We Are Family

You don’t need to have a “typical” setup when love and respect keep your bonds strong.

Families come in all shapes and sizes. They can be wildly artistic, with the same creative blood running through their veins. Or they can be beloved family by choice, connected by a bond considered thicker than blood. My Pope explores what lies at the heart of being family.

Second Mom

by Monica B. Savellano

Many Filipino families consider their yayas or nannies as part of the family. Monica and her family are very lucky and grateful to have Didang, their trusted yaya, who has been with them for 39 years! Yaya Didang has spent more than half of her life with the Barrettos.

When did Yaya Didang join your family? She has been with us since March 1979. Yaya started when my mom was five months pregnant with me.

Why has she stayed with your family for so long? I think the main reason why she has stayed with us is her genuine love for our whole family (even our dogs!). It’s also because my mom is one of the kindest employers. She treats everyone with kindness, generosity, and respect. There was a time we had financial problems and couldn’t give Yaya her salary, and yet she chose to stay with us. I cannot put into words how grateful I am for everything she has done for us. I am very close to all the members of my family—and Yaya is part of that family.

How do you bond? Yaya and I have simple bonding moments, like when we hang out in the kitchen and tell each other stories about practically anything and everything.