Being a Mother in the time of Pandemic

by Catherine H. Dignaran

When I first heard about the ECQ lockdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic, I really felt worried and afraid for the welfare of my family, my husband Joel, and especially for my two sons Jacob Christian,10 and Carl Jeric, 6.

Ms. Dignaran while being a teacher to her two sons Jacob and Carl during the ECQ.

I am also worried for my students as I am currently working as a grade school teacher at St. Scholastica’s College, Manila. There were a lot of questions in my heart and in my mind, a lot of whys and hows.

One time, I came across this Bible verse: “When anxiety was great within me, Your consolation brought me joy!” (Psalm 94:19).

Through the help of my friends and family in Couples for Christ (CFC), I was able to gain my confidence and trust in God again. I realized that it is normal to feel afraid and worried, knowing that we have an unseen enemy, the killer coronavirus.

My best weapon now is the power of prayer. I believe that God is really calling, reaching, and touching our hearts and souls to finally pause for a while and to really “take time” to reflect on our actions as humans.

Now is the time of love, mercy and compassion through our good deeds. Most of our good deeds go unnoticed and unmarked by others. Sometimes, even we ourselves fail to notice or remember the majority of the good deeds we do. But not God. God sees them all, knows them all, and uses them all.

We will see how a kind word resonates in a person’s heart even days and weeks later. We will see how that small amount of money was used to accomplish something amazing. Indeed, God does not always change our situation but He uses the situation to change us.

Quality Time

As a working mom, I felt so much joy because of the quality time I now get to spend with Jacob and Carl. Time has a wonderful way of showing us what really matters. During this lockdown, I was able to talk to my children about their school activities and taught them some simple household chores. We had time to perform simple acts of kindness from home and partake in socially-distanced activities like poster-making for Mother Earth, writing letters and positive messages for our frontliners, palm-making during Palm Sunday, practicing sight words reading, and preparing some fun snacks for our bonding. These are just little celebrations or gestures that can go a long way.

As a mom, I do not know if I’m doing enough. But then, hearing my sons saying “Thank you”, “I am sorry” and “I love you”; sharing food and toys with others; praying before and after meals; and now learning to pray the rosary... I am reminded that God has equipped me to be a faithful mother. I should just trust and enjoy this beautiful purpose in life.

Encourager

As a teacher, I multitask all the time. I felt so much joy because of the opportunity given to me to collaborate with my students, fellow teachers and parents as well during this pandemic. Teaching and learning are quite challenging in this time of health crisis. I love my role now as an “encourager.”

The Bible says, “Therefore encourage one another and build each other up.” (1 Thessalonians 5:11).

Giving words of affirmation like Keep it up! Nice work! Good job! will surely help boost their self-confidence in working for their learning outputs and performance tasks. I always tell my students that God will make a way, just hold on and learn to work and pray.

Motherhood

Motherhood is indeed a roller coaster ride. There are ups and downs, twists and turns. We just need to have fun, fellowship, and faith.

This quote from Elder Ballard serves as an inspiration to me: “There is no perfect way to be a good mother. Each situation is unique. Each mother has different challenges, different skills and abilities, and certainly different children. What matters is that a mother loves her children deeply.

Happy Mother’s Day!