Cover Natalie Chow (middle) as a child in Australia with her grandmother and mum (right) (Photo: Natalie Chow)
Natalie Chow (middle) as a child in Australia with her grandmother and mum (right) (Photo: Natalie Chow)
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In this special Mother’s Day series, Natalie Chow, founder of Hong Kong sustainable fashion sneaker brand Kibo, writes a letter to her mum sharing the best thing she did for her
Dear mum,
Thank you for being both a nurturing mother and a supportive father figure for my two sisters and me. You embody a perfect blend of strength, vulnerability and an entrepreneurial spirit. In contrast to a “tiger mum”, you have never pressured me to pursue specific paths or even to study hard.
Now as a mother myself, I look back at how you navigated motherhood with strength and resilience alone in a foreign land. When we moved from Hong Kong to Australia before the birth of the internet, you managed to figure it out all alone despite language and culture barriers.
Natalie Chow on her wedding day with her mum (Photo: Natalie Chow)
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I now realise that one of the best things you did as a mother was to believe in making mistakes.
Whenever I made a mistake, you’d swallow your anger and allow me to learn from my mistakes. I especially remember the times when we were mad at each other; instead of talking, we would write letters to each other. We would slip them under our doors as a way of communicating. In hindsight, I’m glad we didn’t have a smartphone and instead wrote and drew pictures!
Thank you for always staying positive. I would even say, at times, even delusionally optimistic! You always seem to have faith to move mountains and never get defeated.
My two boys are so lucky to call you grandma and we are so lucky to be celebrating Mother’s Day this year with you in Hong Kong.
Love,
Natalie
This letter is part of a special Mother’s Day series featuring personally written notes by startup founders to their mum, child or a mother figure in their life.
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