I can’t believe how quickly time flies! I still remember my sort of first mother’s day. “Sort of,” because I was a month away from giving birth, and my husband kept teasing me that I couldn’t join the club just yet.

Next month, that baby in the tummy will be turning 4 years old already, but I still remember that lunch as clearly as if it were yesterday.

The last four years have gone by quickly, but have been wonderful. There were, of course, tearful nights trying to figure out how to nurse a wailing newborn and days that tested the limits of my patience, but they all turn into vague recollections when I think of the laughter and kisses I’ve been rewarded with. Even if they just happened last week.

My friend Anna Norbert calls it, “momnesia”—a syndrome that moms have which causes them to forget all the difficulties and recall only the good moments.

However, there’s more to being a mom than just enjoying the fun times. At the end of the day, everyone agrees that it’s still about raising, nurturing, and teaching a child to be the best person he/she can be.

My personal wish is for my children to grow up with strength of character. I want them to be able to stand firmly in the face of the most tempting situations, and have the strength to turn away and do what is right and pleasing in the eyes of God, no matter how difficult it may be.

I want them to be strong enough to take on the challenge of making this world a better place for everyone, rather than weakly sitting back in their comfort zones, while others suffer. I think it is one thing for them to know what is right from wrong and have all the best intentions in this world. It’s quite another to have the strength to follow through with it.

That’s the life lesson I would want my children to learn, but every mom has her own ideas as to what that defining character the child should have to be the kind of person she dreams him/her to be. I decided to sit down with some of the moms of Mothers for Others and find out: “If there was only one thing you could teach your child, what would it be?”

Kaye Chua-Tinga

If there is one thing I can teach my children, it is that success means loving whatever you are doing, and whatever you are doing makes a difference in this world.

Virginia Laurel

I want to teach my children to always fear the Lord in anything that they do, and to live their lives pleasing Him to gain eternal salvation.

Cris Albert

To love with kindness and love God above all.

Dette Aquino-Tan

The most important lesson I would want my child to learn is compassion for others. Compassion is the cornerstone and foundation upon which kindness, understanding and generosity are built. And it is only when we reach out to others in empathy that we can find true meaning and fulfilment in our lives.

Yvonne Kumar

We want Jia to value the family and the cultures she belongs to, because these are essential foundations of a meaningful life.

Jacqueline Lhuillier-Hess

Faith is the foundation for all their actions. Belief in the Lord shows them what’s right, and it’s also the very thing that allows them to pursue their destiny.

Anna Magsaysay

Always be helpful to others. Never hesitate to give some kind of help to those in need, but always do it with humility, and it must come straight from the heart.

Winnie Go

I would teach them to believe and love God because for as long as you believe and love Him, all other things will fall into place.

Carla Ramsey

My goal is to raise happy, sharing and diligent children. I want them to be able to find peace from within and from each small blessing that comes their way. They will never be alone if they value relationships with each other and close friends. Diligence, in work and in personal life, will ensure that they never stop trying nor take things for granted.

Carissa Cruz-Evangelista

I’d like my children to be true to themselves. Of course I’d love to raise smart, independent, healthy and disciplined children, but I would also want to encourage their innate talents, relish their humor and listen to their own voices so they have a healthy sense of self. It is important to have compassion and learn to work with others, but it is also important to know who you are, what you are good at and what makes you happy.

At the end of the day, I’d like my kids to be able to thrive on their own—happy, well-adjusted, compassionate, self-sufficient, independent and most of all, true to themselves.

Edna Chua

Compassion and humility. I want them to grow up with a sensitivity toward  people around them. Compassion allows them to be selfless and willing to be of help to others who are in need.

Yueh Faye Lai

To love and respect yourself, your family and others