Modern mom Dr. Vicki Belo’s parenting style is all love and warmth
As celebrity mother-and-daughter tandem Dr. Vicki Belo and Scarlet Snow cuddled on the iconic UP Armchair (more popularly known as the Mama Chair) at the B&B Italia BGC showroom, she shared her thoughts about being a modern mom. “It was actually a different experience for me when my two older children were at this age, because I was too busy with my residency and with my studies abroad. I was very thankful that I was able to watch their first steps, but I missed other milestones. With Scarlet, I can relax and really enjoy her growing-up years.”
The whimsical Mama Chair was first designed by Gaetano Pesce as a reflection on women in 1969. Back then, the “ball and chain” was a symbol of prejudice against women but it has now evolved 50 years later to become a symbol of women empowerment. Dr. Belo shares her thoughts about the chair’s history: “What intrigued me about it was that the designer was also a feminist and he wanted women to be free. For me it’s all love and warmth and caressing. It’s all happiness.”
The iconic chair’s shape did not escape the attention of precocious Scarlet Snow, who immediately pointed out that her Tita Virgie (Ramos of Swatch) has a similar chair in her home.
The proud mom says that Scarlet is very observant and that she encourages Scarlet to be curious about the world. “She likes to play imagination games, so we do things like build an imaginary cave together.” She reveals that Scarlet is also into the animal cartoon series Paw Patrol and wishes to become a veterinarian when she grows up.
Despite all the commercials and Instagram fame that Scarlet has, she has no idea that she’s a star, reveals her mom. “She’s a boss because she’s an only child, not because she knows she’s a star. I don’t think she has any idea. She always asks me, ‘Mommy, why does everybody know my name?’” Dr. Belo says with a smile.
She’s the typical only child, Dr. Belo says. “She bosses everybody around. Everybody’s so crazy about her so she’s so sanay. Everybody follows her so we’re trying to tame that part. But she’s really funny. She’s the funniest kid.”
“She has this X factor,” the proud mom shares, with stories of how Scarlet is able to capture the hearts of strangers when they are on their trips abroad. “Even when people have no idea who she is, right away nakukuha na nya loob ng mga waiter at kung sinu-sino.”
Dr. Belo is careful about keeping her daughter grounded, and raising her to have the right values in life. “I used to bribe her with gifts,” the mom admits, “but now, I have been more careful with discipline, correcting her when she is doing or saying something wrong.” It is her way of preparing Scarlet to grow up in a world where she knows the value of respect and her own sense of self-love, she explains.
Dr. Belo, who describes her parenting style as “back-tobasics,” says, “I love the Mama Chair because it reminds me of me and my baby. I also love its shape — the shape is so round. I feel that it wraps me, it makes me feel secure, I guess, because it is big, it has no edges, parang it’s so loving. I love the way that the ball is attached to the chair because the ball cannot go far away so the baby will always be attached to the mom. They can roll around but not too far away.”
For information, visit the Twenty Four Seven showroom at Bonifacio Global City or www.bebitaliamanila.com, or call 705-9999.