iya mi: my mother
An interview with the most courageous, resilient, and vibrant woman I know.
Q. How did you feel when you first found out you were going to be a mom?
A. Excited. So excited.
Q. You weren’t scared?
A. No, no. I wasn’t scared at all. I was just so happy and excited.
Q. What has been the hardest thing about being my mom?
A. I’m always scared that maybe I’m not good enough to be your mom or I’m not smart enough. When you were younger I worried about being able to help you with your school work and things like that.
Q. Did you find it difficult when I was in high school?
A. No, not really because you did most things by yourself.
Q.What has been the best thing about being my mom?
A. I can’t really think about one thing. It just feels good. When you were younger, everyone wanted to have a child like you. I would always tell people when you’re asking God for a child, just ask God to give you the perfect one. Just don’t ask, “I just want a child, everyone is having a child!” Ask for a special one.
Q. But, didn’t you say I was a terror when I was little?
A. Yeah, terrible twos, age like that is always difficult.
Q. What is your favourite memory with me?
A.Just the way that you always prove that you're so smart. The way you were so confident that you were very smart. No doubt about it.
Q. Do you have any specific stories of that?
A. When you were trying to put your shoes on, you were still learning to tie your shoelaces. I told you to let me help you but you said, “No! No, I know how to do this. Come on, you can do this, you can do it!” And when you finished you said, “I’m a genius.”
Q.What is your favourite memory with your mom?
A.Hmmm…because we were so many, she couldn’t really pay attention to just one child. I would say with my grandmother…my grandmother always said that she was the one that gave birth to me. One time I even went to stay with her for months on vacation. She had a store where she sold expensive jewelry, so I would always go there with her in the morning, and in the evening we would come home together. She would tell me old old stories. She can tell me the same story every day. I would just pretend that I hadn’t heard it before. But, if my mom was there she would say, “You told that story yesterday.” My grandmother would tell her, “I’m not talking to you, I’m talking to my grandchildren.”
Q.What do you like least about yourself and what do you like most about yourself?
A.One thing I don’t like is that I don’t have enough confidence to do some things, standing in front of people and doing things like that. What I like about myself is that I always look at positive things. I always try to find good in things, even when something bad happens. That’s how I can make myself happy. If things are not right, I always think about something positive. That’s how I get through bad days.
Q.If you could change anything about me, what would you want to change?
A.You should have looked for a boyfriend when you were in high school.
Q.I shouldn’t have asked that question…nevermind. If you could give me any piece of life advice, what would it be?
A.Anything you want in life, always ask God for the best. Anything you want to do, ask God first, that God should have a hand in it.
Q.When I become a mom, what advice will you give to me?
A. Don’t spoil your child. Tell him or her the truth.
Q.What’s your dream in life now?
A.Just to live long. Live without any sickness. And live to see my grandchildren. After retirement, what else could you expect?
