Sunshine Dizon: ‘I treat my kids as adults’
ACTRESS Sunshine Dizon is not one to baby talk too much. Raising two lovely kids—Doreen Isabel, 4; and Antonio, turning 3 soon—she found out that if you treat your kids as adults, they act like adults.
It’s not to say that the talented actress doesn’t let the children be children. It’s more of her teaching them the values of taking responsibility early on in life. That kind of parenting had worked well for her and husband Timothy Tan.
“Doreen, for one, is very protective of her younger brother,” Dizon said in an exclusive interview.
While Dizon understands that there is no single handbook to become Mom of the Year (and she doesn’t need to be), she always puts the children first, trusting her instincts and making decisions that would best benefit the kids.
“Between my husband and I, I’m definitely the disciplinarian. He is more of their playmate,” she said.
As for having more children, Dizon said she’s focused (and very happy) on what she has now, but will be more than happy if the Lord blesses them with more children. For now, her full attention is to making sure her kids grow up as God-loving, healthy and happy as she did.
Dizon, who plays Noemi in the inspirational primetime drama “Pari’ Koy” in GMA-7, thanks her strong support system, which allows her to nurture her acting career and become the hands-on mom that she is.
“Pari’ Koy” sees Dizon working again with Dingdong Dantes, who used to be one half of their “love team” when they were both just starting their showbiz careers. In the new show, Dizon plays a woman who remains to have a positive disposition in life despite having a husband who physically assaults her.
“The children are in toddler school. As a parent, I make it a point to attend their school activities as much as I can, even during times when I haven’t slept yet. It’s all about being there for your kids. That’s what they’ll remember when they grow up,” she said.
When she doesn’t have acting commitments, she spends quality time with her family. It could be taking the kids to the museum or just watching cartoons the whole day with the kids. The most important thing is that they are all together.
When it comes to gadget use, Dizon said smartphones and tablets aren’t necessarily bad. But she does make sure that the apps in the kids tablets are educational—games that teaches the kids to do math, learn the alphabet, or solve puzzles.
“The important thing is to stick to a strict schedule. Parents should know just the right amount of time that the kids could spend with these gadgets or with watching TV. When it’s meal time, for example, gadgets are not allowed,” she said.
She encourages her kids to enjoy the outdoors and interact with people, too. Luckily, the kids love biking.
Dizon wouldn’t say if she and her mom have the same parenting style, but she did say that she sometimes catches herself sounding so much like her mother.
“It’s a different world we live in now. The good lessons I learned from my mom I teach to my kids. My husband and I were brought up in loving, understanding families. That is what we want for our kids, too,” she said.
When it comes to disciplining the kids and giving out punishments if they behave badly, Dizon said it’s important that parents make sure the children understand why they are being spanked in the butt or being ordered to face the wall.
“We don’t resort to spanking for no reason. But, I admit, there are times that the kids need to learn their lessons. I remember being hit by my parents with a belt and I turned out okay. But I really make sure the kids know why they are receiving a certain punishment,” she said.
While her kids aren’t yet old enough to give her an elaborate Mother’s Day gift, she treasures the drawings the kids give her as a greeting. Never mind if she can’t really figure out what the kids were trying to draw. What she does know is that her kids love her as much as she loves them. That’s all that matters.