Struggling as a working mom? These mamas run the office and household with grace and gratitude

MANILA, Philippines — For many working mothers, the decision to continue working isn’t solely driven by the family’s financial needs. More often than not, it's fueled by a deep passion for personal fulfillment.

Returning from maternity leave and struggling with separation anxiety, managing the schedule to attend PTA meetings, and learning to raise young adults to become future leaders—all while having a full-time job—is an immense challenge.

Three remarkable mothers—Josephine Rivera, Michelle Arce and Ivy Domingo—share their rollercoaster experiences as working moms.  They open up about their vulnerable moments, their most daunting challenges as mothers, and how they manage to cope—inspiring struggling moms as well as dads to just trust and enjoy the process.

At 69, Rivera’s journey is a testament to determination, resilience and unwavering faith. She and her husband, Abe, just celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary last year, together with their nine children: Paolo, Jonas, Andre, Isaac, Kyla, Janno, Claudia, Benjo and Albert, whose ages range from 49 to 28. Their youngest daughter, Zulaika, passed away at 15.

Even past the traditional retirement age, Rivera happily heads a branch of a prestigious life insurance company. She leads over a hundred insurance professionals in Sun Life, where she has been with for more than 42 years now.

How do you describe your typical day of balancing work/business and house tasks?

At my age now, what I have to balance are work and time for Abe. While our home is not an empty nest yet with three of our children still in their rooms, they are pretty much always out and busy. Abe, who has been retired since 2008, misses me when I get deeply engaged in my work.

The freedom of time my job allows for much of my wifely duties to get done. God led me to a career with time flexibility, rich with opportunities for excellence and growth and the chance to take part in creating brighter lives for others. God provided me with magical helpers who were competent, honest and had a heart.

Share some of your most challenging experiences as a mom. How did you cope?

When my ninth child, my youngest of three daughters, drowned in Bomod-ok