Thanks, Mom.

My mother was a pioneering pediatric surgeon in the Philippines who gave up her career without hesitation to raise my brother and me as we emigrated to the U.S. and my father continued his practice. I was a very self-motivated child, and while my father encouraged me to do as much as I could, my mother was always concerned for my safety. It made for a good parenting mix.

At the same time, if my father denied me something, I knew I couldn't go around him to my mother. They were together on all the big issues. Both were taken aback when I said I wanted to be a writer/teacher. It was a path no one in our family had taken, but for the most part, my mother trusted my judgment, including which colleges to attend, and when to stop schooling and start writing.

My writing output has spiked the past five years and surprisingly my mother has become one of my best readers. Though I haven't made enough money to buy her a great Mother's Day gift, I'm glad she's seen my talent develop.