WRITTEN BY VERONICA STIVALA

To celebrate upcoming Mother’s Day we find out more about the strong bond between a mother and her daughters.

The Zammit Cutajars are a very close family and make it a point to do things together. It is their brother Mark, who has Down Syndrome, who played a big part in making them so close-knit.

“Marky is the happiest when we’re together as a family so I think unconsciously we do make sure we remain close,” remarks Kate, the youngest of three children.

The family of five certainly cherish this special bond and love their traditions such as weekend walks together and fussing over one another for birthdays. “We throw a mini tea party for the five of us,” muses Kate, while adding that their penchant for tea makes it all the more delightful: “We love our tea so it’s always more exciting when we make it that extra special.”

Roberta and her daughters Francesca and Kate also share something else: a talent for painting. All three revel in the creative release they find in their art. Indeed Roberta’s house is adorned with her dreamy oil paintings. “It feels great to be able to be creative and interpret whatever inspires us on canvas,” she comments.

Yet while they are so close and share many hobbies, the Zammit Cutajar ladies are also all very different and chose to pursue different career paths. Roberta, her art, Francesca, marketing and Kate, psychology.

Francesca speaks proudly of her role as the marketing manager in the family food and drinks business, P.Cutajar & Co Ltd. I’m very proud to be part of the fifth generation of such an old and established company, she says of the154-year-old family industry. “The values of the business mirror mine and therefore this is one of the reasons why I chose to work there,” she reveals. It comes as no surprise that the artist enjoys working in marketing because it brings out her creative side. The most exciting part of her job is setting up events, for which reason she has even launched her own company, Make My Day. A small events company, Make My Day sees Francesca focus on creating aesthetically pleasing, magical settings and memorable atmospheres for a variety of special events.

Her younger sister Kate chose a very different line: working with children in the field of psychology. She did so because she has always been interested in the care and wellbeing of children. Her family experience played a part in this decision. She contemplated: “I guess growing up with my brother made me wonder why he couldn’t do certain things I could do. As years passed I realized it wasn’t things he couldn’t do, but about him learning in a different way and finding his strengths. Therefore I chose this career path to help other children reach their potential and perform in the best way they can. I am very determined and passionate about this work and I’m very lucky to get the support and inspiration I need to hopefully pursue my career as an educational psychologist in Malta.”

The ladies find themselves unified in something else too: their love for accessories, particularly Saz’s silk scarves. “I love the silky fabrics, they feel very soft and luxurious,” notes Roberta, who never leaves home without her neckerchief. “Besides making me feel dressed up it serves to tie up my hair when needed,” she says. Roberta also has quite a few of the larger scarves which thrown over a simple outfit finish it off with a stylish look.

Kate and Francesca love that there is so much variety in the scarves. “Whatever the size you can wear them in so many different ways”. They also like how easy it is “to just wrap one round your neck and make your outfit look good and colourful without having to do much”. Kate admits a particular fondness for the scarves that have mustard in them. “I don’t think I’ve seen this colour used so well in any other scarves, and I’ve become so obsessed with it that I don’t really buy a scarf without it!”

To all our mothers, and mothers-to-be, Happy Mother’s Day!

Photos: Tina Mifsud