My mother loved that Jollibee commercial years back, wherein a son, upon receivng his first salary, brought his mother to a local Jollibee branch and promised that next time, he will treat her at Jollibee-Hongkong.
If you come to think of it, starting at the middle of our socio-economic structure, there’s really nothing fancy about a treat at Jollibee, or any fast food restaurant for that matter. It’s even more “fancy” to accompany your mother in a leisurely evening walk along Baywalk, unless, of course, your mother is wearing a “Resign. Now Na!” shirt and goes by the name of “Dinky”.
Going back to that Jollibee ad, its message is very, very powerful. It brings back an avalanche of memories enough to fill a script along the lines of Gulong ng Palad.
There’s the memory of a mother striving hard to give her children the most comfortable life with an extremely tight budget. At work and in most of her waking moment – even in her dreams – she goes through the difficult, nay, painful, task of dividing the family’s modest resources to provide for everyone’s needs, particularly that of the children.
Indeed, for a mother, the happiness of her children always comes first. She would go window-shopping and admire the nice clothes and beauty products, but would opt to buy a shirt on sale that would look nice on the little one. This is, however, far from impulsive buying. The decision to buy comes only after a very thorough examination of the budget. She has to go through the seemingly impossible task of balancing a stagnant salary with the constantly increasing prices. That is the real mission impossible. Sa totoo lang, walang binatbat ang mga imposibleng misyon ni Tom Cruise sa mga kamangha-manghang ginagawa ng isang Ina.
In many, if not most, instances, a middle-class mother would turn down her childs plea to buy something. When a child cries in case a mother won’t, or more appropriately can’t, buy a simple toy, how will the child know that her mother is weeping inside simply because she would, if she only could, buy that toy for her child? How will a child know that behind the sweet smile and the soothing voice of his mother is a bleeding heart that willfully and joyfully absorbs all the pain just so the child grows up with a hopeful picture of the world?
Well, you dont really have to look for answers because these questions are immaterial to a Mother. Para sa isang Ina, sulit ang lahat ng hirap at sakripisyo kapag nakikita niyang masaya ang kanyang anak. Bonus na kung pinapahalagahan ito ng kanyang anak. If the child later appreciates all the sacrifice that his mother went through, thats a bonus. She’s not looking for a “thank you”, although she would most certainly welcome that. A simple and heartfelt gesture of appreciation is much more effective than any surgery to wipe the wrinkles off a Mother’s forehead.
Really, little things speak a lot; little things like a treat on the first salary. That’s why the ad is very powerful.
When I received my first salary six years ago, I was not able to bring my mother to Jollibee for a treat (although I gave her my first paycheck). I took her on vacations and I’ve given her a healthy grandson. Yet, I feel something is still missing.
I still have to take her to Jollibee-Hongkong for a treat.
