10/05/2026
They said we were “too smart for our own good”. Too ambitious. Too independent.
That somehow excellence and femininity could not coexist.
That we would never be “marriage material”.
Funny thing about myths — eventually reality catches up.
Because many of us went on to discover the best, hardest, most meaningful job in the world: motherhood. The role that has no resignation letter, no off switch, and no KPI more important than love, resilience and showing up.
We were first daughters of a better age — beneficiaries of women before us who fought for education, opportunity and voice.
And now, we get to be mothers for a better age.
What a privilege it is to raise children with both roots and wings. To build homes while building lives. To show our daughters that brilliance need not be dimmed, and our sons that strength and tenderness can coexist.
Rafflesian mums exist.
Not as unicorns. Not as exceptions.
But as women who built careers, communities, families and futures — often all at once.
To all Rafflesian mothers — Happy Mother’s Day. We celebrate us today.
With love, from the desk of RPN.
