THE unconditional love that defines motherhood is etched in these photos showing how moms juggle a thousand tasks — feeding, comforting, working, teaching — and yet still find time to care for others. Photographs by Yummie Dingding, Aram Lascano, John Carlo Magallon and Analy Labor for the Daily Tribune
SNAPS

An Ode to Mothers

Manny Angeles

There is a saying as old as time, whispered in quiet moments and echoed across generations: Mother knows best.

It’s not just a phrase to soothe a child’s tantrum or defend a parental decision — it’s a truth rooted in the wisdom, sacrifice and unconditional love that define motherhood.

On Mother’s Day, we pause to honor the women who gave us life, nurtured our dreams and carried the weight of our worries on their shoulders. But more than the flowers and cards, this day is an ode to the instinctive brilliance that only a mother possesses.

From the moment a child is born, a mother’s life is no longer hers alone. Her days begin and end with thoughts of her child — what they need, how they feel, who they are becoming. This devotion isn’t learned; it comes naturally, as though stitched into her very soul.

Somehow, she knows when we’re hungry, even before we speak. She senses when something is wrong, even if we claim we’re “fine.” She can see through our lies, read between our silences, and feel our pain as if it were her own.

It is a mystery to science but a miracle to those who experience it — this ability to know us better than we know ourselves.

This intuitive understanding comes not from books, but from experience. Mothers are the first to rise and the last to sleep. They juggle a thousand tasks — feeding, comforting, working, teaching — and still find time to care for others.

On Mother’s Day, we may give chocolates, cook breakfast, or post tributes online. These gestures, though heartfelt, can never truly match what mothers give us every day: their love, their wisdom, their very selves.

So, let this ode be a reminder that behind every scolding was concern, behind every warning was foresight, and behind every act of love was a mother who simply knew best.