Special Features

Joy Sotto: From Fear to Love

by Bianca Salonga
December 19, 2021

In raising five children and a newborn, digital creator Joy Sotto draws strength and guidance from faith.

Followers of Joy Sotto on social media are privy to the everyday on-goings, adventures, and hurdles of her growing brood. Beyond feel-good entertainment, musings and snippets taken from their daily lives offer priceless lessons anchored on faith. From settling rifts between her teenage boys to raising an only daughter and going through the full course of pregnancy, one thing holds Joy and her family together: faith.

Joy Sotto on Being Intentional

“The year that passed taught us to slow down, be intentional, and enjoy the simplest moments. This is the first time I’ve been with all the kids 24/7 for more than a year. And I must say, it’s been a great blessing,” recounts Joy. Days spent together revealed new layers of every family member, otherwise left unraveled had it not been for forced lockdowns. According to Joy, this helped her to connect with her teenage boys on a deeper and more mature level. She opines, “It’s a critical time to connect with them. We cannot tell them what to do if we don’t have a connection. A book I read even said: Rules without relationship will lead to rebellion.”

On Her Unica Hija

Like her boys, her only daughter, five-year-old Amari, practically grew up before everyone’s eyes—and fast,
too. Although most of her formative years were spent on lockdown, it was by no means devoid of love and affection from parents and siblings. The addition of a new member, Domiku, also brought more joy and laughter into the Sotto home. Joy remembers her pregnancy journey from 2020. “I was pregnant when the pandemic first hit and was very emotional. I had so many fears, worries, and anxieties about the future—for my kids and my babies. But praise God for my husband. He really helped me refocus my thoughts and eyes on God. He reminded me to walk by faith and not by sight.”

Raising a Baby in the Middle of a Pandemic

Hours between the time Domiku first came home, up to when he took his first steps passed in the blink of
an eye. Joy Sotto admits that compared to her other children, raising him proved an extraordinary experience. “It was different. I couldn’t expose him to the outside world. We didn’t see family immediately. I had fear every time I brought him to the hospital for his shots,” she intimates. Unconditional love from family, however, more than compensated for the first few months spent cooped up and moments filled with fear. “Now that my baby is almost a year old, what helped him be a happy boy is being around people who stimulate him. It’s a blessing that he has five siblings who love playing with him and taking care of him. This is all that a baby really needs, really.”

Joy Sotto on Living Her Life with Purpose

While most count the days until they can break free from lockdowns and fear of the virus, Joy Sotto instead opts
to ‘number her days.’ She explains as the Bible said in Psalm 90:12, “‘So teach us to number our days that we
may get a heart of wisdom.’ This is not to instill fear but rather to make us remember that we should live our lives with purpose every single day. We do not know what tomorrow brings so we must see the importance of living a life for God and a life pleasing to HIM. We are here on earth not for ourselves but for HIM.”