Happy Mother-lection Day!

Whether we care to admit it or not, everybody has a Mother’s Day MO or modus operandi. For most kids, it’s not just about finding Mom the right gift that comes with the right note — it’s also about posting that sweet- yet-not-overly-emotional tribute on their social media accounts, along with the most glamorous- but-without-trying-too-hard photo of Mom Husbands, on the other hand, are all about trying to ensure that wife, mom and (lest we forget!) mother-in-law, each get their own special celebration and that nobody feels short-changed.

Even moms have their own MO — I mean, it’s not easy to drop 153 hints in the course of a month about what kind of gift you want and where you want to go when your family tries to “surprise” you.

Personally, I savor the greetings, the extra hugs and kisses plus all the big and small gifts that come from my daughter. This year though, things are a little different. Because this time, I’m not dropping any hints or asking for some “mommy gifts.” This year, I’m actually the one prepping a gift — and I’m really hoping other moms can do the same. This year, I’m giving my daughter the gift of an informed vote.

Here’s the thing — every vote is important. It determines the kind of leadership our country will have for the next three to six years. But an informed vote — now, that’s extra special. It tells your children that you love them, you care about them and you want to give them the gift of a promising future.

I know this, because it’s exactly what my own mom had imparted to me. Before I was old enough to vote, she would often remind my sister and me that her vote was a gift for us. And because she was a professor, she was quick to inform us that it was also a gift for her students. She would often say that her ballot was for our “shared tomorrow.”

I knew she was serious about this because I saw how she would meticulously study candidates’ profiles, track records and platforms — something she still does to this day. Just last week, on our ride home from lunch, Mama was telling me her choices for party-list groups based on what they were campaigning for and their legislative track record in Congress.

I tried to add to her list of choices, but she wouldn’t have any of it until she “did extra research.” I know part of her research comes from watching the news every night to make sure she keeps abreast of what’s going on and to be certain that her candidates are still “on the good side.” I actually think it’s the History and Education professor in her who likes to make sure that her vote helps to ensure that mistakes of the past are not repeated and that children are empowered in the future.

When I was finally old enough to vote for the first time in the 1998 Presidential Elections, I could barely contain my excitement. Both my parents took my sister and me to the voting center. I no longer remember the names of all the candidates I voted for, which ones won and which ones lost — but I do remember strutting about with my head held high and smiling like I had just won the lottery because I was finally a legit adult and ready to shape the future with the power of my single ballot!

Tomorrow, it’s my daughter’s turn to vote for the first time. I won’t be bringing her to the voting precinct the way my mom did, because I’ll be reporting to work before the polls even open. I was hoping my husband and I could take her to vote during my break from work — but looks like she’ll be getting there much earlier than us. As it turns out, she has joined the group of volunteers at our parish who will help assist voters on Election Day, from 5 a.m. onwards.

Just like me, she is itching to cast her ballot for the first time. Dinner conversations over the past few weeks have been filled with questions about candidates, the responsibilities that come with each position and how each position is important. She has been asking me and my husband who we’re voting for — not because she wants to vote for the same people, but simply to understand what issues are important to us, and how this might shape the way she votes. She also likes to ask for tips on how to vote. I only have one — dapat totoo.

I suppose it’s but appropriate that elections here in our country always come the day after Mother’s Day. It’s a good reminder to grab onto the values our moms impressed upon us when we were younger, and to take them with us into the voting precincts. Mother’s Day also seems the perfect set-up to Election Day — it somehow prompts us to vote as mothers and think of the kind of tomorrow we want for our kids.

Happy Mother’s Day to all the moms, mommies, mamas, inays and nanays. I hope you get to use this day, which was earmarked especially for you (and me), to bask in the unbridled attention of our loved ones.

And I also hope that you get to use tomorrow, which was earmarked for you, for me and for our children, to determine the future we want for our beloved Philippines.