My Mother, My Story: EJ Obiena and his athlete parents! (Episode 5)

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Aired (September 29, 2024): “My dad is parang superhero, siya po 'yung tinitingala ko… my mom is more like the real human heroes…” - EJ Obiena  Having athlete parents, a father who is a pole vaulter, and a mother who is a hurdler, how does EJ Obiena describe them as his superheroes?

Transcript

00:00Your father, Emerson, was your first coach and you often portrayed him as a superhero.

00:10If your father is your superhero, what would your mother, Jeanette, be?

00:18I think still a superhero, but more in a real-life sense.

00:22When I explain that my dad is a superhero,

00:27it's more like the Marvel DC Comics kind of style.

00:30When I was young, he was jumping, pole vaulting.

00:33It's really amazing to see.

00:35As much as kids don't want to admit it, we look up to our parents.

00:40With that, he is like the Marvel Comics superhero.

00:45But my mom is more like the real human heroes.

00:50The people that take care of you, that really gives their time.

00:56We have that.

00:57Correct me if I'm wrong, your dad won a silver in the sea games.

01:01Yes.

01:02Pole vaulter.

01:03Yes, sir.

01:04Your mom is a hurdler.

01:06Yes, sir.

01:07How is it to have athletes as your parents?

01:13Good and bad.

01:14Good and bad.

01:15Let's start with the good.

01:16The good, you know, they already went through that path.

01:20They already experienced it.

01:22They can walk you through it.

01:25So with that, it's a good thing.

01:27The bad thing is, they're also athletes.

01:30They have recognitions.

01:33There's a shadow cast over you.

01:35You know, as a guy who was in the last team,

01:39they expect me to dominate the event at such a young age.

01:41And everybody knew what my dad or who he was.

01:46And also, of course, there are blurred lines.

01:50Having your dad as a coach,

01:52there are things, Puna, like,

01:54your dad can say that a coach can't.

01:57And there are things that a coach can't say that a dad can't.

02:01Explain that.

02:02You know, your coach can be very rough.

02:04Like, he can tell you you're nothing.

02:06He can say that to you and take it as a coach.

02:08It's a different impact.

02:10But when a parent says that you are nothing,

02:13it's different, right?

02:15It's like, it gives you this certain emptiness.

02:19Like, it's different.

02:20When a parent says you're not good enough,

02:22it's like a definition of yourself.

02:25Yeah.

02:26It's different.

02:27But what did he say to you as a coach?

02:30Never about my athletics.

02:32It's different.

02:33It's a totally different thing.

02:35We used to...

02:37Ah, this place, you know, this place.

02:39I used to spend really late nights here.

02:42This is your old town?

02:43Yeah.

02:44If the practice is bad,

02:45after it's not going well,

02:47when you get home,

02:48he'll still talk to you about it.

02:50If your coach is different,

02:52after the practice, that's done.

02:54I get that.

02:55In 1995,

02:56your father was in the SEA Games.

02:58I think he was competing.

02:59You got sick, you had a fever,

03:01but your mom didn't tell you

03:04that you were sick.

03:07I am referring to that story

03:10because...

03:12Does your mom have a habit

03:14that when there's a problem,

03:16she doesn't tell you

03:17because she doesn't want you to be distracted?

03:21Yes, she does.

03:23But I'm just like my mom.

03:26Ah, you know.

03:27I know when she's doing that.

03:30So, I think I learned that from her.

03:33So now, there's also that.

03:35Like, I don't want them to worry.

03:36For example...

03:37You don't tell them either?

03:38Yes, not in a bad way.

03:40It's more of a...

03:42I don't want them to worry,

03:43especially if it's not necessary.

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