Minnie Clet, General Manager of JDC Advertising, just one of her several accomplishments, is a mother of two.
She grew up in a poor family in a simple house along the shorelines of Quezon.
Theirs was not a sprawling estate, but it was home big enough to house all 10 children and their parents.
The sea was their sustenance and their parents supported them through it. Looking back, she shared that in this environment was where she would learn the value of responsibility.
“I’m actually the eighth of 10 siblings (laughs),” shared Minnie when Manila Standard visited her home in Cavite recently.
“Ito talaga ang pangarap ko na mula nu’ng maliit ako, magkaroon ng bahay na masasabi ko’ng sa akin, simple pero maganda,” she said when she welcomed our team for an afternoon shoot and interview.
As you enter her three-story residence, one of the many fruits of her labor in putting up her advertising firm JDC from the ground up, you see picture frames of her family.
Among the photos, she is seen with her supportive husband Tommy and their two children, whose both names’ initials are JD–the inspiration behind the name of her company.
In time for Mother’s Day, she shared some of the things she learned as she went through the wonderful experience of motherhood.
“With every child, ibang experience. May matutunan ka rin sa mga anak mo. Like me, there are lessons that I am now applying to my youngest which I learned when I was bringing up my first born,” she said.
Minnie believes that having a child is just a one-way ticket to being a parent and motherhood is a cliché.
“It’s hard to be a mother, but there is no proper schooling for being a mother,” she said.
She admitted being strict to her children, a trait she says she got from her mother. She says that tough love is necessary to foster respect, but is quick to remind that she never goes overboard.
“I discipline my sons in a hard way or as we all know the traditional way, especially ‘yung panganay ko noon. Pero with my bunso, medyo iniba ko na,” said Minnie.
Raising her younger one, Daniel, is another story. Daniel’s emotional quotient is maturing slower than his age. Minnie’s traditional way of discipline doesn’t apply to Daniel, she says.
Thus, she seeks professional help. She also learns from other mothers who have the same experience and at the same time, she gives tips to other mothers as well. At that time, she is relieved that she is not the only one who experience challenge with their children.
Favoritism is not a thing in their family because of raising two boys with different personalities. Which is a good thing because Minnie is learning a lot from her children, both boys and 15 years apart.
“My challenges in life are financial and being distant from my sons. Pero alam niyo, I am blessed to be surrounded by good people who help me with the expenses,” said Minnie.
“It was a problem na pinaghandaan pero thankfully never namin kinailangan i-face,” she added while giving a tour of her humble abode, which features a bahay kubo at her terrace up top—the spot which she says is her favorite of all, reminding her of simpler times back when she was a child.
“And I am very thankful kay God for all of these blessings, especially when I got sick and given only 20% chance of living. I am proud to be blessed to be given a chance to live more,” she said.
For Minnie, it is necessary to teach her children in a way that she can learn from them, too. She teaches them the value of the scriptures as they go to church every Sunday and appreciate simple values.
Minnie believes that there is no right age to be a mother, but there is a right maturity to be a mother.
“Being all-knowing doesn’t mean knowing all angles. You have to put yourself on your child’s shoes and understand their personal issues. You have to be mature for them to mature,” she said. With Bea Alcabaza