Cover These mums define motherhood in a snapshot (Photo: stylised by Angela Nicole Guiral)
These mums define motherhood in a snapshot (Photo: stylised by Angela Nicole Guiral)
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For Mother’s Day, we asked mums to choose a photo that, to them, best describes motherhood. Their stories are as personal and revealing as the images themselves
It’s easy to talk about motherhood in sweeping terms: about unconditional love, sacrifice, joy and even pain. But often it’s the quiet, ordinary moments that capture its truest form: a glance between mother and child, a hand resting protectively on a small shoulder, the blur of motion as someone runs into an embrace.
We then asked mothers from different walks of life: What photo best describes “motherhood” to you, and what’s the story behind it? The answers are as varied as they are intimate—snapshots of mothering in real time, not always polished, but always full of feeling. The act of choosing a single image, it turns out, is also an act of reflection: on what we hold dear, what we hope endures and what inevitably slips through our fingers.
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Tootsy Angara
Above Tootsy Angara with her family (Photo: Tootsy Angara)
Tootsy Angara with her family (Photo: Tootsy Angara)
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Captured in a single frame, motherhood is the dance of a family—arms wrapped around each other, hearts full of love and moments so precious you wish you could pause time. It’s where limitless love meets pure joy, laughter and peace, all in one embrace.
Stephanie Zubiri
Above Stephanie Zubiri with her kids (Photo: Stephanie Zubiri)
Stephanie Zubiri with her kids (Photo: Stephanie Zubiri)
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Relish and Cherish. My brother Miguel once told me, the days are long but the years are short. I blink and my boys are just a little bit taller, a little bit older, and bittersweetly, a little bit more independent. I relish these small moments when I can still hold them in my arms. That I’m their safe place. And trust that one day, when I’m old and grey, they will hold me too.
Alice Eduardo
Above Alice Eduardo with her kids (Photo: Alice Eduardo)
Above Alice Eduardo with her kids (Photo: Alice Eduardo)
Alice Eduardo with her kids (Photo: Alice Eduardo)
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They are a testament to the life I’ve built. My children are my truest measure of time, meaning, legacy, forgiveness and grace. Every achievement I’ve earned fades in comparison to the invisible work of motherhood. Behind these smiles and the beautiful memories we have made, there are the late nights no one sees, the strength you have to summon when none remains, the quiet devotion and prayers you always have for them and the simple truth that everything you do—every choice, every sacrifice—is because of them. They are not my balance, they are my reason for everything. And because of them, I am whole.
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Julie Boschi
Above Julie Boschi with her kids (Photo: Julie Boschi)
Above Julie Boschi with her kids (Photo: Julie Boschi)
Julie Boschi with her kids (Photo: Julie Boschi)
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My heart captured in a photo. From day one which was 29 years ago, I always prayed that I be blessed with the grace to be a strong and stable presence in my children’s lives, no matter the circumstances. That they will always feel safe and secure in my unconditional love to tell me of their heartbreaks, their dreams and their victories. So, now that most of them are adults, living on their own except for our 13-year-old, my most significant moments are those where my children are around me, laughing about some silly thing or joke, sharing their day, asking for advice. These are the moments I hold precious in my heart. My children are my best friends, my people and I am so blessed that I was picked to be their mama.
Mikaela Lagdameo
Above Mikaela Lagdameo with her kids (Photo: Mikaela Lagdameo)
Above Mikaela Lagdameo with her kids (Photo: Mikaela Lagdameo)
Mikaela Lagdameo with her kids (Photo: Mikaela Lagdameo)
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These are two of my most recent and favourite photos of me and my kids.
Motherhood is full of surprises. It takes you through all the experiences of life itself, and the emotions that come with it. So much joy and yet there’s pain, selflessness, wisdom, understanding, patience, unconditional love, fulfilment and trust. It teaches you to hold on, but at the same time to let go. That they are their own person, something that I cannot control—especially now that two out of three of them are entering adulthood.
I can only be proud knowing that I gave my all and continue to raise them in the best way I know how.
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Angela Nicole Regis Guiral is the assistant digital editor of Tatler Philippines. She studied journalism and has since written features that look closely at how culture, lifestyle and social impact converge, while occasionally wandering into the worlds of style and travel.
