Carmina Villaroel on Caring for Twins

Motherhood gave Carmina a few surprises. The first was realizing that she could “love unconditionally.”

“Nung naging mommy ako, doon ko lang naintindihan ‘yung unconditional love. ‘Yun pala ‘yun, pagdating sa mga kids mo, you will do anything and everything for them. Ngayon huli ko nang iniisip ang sarili ko. Every time I do something, or Zoren and I make a decision, it’s always for them.”

The second surprise was that she could handle being the mother of twins; and here she shares an important tip for moms of twins.

“My number one advice is, don’t panic.” Since Mavy and Cassy were born in the States, Carmina and Zoren had to do everything themselves.

“There was this time when Zoren had to buy diapers and milk, and ako ang naiwan para bantayan sila. Doon ko naisip, paano kung sabay silang umiyak? And for many first-time moms, ‘di ba nakakataranta talaga? So this is what I learned: Kung sino ang unang umiyak, ‘yun ang una kong iintindihin.” She laughs. “There was nothing else I could do as much as gusto kong alagaan silang dalawa, I was alone!”

Carmina suddenly noticed the twins listening to her story, and she smiled. “Kita niyo, ‘yung mga paghihirap ko sa inyo?” And they all laughed. “But they know these things kasi pinag-uusapan naming lahat.” Which leads us to Carmina’s last secret to being both a mother and a friend: “Constant and open communication… Be open and honest, even if it means admitting what you don’t know.”