Moms talk about their perfectly imperfect lives
Modern moms balance everything — from careers to family duties —and have come to realize that good parenting doesn’t mean choosing between getting to do what they want and taking care of their kids. “Parenting on the Move” is an advocacy that inspires parents to pursue their passions and personal goals while being the best moms and dads to their children.
Take cues from modern working moms as they share their stories on how living a “perfectly imperfect life” makes you no less than a great mom, and how Richwell Phils. Inc., exclusive distributor of Quinny, Maxi-Cosi, Tiny Love, and Ergobaby and founder of the Ogalala System in Care and Play, makes “Parenting on the Move” much easier wherever you go.
• Motherhood doesn’t mean giving up
your own passion. Travelling has always been Paula Peralejo-Fernandez’ passion and profession. Being a mom meant some shift in priorities, and though she doesn’t work full time anymore — Paula has her own travel agency —travelling is still part of her life. “Thankfully, it’s relatively easy to travel with Pablo. But of course, our pace has changed, too,” she says. “We would wait for him to wake up before we move, and just really soak in the local vibe and just do a thing or two per day.”
What also helped Paula in travelling with her baby were the Tiny Love toys hanging outside her backpack or Pablo’s carrier. “I love how he can be exposed and shift interests to new things when travelling, but always have something familiar like that toy when he’s looking for routine and a sense of home,” she says.
• Motherhood doesn’t mean doing the parenting thing on your own. Some of the things you are expected to do is to purely breastfeed, drop everything else, and solely do your best for your child to be considered a good mom. But Carina Tan was able to overcome these challenges by not giving in and by working as a team with her husband Scott. “We share in the responsibility of raising Ollie. My husband can be very hands-on. He knows how to change diapers and put the baby to sleep, which helps a lot! Despite his demands at work, he makes time to come home for lunch to eat with Ollie while I am at work,” she says.
• Motherhood doesn’t mean giving up date night with the hubby. Ina Arabia-Garcia knows that spending a bit of time away from the kids for date night with her husband Carlo is healthy and important. “It really is our plan to have at least one major trip with the kids yearly. But we also try as much as we can to go out without the kids for our own couple time. We’ve also traveled without the kids and plan to do that yearly as well.”
As a family, they enjoy eating out on weekends and travelling. Having a Tiny Love toy hanging on a stroller makes it even easier for Ina to entertain her baby while caring for her older kids. “Our itinerary on trips has changed to be more kid-friendly, but we still squeeze in time to do what we usually enjoy like shopping.” • Motherhood doesn’t mean being
paranoid 24/7. Mom and entrepreneur Clarissa Tiu says that one of the best pieces of advice she ever received was to “relax and take it easy.” Yes, it’s good to have safe transport equipment like car seats and carriers, the most interesting toys to keep your baby occupied as well as to gain expertise on how to teach your toddler to tell apart shapes and colors, but moms should also remember to just enjoy motherhood.
“We try not to put too much pressure on Amanda to learn things too early, we just let take her lead in discovering things on her own. Also, have good oldfashioned fun with your kids like taking a walk, playing dress up, or funny faces,” she says. “We intuitively know what’s best for our babies and there’s no need to have too many material things or the latest trendy toy craze. Just enjoy the ride!”
There’s really no one sure guide to navigating your way towards motherhood. But just like modern moms Paula, Ina, Carina, and Clarissa, you can be great at Parenting On The Move by trusting yourself and your partner.
For more information, follow QuinnyPhils, ErgobabyPH, and OgalalaWorld on Facebook.
Quinny and Maxi-Cosi are available at select Mothercare and Baby Company, Ogalala Shangri-La Plaza, Ogalala Ayala Malls The 30th, select Rustan’s Department Stores, and other leading stores nationwide. Tiny Love and Ergobaby are available at Ogalala Shangri-La, Ogalala Ayala Malls The 30th, select Mothercare and Baby Company branches, and other leading stores nationwide.