LOS ANGELES (July 1st, 2024) — Can you envision having an honest conversation about your feelings with your strict Filipino parents? Do you think you’d ever be able to get through to them? 

In Episode Two of Trauma Bond, One Down brought together Jazmine Malaiba, the eldest daughter of her family, and her mother, Jenalyn Malaiba, to confront each other about respect and communication in their relationship.

When Jazmine was a teenager, she thought her mom was strict, didn’t care about her opinion, and thought she saw her speaking up as a sign of disrespect. Because of this, it was hard for her to envision her and her mother having honest conversations. Additionally, she grew up overhearing conversations between her mom and dad about struggling with the recession in 2008. As the eldest daughter, she was conflicted at the time because she was young and felt she couldn’t do anything to help. 

Though it’s been several years, Jazmine still feels the effects of her childhood trauma in her adulthood today. She says, “I think that I grew up very hypervigilant. In the way it affects me now is like, I do get anxious in certain situations.”

Jenalyn’s parents were very religious and strict growing up, though she also did not agree with them sometimes. She had eleven other siblings, so she had a hard time communicating with her mother as well. Jenalyn mentioned that she had never heard “I love you” from her mom until she was 91 years old. When she had kids, she wanted to make sure she communicated well with her kids because of how she grew up.

Despite this, Jazmine mentions that some of the most hurtful things her mother has told her were comments surrounding whether or not she was a good person. She and her mom have had a lot of arguments about it when she was growing up. In response, Jenalyn says, “You’re the oldest one, you’re the first one and I’m not used to it. Everything that I experience with you is my first also.” 

Growing up as the eldest daughter can create a lot of pressure for both eldest daughters and their mothers. Having conversations about respect and communication for one another is important, but can they really learn to understand each others’ perspectives? For Jazmine and Jenalyn’s full story, watch their episode of Trauma Bond on YouTube today.

Trauma Bond Trailer Release Details:

Date and Time: July 25th, 6 PM PST

Platform: One Down’s YouTube Channel

Duration: 13:27

About One Down:

One Down is a Filipino-American Media Company working to “redefine Filipino” and bring global representation to the Filipino community. Founded in 2018, our mission has been to amplify issues within our culture that educate and engage the world into action. Since then, One Down has collaborated with some of the most influential Filipino leaders worldwide, amassing a global reach of over 50 million viewers in its lifetime, and continuing to develop new ecosystems that empower Filipino creatives to thrive. To learn more, check out our website at www.onedown.media, follow @onedown.media on Instagram, subscribe to One Down on YouTube, and watch our new series Trauma Bond.