My Other Mother
The Walrus|September/October 2020
My nanny helped raise me. Now it’s time for me to get to know her children
WILLIAM PANG
My Other Mother

WHAT DID YOU know about me when you were young?” I asked Angel. The question had been on my mind for years.

“That she took care of you day and night,” Angel replied.

I smiled awkwardly, not quite sure what to say. Growing up in Hong Kong, I’d had all the love and attention from Angel’s mother, my former live-in nanny, that a child could expect, whereas Angel saw her mother for only three weeks a year, when her mother would fly home to the Philippines.

I’d thought that, after my nanny retired, she would finally get to parent her own children. But, when I visited Auntie Zeny’s house, last December, I was surprised to see that her living room was plastered with relics from my childhood, including a foam Mufasa with its head half severed and a stained Santa Claus refrigerator magnet that used to hang on our fridge door.

This story is from the September/October 2020 edition of The Walrus.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.

This story is from the September/October 2020 edition of The Walrus.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.

MORE STORIES FROM THE WALRUSView All
Invisible Lives
The Walrus

Invisible Lives

Without immigration status, Canada's undocumented youth stay in the shadows

time-read
3 mins  |
JanFeb 2024
My Guilty Pleasure
The Walrus

My Guilty Pleasure

"The late nights are mine alone, and I'll spend them however I damn well please"

time-read
3 mins  |
JanFeb 2024
Vaclav Smil Is Fed Up
The Walrus

Vaclav Smil Is Fed Up

The acclaimed environmental scientist is criticizing climate activists, shunning media, and stepping back just when we need him most

time-read
10+ mins  |
JanFeb 2024
It's Time for a Birth Control Revolution
The Walrus

It's Time for a Birth Control Revolution

What the pill teaches us about the failure - and future - of women's health care

time-read
10+ mins  |
JanFeb 2024
Would You Watch a Play about Hydro Electricity?
The Walrus

Would You Watch a Play about Hydro Electricity?

How documentary theatre struck a chord in Quebec

time-read
10+ mins  |
JanFeb 2024
Still Spinning
The Walrus

Still Spinning

One record chain has bet big on a new appetite for physical media

time-read
8 mins  |
JanFeb 2024
Just So You Know, I Love My Mother
The Walrus

Just So You Know, I Love My Mother

In many ways, multi-generational living makes sense. But that doesn't make it easy

time-read
10+ mins  |
JanFeb 2024
Art of the Steal
The Walrus

Art of the Steal

Why are plundered African artifacts still in Western museums?

time-read
10+ mins  |
JanFeb 2024
Canada in the Middle
The Walrus

Canada in the Middle

What role can we play in easing the war in Gaza?

time-read
6 mins  |
JanFeb 2024
The Walrus

Canadian Multiculturalism: A Work in Progress

As we mark fifty years since the adoption of Canada’s federal multiculturalism policy, human rights advocate AMIRA ELGHAWABY celebrates its merits and reflects on the work that is yet to be done when it comes to inclusion, acceptance, and fighting systemic racism in our country.

time-read
7 mins  |
January/February 2022