You’ve never felt less confident and more lost, less seen and more isolated since the day you became a mom. There have been countless times you felt like you’re in the dark and there’s no way out.

You won’t admit to any of this, but it’s the reason you long for at least one strong connection to keep you grounded.

You search far and wide for this much-needed connection, and you find it in places you least expect: in a concert, for example.

Three moms went to the recent Coldplay Music of the Spheres World Tour in Manila and found what they greatly needed.

Motherhood has no time out. Take it from Mommy Giselle who had to accompany her son to his educational field trip prior to concert day. She knew that by going to the concert in Philippine Arena in Bulacan, she would sacrifice rest, sleep, and more time to be with her son.

But she went anyway.

Her reason goes beyond being a Coldplay fan and missing this British rock band’s 2017 concert in Manila.

To be surrounded by fellow moms in the spectacle of lit Xylo bands was more than enough validation for her that she needs to be away from her routine for a while, without a nagging guilt and judgment from others.

As her favorite songs – A Sky Full of Stars, My Universe, and Fix You – were played, Mommy Giselle still had her son in mind. Despite this time away from him, she wanted him to see her valuing self-care and personal growth, and to learn from her to honor the break that her daily routine and responsibilities require.

For some teens, the thought of going to a concert with at least one of their parents is cringey and absurd. How do they sing their hearts out and dance like no one’s watching when their mom or dad is just inches away from them?

However, this isn’t the case for Mommy Ivy and Anton, her 15-year-old son, who went to the concert together.

In fact, Anton was the one who booked the tickets online, waking up early to get good seats. They both would have wanted for the rest of the family to join, but Mommy Ivy believes the experience was carved out specifically for the two of them, along with two of her nephews and their special friends.

It took them hours to wait in line in the arena, but Mommy Ivy only saw this as extra time to bond.

In this day and age where teens and their parents don’t exactly meet eye to eye, Mommy Ivy and Anton found Coldplay’s concert to be a melting pot of their thoughts, feelings, and interests. Through the songs they both love and the music they both enjoy, they connected deeper in a way that some moms and their teens could only hope to do.

A single mom who’s been committed to a job she loves for 15 long years will come to a point in her life when she’ll miss someone she sees everyday: herself.

There’s nothing wrong with having a strong sense of motherly duty. This is what Mommy Kei believes in, along with the view that moms must be reminded of their human limitation and that they should look after themselves, too.

The Coldplay concert was Mommy Kei’s choice of self-care treat to welcome the new year. A fan of the band since they released their The Blue Room Album back in 1999, Mommy Kei was not to pass up another opportunity to see her favorite band perform live.

Mommy Kei is an intentional parent: she let her daughter know of her desires to attend the concert, and asked if she had an important schedule on concert day. Upon learning the day was clear for both of them, she started arranging the logistics, including making sure that her daughter’s grandparents will be there before she left the house for the concert.

Through it, she wants to tell her daughter that “there’s a time for everything, and everything has a season.” Mommy Kei adds that it was “transformative” and “pure bliss” to see her teenage music heroes perform live.

Being connected with fellow moms, with your children, and with yourself is healing.

Connections liberate you from the feeling of not being seen and not being enough.

Connections point you to the road of accepting yourself, of letting things be, and of continuously finding your peace amidst the fast pace of motherhood.

Connections are like lights that usher you out of the dark.

As Coldplay put it in their song, Fix You:

“Lights will guide you home.”