myself as a casual and free-spirited person. Sometimes, I would stay up all night and wake up naturally the next day; sometimes I would invite friends to take a spur-of-the-moment trip together in order to get away from my mundane life and work schedule; I would spend the whole day hanging out with friends or spend the day alone in my room reading a book that I like. All of these are real episodes of my life, and although I now have a new identity as a mom, I still spare some time for myself. I watch a movie alone after work or wander on the streets listening to radio dramas. I drink a cup of coffee and watch people passing by on the street during the weekend. I have always felt that independent thinking is a valuable quality in both work and life. As a working mother, this is also the best way for me to teach my daughter about the importance of being independent.  

When it comes to get along with my daughter, we are more like besties that share secrets and feelings with each other than mother and daughter. I’m an unconventional mother because I often do things out of the box. Sometimes, I plan a “date trip” only for the two of us, and pick her up unexpectedly when she has just finished her class; sometimes I make up some mythological stories that fascinate her a lot. In my opinion, there is never just one model of motherhood, and everyone can find a way that suits them best on this path. But no matter what, do remember that we are ourselves first, and then, we are mothers, daughters, and wives.