Today is Mother’s Day and we have stories drawing the gems out of perhaps the most powerful of relationships between humans and also between animals—that between mother and child.

In “Raising the Philippines’ Great Sons,” Jules Vivas shines the spotlight on the women who raised history’s leading actors, from war heroes to literary greats.

In “Will They Love Us, Warts and All?,” Eliza Romualdez-Valtos admits to all the wrong a mother can do as she points out the one thing all mothers, regardless of circumstances, must do right.

Carol RH Malasig, on the other hand, refuses to accept that women are useless for choosing not to “go forth and multiply,” yet in “A Happy Un-Mother’s Day”, you’ll see she has a lot of mothering to do too.

Indie artist Isabel Lerma shares memories of her mother in “Music, Musings, and Mom” that should sound like a replay of the maternal sounds of your own childhood.

As if motherhood is not challenging enough, Jan Chavez-Arceo, Army Reserve officer serving as the first female commander of the 403rd Ready Reserve KAAGAPAY Battalion of Laguna, profiles “Mothers in Combat Boots” who, despite the higher call of country and countrymen keeping them away for long stretches of time, make their children proud.

We can go on and on about the rich relationships between mothers and children and the many virtues (and pitfalls) of motherhood, but today is Mother’s Day and all we want is to sing praises to them.

At the very least, if we can’t do it every day, let’s give them quality time today, treat them like a queen, like the Duchess of Bedford at high tea, or like Marie Antoinette over the most sublime “Mum-Believable Cakes” made to give them honor or simply allow them to sit back and enjoy the day.