What is a Mother? A Real-Life Look Across 3 Generations of Women

You’ll always remember the first time your little one echoes the words “mama”. Then in a blink of an eye like how they’ve grown so quickly, you become “mommy”. Then another blink and you’re all of a sudden “mom”. These words are all encompassing of how our little one refers to us as their mom. 

And like the blink of an eye in how they change and grow, you do too when you become a mom. And while everyone’s definition of being a mother is different - we all can agree on some similarities - or can we? Today, in celebration of Mother’s Day, we sat down with a family of 3 generations of women, Rose, Alice, and Emilia, to take a real-life look at how being a mom has changed. And as we talked to them, we witnessed the beautiful relationship between the three of them. From the subtleness of a gentle touch from Rose to her granddaughter’s foot, to the way Alice looks at her mom, and to the way Rose admires her daughter, Alice. 

But let us begin again by introducing you to the three of them. 

Rose is Alice’s mom. She is also Emilia’s grandma or known as 波波 (po po). She also has the best moves. Don’t trust us? You’ll see soon enough. We promise. 

Alice is Rose’s daughter and mom to two beautiful children, one of which is Emilia who we met today. She is a busy entrepreneur and the chocolate maker behind Mindful Monk, a company she started after experiencing gestational diabetes and wanting to make healthier food choices. 

Emilia is one of two of Rose's granddaughters and Alice’s daughters. She is young, curious, and playful and her energy is contagious. 

Here are some questions we asked them and invite you to answer these questions yourself this Mother’s Day.

Describe Your Mom In Three Words

When we ask Alice to describe Rose in three words, she tells us, “Caring, loving, and selfless”. They share a laugh as Alice asks her mom if she understands what those words mean. She tells us about how her mom worked hard while they were growing up and made sure they were always fed (and still does!). 

Instead of telling us about her mom, Rose describes her daughter to us as being “Strong, a positive thinker, and confident”. As the interview goes on, you can tell how proud she is of her daughter and how Alice has grown to be a woman, a mother, and so much more. 

If you were to answer this question, are there three words or more that you would use to describe your mom or a mom figure in your life?

What’s One Thing You Learned From Your Mom?

Alice stumbles on this one because there isn’t just one thing but she settles on food. “My mom always has food and is always feeding me and my kids. This is how she shows her love.”. And this is how Alice now shows her care and love towards her friends, family, and colleagues. 

Rose answers this question by telling us about what she’s learned from Alice. She tells us that Alice is the youngest of four kids and learned to be independent from a very young age. She admires her confidence and the ability to achieve what she wants like how she is running Mindful Monk. 

If you were to answer this question, what would be that one thing you learned from your mom? 

How Has The Role Of A Mother Changed?

Alice explains that she feels being a parent and mom these days is about being more present. She talks about how she’d see kids walking by themselves to school when she was younger but that has changed. “Parents nowadays are way more present. And it’s been one of my goals as a mom to be more present with my kids. Just be there - even if they don’t want you to be there - just be there.” 

Rose touches on being more present nowadays as well. Rose tells us that she could not be as present because she was working so much to put food on the table. But she tells us how she admires that her grandkids have both parents around - “to stay with them and protect them like how at bedtime both parents read a bedtime story to their kids.”.

How do you think the role of motherhood has been different for you versus the last generation of moms?  

What Has It Been Like Building Your Business, Mindful Monk While Balancing The Role Of A Mom? 

We feel balance is a tough thing to achieve when someone balances so many roles and was curious to know how Alice built and grew her business. 

She tells us, “It’s been hard. It’s been a lot of learning. There is no balance. You’re doing both at the same time. I love it when I watch them play but on the flip side it’s been really hard because I’m not there for a lot of things.” 

She goes on to tell us that she knows that, “This is short term. I’m doing this for them - to teach them they can do what they want and give them opportunities I didn't have as a child like having the freedom to be in lessons and classes.” 

The Mother-Daughter Bond

There is something really special about the way a mother bonds with her child no matter at what age and from what generation. Though times have changed, we continually witness how one mother paves the way for another and how she passes her wisdom along to her children. 

No matter how the role of a mother has changed over time, we know that it is a hard one and that it should not go without being acknowledged. From the sleepless newborn nights to navigating tantrums in toddlerhood to so many other things along the way, motherhood is never without a challenge. 

We truly wish you a Happy Mother’s Day and that you celebrate yourself if you’re a mom and your mom or any mom figure in your life. 

Want a tearjerker this Mother’s Day? We invite you to watch Rose, Alice, and Emilia’s special bond in this snippet of our day with them. 

Did you answer the questions above? We’d love to hear about your answers below in the comments.