Mommy Means Business
by Robbie Pangilinan
When Ms. Rosemarie Rafael is working, she means business. After all, being the Chief Executive Officer of an international corporation is not an easy job. For 24 years, Ms. Rafael has led Airspeed International Corporation in the business of freight, customs brokerage and cargo handling. A major contender in the forwarding industry, Airspeed has been ranked in the Top 10 by the International Air Transport Association (IATA) and duly accredited by the Department of Trade and Industry’s (DTI) Philippine Shippers’ Bureau (PSB).
But when Ms. Rafael comes home, she removes her CEO suit and takes pleasure in her favorite role—being the mother of her four children. She relates, “I am a hands-on mother in the sense that I need to know what’s going on with my children. They are different from one another and I make it a point to spend time with each of them. We have our family time but as a mom, I also have a Regine, Javi, Janina or Aliah time.”
It is difficult to imagine how a very busy woman can juggle precious time between the business and four children whose ages range from 9 to 21. Ms. Rafael says it’s all about balance and knowing your priorities. “I believe in balance of life. My children are my priority over my business. I have an automatic alarm clock inside me and I know if and when I need to spend more time with them or with my business,” she says. She also admits that she cannot have done it alone. “I am blessed to have a husband who is involved with our children, a mother-in-law who truly cares and loves them, a helper at home who is very reliable and cares for them as well. You need them to help you in making sure your children are well,” Ms. Rafael shares.
As in any business, it is always good to have a reliable partner. In raising her children, Ms. Rafael’s partner is none other than her husband. “My husband and I have discussed what is crucial to raising our children and agreed that we are one on it. Sometimes children have a tendency to see who can be their ally and play with it. Kids nowadays are smart and parents need to be seen as one. We also apply tough love and though we as parents would like to give everything to our children, we make sure that we do not give in all the time,” she relates.
Her children, 21-year-old Regine, 20-year-old Javi, 14-year-old Janina and 9-year-old Aliah have also become her partners at home. Their relationship is strengthened by unity and harmony. They are open to one another and Ms. Rafael makes sure that they thresh out their differences right away. In making family decisions, the whole family meets, discusses, agrees, and supports the decision. Even in disciplining the children, Ms. Rafael has a business-oriented formula: “I choose my battles. I make sure that what matters most is known to them. The most difficult part of parenting for me is not seeing immediately the seeds that you are planting, just like in business when you don’t experience return of investments right away. Parenting is not easy but the fruits are so fulfilling when it is good.”
Because the children are grown-up already, the family loves to travel and explore new places. When busy schedules do not permit them to leave Manila , the whole family watches movies or plays board games at home. On a Saturday morning, Ms. Rafael sometimes takes a walk with her youngest daughter and eats breakfast with the other children at home.
The boss in her company is not the boss of the household. Ms. Rafael and her family are faithful servants of God. In fact, she considers prayer as her most important parenting tool. “My husband and I pray for our children every morning before they go to school. They never leave home without us praying for them and they even remind us when we forget ! It has been a part of their lives and I am very proud of that,” Ms. Rafael beams. “The most important value that I teach them is the value of loving God. My fulfillment as a parent is to see that my children are living God's will and true destiny. I see that they are all respectful and loving children and I am so happy that they are close to each other. I believe that they grew up like this because of our prayers to guide us and give us wisdom to be godly parents,” Ms. Rafael shares proudly.
Is she planning to pass the business to her children as well? Ms. Rafael would like that as long as it is the children’s choice to carry on with the business. She admits that it will be very humbling to see them take the business to another level. It seems that her second child, Jose Javier, is the one with the penchant for business, having had finished Business Management at Fullerton College . He works part time at Airspeed’s Los Angeles office. Her eldest daughter, Regina Kristine, is taking up broadcasting and journalism at Chapman University , while Janina Gabrielle is still in high school at De La Salle Zobel and Alessandra Reanne is in grade school at the Learning Child School .
It is not just in interest that the children differ from each other. “My children all have their uniqueness. Regine is outgoing, Javi has deep insights and a sense of humor, Janina is very intense, and Aliah has a bubbly personality and she's very expressive with her feelings,” Ms. Rafael describes her children. “Even their hobbies are diverse. Regine likes to read, shop and sing karaoke; Javi likes computer games and martial arts; Janina likes to play the bass, computer games and Frisbee; while Aliah dances ballet and loves pets.”
As different as the children are from each other, Ms. Rafael would like to leave the same legacy to all of them, and this inheritance is not in the form of money, business, or properties. “When we say that we leave an inheritance from generation to generation, we are not talking only of the financial aspect but also the values and the beliefs that we pass on to our children. For me, the best gift I can pass on to them is making them know that God loves them, that they are God's workmanship and that He will be faithful to complete the good work that He started in us,” Ms. Rafael says.
Ms. Rafael wants to give this message to her children: “You are fearfully and wonderfully made by God. God loves you so much that He not only gave them Jesus but also a great plan and purpose in life. I love you with all my heart and there's nothing you can do to change that.”
The big-time CEO is a big-hearted mother. And for Ms. Rafael, that is all what matters most. #
But when Ms. Rafael comes home, she removes her CEO suit and takes pleasure in her favorite role—being the mother of her four children. She relates, “I am a hands-on mother in the sense that I need to know what’s going on with my children. They are different from one another and I make it a point to spend time with each of them. We have our family time but as a mom, I also have a Regine, Javi, Janina or Aliah time.”
It is difficult to imagine how a very busy woman can juggle precious time between the business and four children whose ages range from 9 to 21. Ms. Rafael says it’s all about balance and knowing your priorities. “I believe in balance of life. My children are my priority over my business. I have an automatic alarm clock inside me and I know if and when I need to spend more time with them or with my business,” she says. She also admits that she cannot have done it alone. “I am blessed to have a husband who is involved with our children, a mother-in-law who truly cares and loves them, a helper at home who is very reliable and cares for them as well. You need them to help you in making sure your children are well,” Ms. Rafael shares.
As in any business, it is always good to have a reliable partner. In raising her children, Ms. Rafael’s partner is none other than her husband. “My husband and I have discussed what is crucial to raising our children and agreed that we are one on it. Sometimes children have a tendency to see who can be their ally and play with it. Kids nowadays are smart and parents need to be seen as one. We also apply tough love and though we as parents would like to give everything to our children, we make sure that we do not give in all the time,” she relates.
Her children, 21-year-old Regine, 20-year-old Javi, 14-year-old Janina and 9-year-old Aliah have also become her partners at home. Their relationship is strengthened by unity and harmony. They are open to one another and Ms. Rafael makes sure that they thresh out their differences right away. In making family decisions, the whole family meets, discusses, agrees, and supports the decision. Even in disciplining the children, Ms. Rafael has a business-oriented formula: “I choose my battles. I make sure that what matters most is known to them. The most difficult part of parenting for me is not seeing immediately the seeds that you are planting, just like in business when you don’t experience return of investments right away. Parenting is not easy but the fruits are so fulfilling when it is good.”
Because the children are grown-up already, the family loves to travel and explore new places. When busy schedules do not permit them to leave Manila , the whole family watches movies or plays board games at home. On a Saturday morning, Ms. Rafael sometimes takes a walk with her youngest daughter and eats breakfast with the other children at home.
The boss in her company is not the boss of the household. Ms. Rafael and her family are faithful servants of God. In fact, she considers prayer as her most important parenting tool. “My husband and I pray for our children every morning before they go to school. They never leave home without us praying for them and they even remind us when we forget ! It has been a part of their lives and I am very proud of that,” Ms. Rafael beams. “The most important value that I teach them is the value of loving God. My fulfillment as a parent is to see that my children are living God's will and true destiny. I see that they are all respectful and loving children and I am so happy that they are close to each other. I believe that they grew up like this because of our prayers to guide us and give us wisdom to be godly parents,” Ms. Rafael shares proudly.
Is she planning to pass the business to her children as well? Ms. Rafael would like that as long as it is the children’s choice to carry on with the business. She admits that it will be very humbling to see them take the business to another level. It seems that her second child, Jose Javier, is the one with the penchant for business, having had finished Business Management at Fullerton College . He works part time at Airspeed’s Los Angeles office. Her eldest daughter, Regina Kristine, is taking up broadcasting and journalism at Chapman University , while Janina Gabrielle is still in high school at De La Salle Zobel and Alessandra Reanne is in grade school at the Learning Child School .
It is not just in interest that the children differ from each other. “My children all have their uniqueness. Regine is outgoing, Javi has deep insights and a sense of humor, Janina is very intense, and Aliah has a bubbly personality and she's very expressive with her feelings,” Ms. Rafael describes her children. “Even their hobbies are diverse. Regine likes to read, shop and sing karaoke; Javi likes computer games and martial arts; Janina likes to play the bass, computer games and Frisbee; while Aliah dances ballet and loves pets.”
As different as the children are from each other, Ms. Rafael would like to leave the same legacy to all of them, and this inheritance is not in the form of money, business, or properties. “When we say that we leave an inheritance from generation to generation, we are not talking only of the financial aspect but also the values and the beliefs that we pass on to our children. For me, the best gift I can pass on to them is making them know that God loves them, that they are God's workmanship and that He will be faithful to complete the good work that He started in us,” Ms. Rafael says.
Ms. Rafael wants to give this message to her children: “You are fearfully and wonderfully made by God. God loves you so much that He not only gave them Jesus but also a great plan and purpose in life. I love you with all my heart and there's nothing you can do to change that.”
The big-time CEO is a big-hearted mother. And for Ms. Rafael, that is all what matters most. #
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