Candy Pangilinan offered words of encouragement to a fellow mom who opened up about the exhaustion and challenges of raising a child on the autism spectrum.
The actress is mother to 22-year-old Quentin, who has been diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and autism.
On Threads, she took to the comments section of a post to share her understanding with a fellow mom.
In the post, the netizen expressed how much she loves her child. However, she has been feeling physically and emotionally drained from the challenges of raising a child with autism.
“Mahal na mahal ko anak ko pero napapagod na ko bilang nanay niya. Sobrang hirap. Hindi ko alam kailan maging okay at madali pero ubos na ubos na ko.. hinding hindi nila ako maiintindihan [hanggat] wala sila anak na may Autism!!!!!” the netizen posted.
Candy, who has openly shared her own experiences as a mother, acknowledged the exhaustion while also reminding her that their children are also facing their own difficulties.
“Mommy super get you. Pagod din ako. Pero pagod din po sila for being like that. Its super hard also to be them. More for them,” Candy wrote.
She then encouraged the fellow mom to give herself time to rest and reminded her that she, too, has moments when she feels overwhelmed.
“I super understand you. Rest for a while. Take a deep breath. Marami din akong araw na Lord tulong pls!” she added.
Candy’s response was met with support from netizens, who also shared messages reminding them that difficult moments can eventually become more manageable.
The actress has previously been candid about experiencing similar moments of exhaustion while raising Quentin.
In April 2025, Candy became honest about feeling physically and emotionally drained from dealing with her son’s tantrums.
In one of her vlogs, she featured an emotional moment between her and Quentin during a car ride after he had an outburst.
The mother and son were both in tears as Candy admitted how tired she had become.
“Pagod na nga kasi si mommy, tama na,” the actress gently said in tears. “Napapagod na si mommy.”
Candy said it was the first time she had been completely honest with Quentin about feeling “drained and tired.”
“After this, Quentin is very behaved. He quite understood the conversation. He doesn’t want to see mom crying,” stated the actress.
The vlog continued to show emotional moments between the mother and son as they exchanged sentimental remarks.
“Do you like mommy to be tired? Do you like mommy to go?” the celebrity mom asked.
“No, bata pa lang si Quentin,” her son responded.
Candy then explained to Quentin that she works hard to provide for him, prompting an emotional response from her son.
By the end of the video, their emotions had settled, with Quentin apologizing to his mother.
“Mama ko. Mama ko. Thank you,” he said gently. “You forgive me? Sorry po, hindi ko na uulitin. Are you mad at me?”
Looking back on the experience, Candy explained that she wanted Quentin to understand that his mother can also feel tired and vulnerable.
“Parents can get tired but we can never give up. I just showed Quentin how vulnerable I can be. It’s working. He is trying to help,” she said.
Despite the challenges, Candy continues to encourage Quentin to explore his interests and learn how to navigate life with her support.
She has supported his love for dancing, arranged voice lessons for him, encouraged his involvement in church, and even gave him the opportunity to work at a restaurant.