There is no gift quite like motherhood—life-changing yet demanding. It is joy and pain, power and responsibility all rolled into one fulfilling journey. And while raising little humans is a shared experience, no two motherhood stories will ever look exactly alike, and that's what makes them so beautiful.
To celebrate the diversity of motherhood, here are some amazing 'kuwentong nanay' shared by ordinary players on "It's Showtime"'s ‘Laro Laro Pick’ segment.
AUsome love, AUsome strength
We met Grace, an AUsome mommy (a term of for parents of children with special needs) in the game arena. She opened up about the challenges of raising her son with cerebral palsy, including the financial strain that eventually forced her to pause the child's therapy sessions. But because her son came as answered prayer, no amount of struggle will make her see him as anything less than a miracle and her life's greatest blessing.
A solo mom's courage to walk away
Some mothers show their strength by finding the courage to exit a relationship that hurts them more than loves them. That was the reality shared by solo parent Inday, who is now raising her five children on her own after leaving a toxic marriage.
When she left with her children, she brought nothing but pain, which could still be seen in her eyes even now, though softened by years of resilience and determination. Despite being the one who got cheated on, Inday said she still tried reaching out to her ex-husband for financial support for their children, but he never offered any help, so she eventually accepted that she would have to carry the burden of parenthood alone. And maybe that’s one of the bravest forms of motherhood—choosing peace for your children even when it means carrying the weight of everything by yourself.
'Home' to her adopted kids
Lus’ story, featured in an episode on adoptive parents, offered a moving portrait of motherhood that goes beyond biology. She raised twin children she did not give birth to, but fully molded through her love. The twins' biological mother was actually the girlfriend of her husband’s nephew, and since both parents were still teenagers and not yet ready for responsibility at the time, the children were entrusted to her care.
The arrangement turned into a lifelong bond. Even as the twins grew older (one now a parent herself), they chose to stay with Lus because she is their home. They saw her as the embodiment of a mother who stayed when it would have been easier not to.
A mother of twelve
And then we were both amused and heartbroken while listening to the story of Elsa, who went through 15 pregnancies and raised 12 children who survived. Behind her smile is a journey filled with unimaginable sacrifice, especially after her husband left her for another woman, forcing her to raise all her 12 children on her own.
She shared how life has never been easy, as she often struggles to make ends meet with a very small income. Sometimes she would even skip meals and give her portion to her kids. But for Elsa, love is her way of surviving. In place of material abundance, she fills their home with warmth even when there's barely enough to put on the table. Now a grandmother, Elsa reflects on her journey with hard-earned wisdom and reminds her children not to repeat the hardships she went through from having too many kids to raise.
The 'Raket Queen' mom
For other moms, their strength shows up in the grind. Edlyn’s story highlights the incredible 'diskarte' of many 'nanay' who do everything they can to provide for their children. From laundry and ironing to cooking, cleaning, dishwashing, selling, and even street sweeping, she takes on more than ten different jobs just to support her five kids, especially now that one of them is already in college with rising tuition costs.
'Diskarte' really is a golden life skill many moms master. Huge salute to hardworking mothers like Edlyn who are willing to do whatever honest work it takes just to give their children a better life.
A mother healing after tragedy
Tears filled the studio, with Vice Ganda also getting emotional, when flood and calamity victims were invited to 'Laro Laro Pick.' Among them was Luna, a grieving mother from Cebu. She bravely recounted the devastating loss of her two children—a three-year-old and a three-month-old infant—who were swept away during the massive flooding caused by Typhoon Tino.
The grief of a mother never fully disappears. And while no parent should deserve that kind of pain, Luna’s story reflects a mom's superpower to keep standing and rise again even after unimaginable loss and heartbreak.
Different moms, different struggles, different stories—but all carrying the same kind of love that chooses to nurture and keep going no matter how hard life gets. These women remind us that there is no one-size-fits-all way to become an amazing mother. This Mother’s Day, may we celebrate all kinds of moms!
Catch “It’s Showtime” Mondays to Saturdays, 12 NN, on ABS-CBN sa ALLTV2, GMA 7, A2Z, Kapamilya Online Live (KOL) and iWant.