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We call them by different names. I, for one, use the word, Nanay. Some people refer to them as Nanang; some name them Inang.

They are our mothers, and we call them with names that could best represent their loving care. It started with the term Ina, which is the exact Filipino translation for mother. As babies, we may have mispronounced this word and produced sounds like Nana, Nay and Inay. We got used to these terms because our mothers, at the slight mention of their mispronounced names, would quickly be there for us.

When the Americans came, we made new names for our mothers. We began calling them Mama or Mommy. Then, there were variations, like Ma, Mom, Mamu and Mamang. Some people, wanting to make it sound a little modern, simply use the word Mother. Others use Muder, after the German word, Mutter.

Probably to signify how friendly their mothers are, some people call them Mommyo. Others use Dada, although this word refers to fathers. A lot of other names for our mothers exist, but none, perhaps, could equal the exact sense of being a mother. Because far beyond name-calling, a mother represents the best virtues mankind has ever known.