May Samson describes herself as an integrated marketing professional, a brand manager for a personal care brand and mom to a 17-year old theatre student. At 35, she could still pass for a college student, even though her daughter already is one!
With youthful exuberance, she shares, “I love seeing beautiful things, so when I’m stressed, I always find myself at the mall – hopping from one retail shop to another and in my spare time (if ever I get some), I like doing fabric accessories.”
If I ever get some is an understatement, as this Supermom is a single parent who is as busy as the icon of the brand she grows in the Philippines, Burt’s Bees.
Read about her journey here, from the turbulence of being a teen mom, to finding herself by raising her Little Miss Dunkin Donuts.
Tell us about your kid!
Chia is a sweet, talented young lady that I’m too lucky to have.
I saw a bit of myself in her when she won her first gold medal at the age of 7. I knew that she would be the better version of me when she started acing essays and soon after, when she learned to play the guitar.
My being a go-getter comes naturally to her, but she’s taken that trait to a different level. She is very independent, with a strong personality in her own right, and at the same time, people still see her as their group’s “baby”.
She’s half my age and I love that she is turning out to be the best that she can be now that she is into theatre – she gets to explore the many facets of herself that she wants to be.
What’s your secret to being a supermom?
There’s probably no secret at all. Each mom is super and well-deserving in her own little way. I believe that the relationship moms build with their children flourish over time.
My way – I treat Chia like my best friend. I am a straightforward-no-secrets kind of mom. Being someone who’s just twice her age, I saw how we’ve grown together through the years.
Read: Proof that kids really are copy-paste versions of their parents’ younger selves!
Growing up with her has been a significant part of motherhood for me because it means learning and teaching at the same time. There are rules I make and respective consequences for when she breaks them. And throughout the “learning process”, it is not only her that learns – I do as well.
My girl is turning 18 this year and raising her as a single mom, for me, that’s super!
What’s your me-time?
Running for a good 30 minutes non-stop, at least twice a week.
Your most heartwarming mom moment:
When Chia started to want makeup. It’s heartwarming to share with her my passions and know-how; and all the more, see her go crazy over the same brands and stuff that I love.
Your funniest mom moment:
Being a “stage mother” is my funny mom moment. Chia has been joining all sorts of competitions since age 7 – from declamation contests to Little Miss Dunkin Donuts; and most recently, her theatre auditions.
Sometimes, [as nervous and excited as I am at these things], you’d mistake me for the contestant and I think that’s really funny.
What’s your proudest moment as a mom?
Chia is on her way to sophomore year as a Theater Arts student in UP Diliman.
Eighteen years ago, I was a Speech Comm student in the same school and incidentally, both courses belong to one department. This always puts me at my proudest as a mom.
May opens up about being a teen mom on the next page.
Did you turn out to be the parent you wanted to or thought you would be?
Yes, I’d love to believe so. I think a significant part of parenthood comes from how you were raised or brought up by your own parents – for me, how I was raised kind of resonated in my style as a parent.
I always do my best to piece my experiences together in coming up with what I think and believe is the best parenting style I could devise. I want my daughter to be the best she can be (as I know my parents have hoped for me) but at the same time grant her choices (because growing up, I know exactly what I wanted in life as well).
I always try to award her the trust she deserves when she works hard for it and to ensure that both of us learn in the process.
What about motherhood has surprised you? How has it changed you?
I became a mom at age 18. I was on my second year in UP Diliman and was then the SK chair of our barangay in Bulacan. Being a mother at a very young age – with certain other priorities at hand, I could say it made me stronger, sharper and more capable. Motherhood was my best teacher.
The things that mattered to me before becoming a mother mattered to me even more when I became one. Though judged by many for the youngster that I was, when you know you’re coming home to the cute mini version of yourself, it changes your perspective in life – entirely.
I just knew back then that I had to make the best life decisions and it came as a surprise to me – that I could be that person.
I learned the hard way that image is everything. Whether you are a product, a brand or a person, your choices and decisions are what give you the integrity to stand by the life you have shaped.
Motherhood is that strong foundation to the kind of person that I am today.
What unique aspect of Pinoy/Asian parenting have you found to be the most helpful in raising your child/children?
Respect for parents – bitbit mo yan kahit san ka magpunta. And when you have that, it is natural that you teach your children the same thing.
I believe that if a person respects her parents, she is capable of respecting every person that she meets. That’s what I want my daughter to take with her as I raise her.
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