Dawn Zulueta-Lagdameo "The New Age of Motherhood"

The DAWN of new age motherhood in a son’s preschool years

Motherhood may be the best job in the world but this does not mean that it is perfect and easy all the time. On the contrary, it is never easy and as all mothers will attest, at no time is it perfect, especially now when kids seem more advanced and their needs different. And sometimes, motherhood can feel like the worst job in the world especially for moms, who have to hold a 9-to-5 job on top of her responsibilities to her children and husband... but not when you play it smart.

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.

The trick, according to Dawn, is to know your priority. “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 and takes advantage of her visits by asking information about nutrition, health, and medicines. She even keeps a medical journal for both Jacobo and Ayisha.

“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. I’m a newspaper person and I love reading magazines.”

Organization and time management is another key. You need to have a clear-cut schedule on when to do things. And she 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.

“It’s really hard to manage your time.  Like with me, I have tapings every Monday, Wednesday and Friday so everything I need to do for Jacobo and Ayisha and the other things I am involved in, I have to squeeze in the in-between days and weekends. Those are the days when I attend to their needs. I take care of whatever they need for school, take them to soccer lessons, children’s parties, everything. I even have to check on Jacobo’s assignments when I get back home from taping because we are required to sign their notebooks and can you imagine, he is just in prep, but my God, he has assignments EVERY DAY!” Dawn exclaims in disbelief.

Everyday homework is not the only things that have Dawn reeling. Kids’ lessons in school are also more advanced. Jacobo is only in prep but he already 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! Plus, there is technology, where kids are exposed to more information at a speed that adults are not so used to.

“When I look at Jacobo, I marvel at how he can easily absorb everything and how he has the energy for everything. Kids now are capable of taking on so many things all at the same time. He has soccer and taekwondo and of course, there is school and his Mandarin tutorial. He has time pa nga to teach Ayisha how to count in Chinese. He already knows computers and in a few more years, he will, for sure, know more than I do. I never dreamed of doing all these I cannot even remember a time when I had so many things to do all at the same time. But as a mom, kailangan mo talaga silang sabayan. Sometimes nga, I joke around na ako yata ang kailangang unimom ng Gain School Advance just to be able to keep up with him, body-wise and brain-wise,” she confides.

Milk has always been an important factor in Jacobo’s diet, ever since Dawn’s pediatrician explained to her how vital milk is in brain development and physical growth. Her pedia even gave her a list of the nutrients that she should look for in milk: DHA, Choline, Taurine, Iron, Folic Acid, Linoleic acid and Linolenic acid, Iodine, Zinc, Selenium, and Nucleotides, and mentioned that all these are found in Abbott’s most advanced Eye Q Nutrition System. Being a smart mom, she researched and found out that one nutrient isn’t really enough for optimum brain development.

“I read up, did some research and realized that my pedia was right with the Eye-Q Nutrition system and the nutrients that he mentioned. 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.”

Dawn believes that by making smart choices and smart moves, mothers can make motherhood easier, less stressful and better than best. And one of the smartest moves she made is making sure that Jacobo gets the best milk product fit for his age and development. She sees the fruits of that decision every time she spends time with her son or each time other parents would tell her how intelligent and bibo Jacobo is or how teachers would comment on his good manners and generous spirit – donating his old toys to charity on his birthday and every Christmas. Seeing her son grow up strong, healthy and wise is reward enough for all her hard work. Nothing can really make motherhood better than ever than having the satisfaction that your child is getting the best care that he can have.

“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. No matter how often you tell him or how much you teach him, it won’t matter if his brain cannot take them in. Jacobo makes things easier for me because he already understands what he should do. For instance, he knows that he needs to drink milk. Ask him and he will tell you ‘because I need to make my brain stronger.’ He knows 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. He understands. Don’t underestimate children. Just explain to them and they will understand, provided, of course, that you speak plainly and you give them the proper nutrition. If Jacobo does it, so can your child.”

Next Generation Gain School Advance is a great-tasting milk drink for kids three years old and up that has the Eye-Q Nutrition System that combines a number of nutrients including DHA, Taurine, Choline, Iron and Folic Acid to support a child’s health and mental development. It is available in Vanilla and Choco flavors. 

For more information log on to www.abbott.com.ph.

     JULY 21, 2011  "PRESSCON"