What do you love most about you relationship?
LIZA (MOM): I was a flight attendant for 26 years and now, I’m a work-at-home mom so I can spend more time with my family. We are like best friends. I enjoy us sharing our shoes as we all have the same shoe size, etc. Though sometimes they forget I’m their mother (hehe!), I still make sure that there are still boundaries.
ALYSSA (DAUGHTER): I’m 20-years-old and I’m currently a musical theatre student in, I’d say one of the best intensive musical theatre training programs in the world. My mom retired from her 26-year flight attendant job and moved us to New York so that my little sister and I could pursue one of our biggest dreams, which is to step and perform on a Broadway stage. That alone says a lot about our relationship. We’re very close and whenever I finish classes, I always look forward to hanging out with them in our cozy apartment, binging on Netflix and munching on Cheetos and Häagen-Dasz.
ALYANNA (DAUGHTER): I’m 12 years old, home-schooled and a musical theater actor. I love how thoughtful she is she is and how she really wants us to be happy with what we have or what we want to do. But other than that, she is an amazing mom and we know she loves us so much and she is doing her best to make us happy. And I am just so grateful to have her in my life!
What are some ways you like to practice self-care together?
LIZA: The food that we eat. I always cook for them. Although we love to order food, too, but we’d rather have home cooked food. And we practice good hygiene like washing our hands every time we get home from going out. Since they’re both girls, I taught them how to take care of their skin also & be aware of what their body feels as well.
ALYSSA: We love to chill. Our lives are quite hectic so having the chance to chill on the couch and watching TV together is such a great way to remember to wind down and that family time is more important than everything else. We’re all obsessed with skincare so we share a lot of tips and sometimes do face masks together. And we love food. I mean, who doesn’t?
ALYANNA: She teaches us how to cook, how to bake, how to take care of our skin, she’s even my teacher, since I’m homeschooled! I guess I can say that she taught us everything.
What has your Mom taught you about self care and self love?
ALYSSA: She taught me that treating yourself from time to time is okay and it is self-love. (My version of treat yourself is getting like a pair of leggings or a little something something from Lululemon... For my own sanity, please don’t ask me what I have in my collection.) She also taught me that this is the only body I have and that I should always make time to take care of it, inside and out, no matter how busy life can get.
ALYANNA: She taught me to always be myself and don’t let anybody change that. And if ever we don’t feel our best, we could just pray to God and always be faithful. And I wouldn’t be myself today if it wasn’t for her.
Liza, on the flip side, what has your daughters taught YOU about self care and selove? In words or in actions?
LIZA: When they were born, having the baby already taught me to love others unconditionally. To be selfless and not only think about myself but my family, too, most especially my children. That moment I felt someone is dependent on me and I became more responsible, knowing that someone is looking up to me so I have to be a better version of myself for the sake of my children. And no matter what their mistakes are, I learned to forgive and love them even more.
Liza, how did you learn about periods, sex ed, your body?
LIZA: I got my first period when I was 10. Only our helper was present at that time. I was living in my aunt’s house ‘coz my parents were working abroad. Filipinos are very superstitious. They asked me to do rituals that according to them will help make my period pain-free and shorter in days. But of course, the opposite happened. Hahahaha.... And no one has actually taught me at that time what would actually happen or could have at least prepared me for what’s gonna happen. I just did what I felt was right at that time.
What do you wish was different?
LIZA: That I should have been reading articles about puberty and periods. But during that time, not a lot of resources about it, unlike nowadays.
Alyssa and Alyanna, how has your Mom made taboo topics like puberty and sex more approachable?
ALYSSA: Well now, I’m old enough to know what those things are. But from what I remember, I was the kind of kid who had a lot of questions so I would ask my mom and she would actually tell me the vague details (truthfully) just to shut me up but she wouldn’t demonstrate it.
ALYANNA: Yes. She told me about period, which I don’t have yet. But she didn’t really get into specifics and stuff like that. And I also think that I’m too young to know about it.
Fill in the blank. I’m thankful for my mom because ___________.
ALYSSA: I’m thankful for my mom because she’s sacrificed a whole lot just for us and I know she loves me so much, more than I deserve. A lot of people aren’t this close with their parents but they did the whole parenting thing right, that I know for sure.
ALYANNA: I’m thankful for my mom because she is an amazing person and I don’t know what I would do without her. And I am just so grateful to God for her.