26/09/2026
The GOLD medal is beautiful. But what mattered most to me was what came after.
Yeng brought home a GOLD today. 🥇 And of course, as her mom, I’m incredibly proud.
But when she received her medal, what she said to me was: “How did I do, Ma? I really did my best there.”
And honestly, that meant more to me than the medal itself. Because that’s what we hope children learn through sport.
The goal isn’t to teach them that winning is everything. It’s to help them develop the courage to show up, the confidence to perform, the humility to learn, and the resilience to keep going, regardless of the result.
The gold is a reflection of the effort she extended today. It is something worth celebrating. But it is not what makes her performance valuable.
What made me proud was seeing a 7-year-old step onto a big competition floor, do her best, and walk away genuinely wanting to know if she had given her all.
That mindset will serve her far beyond taekwondo.
As parents, we have to be careful not to make our children feel that they are loved more when they win, or that they have disappointed us when they don’t.
Celebrate the medal. Absolutely. 🥇
But celebrate the courage, too.
Celebrate the discipline.
Celebrate the effort.
Celebrate the ability to handle pressure.
Celebrate the willingness to learn.
And most importantly, celebrate the child behind the performance.
Because one day, the medals will sit quietly on a shelf.
But the confidence, resilience, self-discipline, and healthy relationship with failure and success that children develop through sport?
Those are the things they carry for life.
Today, Yeng brought home gold. But what I’m really proud of is that she came home knowing: “I gave my best.” 🤍
And for me, that is a victory worth celebrating. ✨
🥋 VISAYAS BEST OF THE BEST
📍 Ormoc City
