As parents we must invest in our children.

Faleupolu Sa’u said this in relation to the vital role mothers play in their families. 

Faleupolu is a mother of nine and one of her daughters is an auditor in one of the firms in Samoa.

The Village Voice team met her while on her way back home from dropping her three younger children to school.

When she was asked of her understanding of being a mother she quickly made her views known.

“Life is getting tougher and tougher every day, but if we really love our family, especially our children, then there’s always a way in everything that we do and believe in,” Faleupolu said.

She takes her family for example.

“God gifted me and my husband nine beautiful children,” she said.

“It was really hard at the beginning, but we kept on praying and believing in God.”

“Then as the years went by, God blessed us with many children and directed us to farm the land to help support our family.”

“That was what we did, we grew crops and vegetables to sell every day, to make sure our children continued school.”

“The children’s father was based at our plantation every day while I sold whatever we harvested on the side of the road and even at the market.”

She said: “God sees our tears of trying to raise our children.”

“God sees our hard work of trying to put our children to school and our efforts of trying to place a plate of rice and tea on our table, of trying to stretch whatever money we have to make sure that we survive from day to day.”

Many of her children have grown up.

“God is faithful if we take care of our children, and walk by faith,” she said.

“I’ve seen God’s blessing on our children, and I remind them every day to never give up on life.”

“They have to know and understand that they have to be strong in life and nothing is easy these days.”

“If they don’t work hard, then they will face struggles in life.”

She has a simple message for parents.

“We have to invest in our children, if not then they will face unexpected circumstances in life.”

“We also have to understand that we are the first teachers, if we teach them the right way to grow and how to deal with life, then everything will happen according to God’s plan.”