Making Motherhood Better than Best

By AMYLINE QUIEN CHING MB.COM.PH - Admit it. Although motherhood is indeed the best job in the world, sometimes it can also be the worst, especially for moms who have to hold a nine-to-five job and still take care of the family. And it does not help too that kids right now seem more advanced and their needs vastly different from what they have grown to know.

Celebrity mom Dawn Zulueta-Lagdameo knows this first-hand, having to balance her showbiz commitments with taking care of her five-year-old son Jacobo and two-year-old daughter Ayisha. She is also involved in socio-civic organizations and is in fact a board member of Bantay Bata. She, however, believes that moms can make “the best job in the world” better and not worse by playing it smart.

One of her many mommy tricks is to know how to prioritize. “It is important that you know what comes first and, for me, that’s my family and their wellbeing.” Dawn, for instance, takes time to bring her children to their paediatrician. “I ask whatever I can when I visit my pedia and when I forget something, I just call her or text her. I also read up a lot when I have time especially on parenting and health.”

Organization and time management is another key, not only because of her but also because of the kids. “Kids now have harder lessons in school. Jacobo, for instance, is just in prep but he [already] has assignments EVERY DAY and he has basic math, science and spelling! It’s no longer just the usual reading, writing and drawing. He is even required to learn Mandarin in his school!” Dawn exclaims in disbelief. Parents are required to sign all assignments so Dawn has to check on them after work.

Moms need to have a clear-cut schedule on when to do things. Dawn does not only impose this on herself but also on the people who work with her. Her household help, for instance, have a bulletin board in their room with the schedule for the day. That way, she does not need to be there to tell them what to do. It’s already there.

Dawn also makes the most of her time. For instance, during her visits to the pediatrician, she asks about nutrition, health, and medicines and she writes all of them in a medical journal that she keeps for her two children. It was through her pedia that she found out about the Eye-Q Nutrition system and the list of nutrients that Jacobo should have while growing up.

“I read up, did some research on the list of nutrients he gave me and realized that my pedia was right. So, I checked out the brand, he recommended for Jacobo’s age— Gain School Advance— bought it and never looked at any other milk brand since then. You’ll see naman how it affects your kid. Nutrition really plays a key role especially at this time when he is learning so many things. It is not just an activity that he does in school. Every time you tell him something, whether to clean up after he plays or to respect elders, they are learning, absorbing. Without proper nutrition, they will be slow to understand, to react. He understands, for instance. that people have jobs and his job right now is to study hard. So, he treats his studies seriously and does his homework first before he plays.

For more information about the Eye-Q Nutrition, log on to www.abbott.com.ph.