Teen Single Mom Photographs Fellow Teen Single Mom, 'I Know How It Feels To Struggle'

Last May 2023, we asked our readers to submit photos capturing the raw and unfiltered moments of motherhood. Out of thousands of entries, we carefully selected the top 100, and then handpicked the top 10. This article is part of a series that delves into the stories behind the 10 winning photos of the Smart Parenting Motherhood 100 photo contest.

My daughter is three and a half years old and still believes that my kisses heal all her boo-boos, that if she’s afraid of the thunder or monsters, my hug is all it takes to make her feel safe. 

That’s the unexplainable, almost magical, bond mothers and children have. “Sa Piling ni Nanay”, where the world silences down and everything calms down, as long as a child is with her mother. 

Just like the unfiltered yet beautiful photo taken by Myrel Anne E. Molina, “Sa Piling ni Nanay” shows exactly this ‘magical’ bond. The baby cries, and even without words, the mother comes to the rescue, knowing instinctively what her child needs.

Teenage Mom

Myrel Anne shared with Smart Parenting the story behind the photo, “Acia Le Ronase (my subject) is a single teenage mom like me.”

“She didn't finish her studies because she got pregnant at the age of 16 years old. Her daughter is turning 1 year old,” she said. The subject mom is from Kalibo, Aklan. 

The backstory of the photo shows that it doesn't matter how old the mother is, or if it is her first child, or fourth - but that special bond between a mother and a child is already there. 

The photographer, Myrel Anne, continued to share, “I asked her how she is and how it feels being in her situation right now. Because I know being a teenage mom is really rough and frustrating.”

As a teenage mom herself, Myrel Anne knew Acia’s struggles, “Napakahirap talaga kapag hindi ka pa handa sa sitwasyon na pinasok mo, pero napaka-challenging and rewarding naman kapag nakikita mong lumalaki na ang anak mo ng healthy.”

RELATED: ‘I Was Made To Believe I Couldn’t Be A Good Mom’: Dimples Recalls Being Judged As A Young Mom

Acia also shared to Myrel Anne that despite of their situation, they are still blessed to have help from the people around them, “Maswerte na rin at minsan may mga nagbibigay ng tulong pang-dagdag sa mga pambili ng pangangailangan ng kanyang anak. She stays with her sister-in-law, sa maliit lamang na barong-barong na boarding house kasama ang kanyang anak.”

She added, “At least masaya at kasama niya ang anak niya, happy na rin daw siya.”

Mothers help each other

Aside from capturing raw and unfiltered moments, Myrel had other intentions for “Sa Piling ni Nanay”. She said, “But the main purpose and my real intention is to help the subject mother and daughter. Sabi kasi niya, gusto niya makapagtapos ng pag aaral, makasuot ng toga at makahawak ng diploma.”

“It really touched my heart kasi pangarap yan ng kahit sinong estudyante. And I know how it feels to struggle being a single mother and teenage mom kasi diyan din ako galing,” Myrel said. 

The photographer believes that by capturing her subject’s photo and joining in the Smart Parenting Motherhood 100 photo contest, she may be able to help her achieve her dream and finish her studies. 

RELATED: Pregnant at 18, Teen Endures Stares and More to Finish Her MedTech Degree

The photographer added, “So  I decided na siya ang entry ko kasi I also want to help her finish her studies in college and also to help her child’s needs. Even small or big it really means a lots sa taong tinulungan mo.”

More than just a photo, it is also a mother reaching out to another mother. 

Mothers are physically connected to their children, literally through the umbilical cord. But even if it is cut during childbirth, it is never gone, and “Sa Piling ni Nanay” will always be children’s safest haven. 

Myrel Anne Molina used her DSLR (Nikon D700) to capture the photo, and Google Pixel 2XL to change it into black and white.