“Mother knows best” is an adage everyone knows but don’t readily admit until they become adults or parents themselves. Most of the time, things that moms did that seemed too much or unnecessary end up being the one thing then-kids-now-adults will never forget.
This is the experience of Karen Custodia, Anika Punzalan, Yvette Yao and Faye Ronan—four working women who are experts in the field of life insurance. While these career women know a lot about securing a bright future with their expertise about insurance through BPI-Philam, growing up with strong moms gave them a deeper appreciation of how to be prepared for having their own family.
Working too hard
Whether working or stay-at-home, moms will never stop working too hard for their family.
Head of in-branch Sales and Vitality Karen Custodia learned early on from her mother how making the right, sometimes difficult, decisions, even in the face of a challenge doesn’t have to be an either-or scenario. Her mom, she said, always put their family first and did everything she could to make life comfortable.
“My mom stood as a solo parent when my father passed away,” shared Custodia. “Back then, it made sense for some of us to stop studying and help earn for the family, but she chose to work very hard until all of us finished schooling.”
Head of Vitality Anika Punzalan and Business Development and Strategy Management head Yvette Yao, share the same sentiment, remembering how their mothers would often scrimp on many things to make sure the family was well-provided for even with a tight budget.
“Everything was going on at the same time—tuition, household bills, medical expenses—and she was still making sure we were alright,” related Punzalan.
Meanwhile, Yao said that though her mother was thrifty when it came to household spending, she made choices that would benefit her children in the long haul.
“There was more to be had because my mom made a lot of wise investments for us kids that started paying out. That’s what I started emulating from her now that I have children of my own,” said Yao.
Worrying about everything
Moms warn us about everything from sunburn and pimples to saving up for a house and putting kids in good schools. It seemed repetitive at the time, but everything ended up being true.
“My mother only wanted the best for us, that’s why she always tackled problems with ‘what if’ scenarios, making sure everything was accounted for through preparation,” said Yao.
Yao, now a mother of three girls, admires how her mom kept a careful eye on them while encouraging their independence. She shared, “She wasn’t very protective and allowed us to do stuff on our own. She kept reminding us to be thrifty, encouraging us to save money whenever we could because she wanted us to start thinking about our future.”
It was this careful foresight, according to Yao, that helped her do well in her career. “Forward thinking is something I use a lot in my job and I have my mom to thank for that. Planning ahead is not easy but learning from the best, it became second nature to me.”
Telling you what to do
While being told what to do feels annoying, it’s actually mom’s way of making the family work as a team and raising responsible individuals.
Usually, this comes in the form of chores and errands, but teamwork become even more important in complicated family settings. Preferred Segment head Faye Ronan experienced first-hand how having a mom-in-charge played a crucial role in keeping the family together.
“My mother and father had different ways of taking care of us. Dad would be working abroad to provide for us while mom was in charge of budgeting and being a full-time mother. It was their tandem that held us all together even in the tough times,” shared Ronan.