Touched by An Angel

11Jun 2014

The indomitable spirit of the Filipinos #SarapMagingPilipino

by Noemi Lardizabal-Dado ⋅ Leave a Comment

Ang sarap talaga maging Pilipino. Masarap ang kainan . Masarap ang tawanan. Masarap ang kantahan. Masarap ang mahalan .

What do foreigners see about our Filipino culture that we take for granted? I watched this video on Bakit pati ibang tao, napapamahal sa Pilipinas? which features foreigners living in the Philippines, sharing their observations on Filipinos and our culture. The video touched me so much that I found myself welling up in tears…out of love of country.

Anna Rabstun-Baylosis is one of the foreigners in the video. She is a Russian, married to a Filipino with two children. She has been living in the country for two years now and proudly embraced the Filipino culture so much that she not only speaks and understands Tagalog quite fluently, she also sings in Tagalog. In the video, she lovingly reminisce about the 500 pesos worth of phone cards that her husband spent to call her daily. “He did not just buy phone cards…he really took care of me”, Anna adds. It must be our sense of humor, our wonderful culture and the colorful heritage. Anna adds that “It’s so personal here in the Philippines. There is no handshake, there is kissing and hugging.”

A few weeks ago, I was seated next to Henry, an American expat who gushed to me how much he loved Kare-kare. adobo and the karoake singing. I thought he was just being polite. See how much I take things for granted. I was surprised when he stood up to sing “Ikaw Na” that I recorded it below.

Wow, he sang with gusto! IKAW NA, Henry!

Almost everyone in the Philippines loves to sing. It is one great way to relax and for others a way to cope during tough times.

As a citizen advocate, I often see some criticisms online that focuses on the negative side of the Filipino value system. There is the ambivalence of the “bahala na” mentality but it can actually have two sides. This Filipino attitude could be the root of the positive value of risk taking, entrepreneurship, and social responsibility.”

A people’s will to take chances and risks, no matter what difficulties and problems the future entails, is necessary for a nation’s growth and destiny. Bahala na could be a genuine faith and trust in Divine Providence that also presupposes a self-reliance (pagsasarili) that took the form of People Power in the EDSA revolution. Bahala na was a positive and nationalistic virtue for Jose Rizal, who believed that Filipinos could no longer rely on the Spaniards, but only on themselves and on God.

That is the positive way of looking at the “Bahala Na”. “When negative bahala na prevails, nothing ever gets done. Potholed roads, uncollected garbage, countless unsolved murders, carnaping and smuggling remain year after year. How many have ever been arrested, convicted or jailed for wanton murder or for notorious graft and corruption?”

There is so much goodness in the Filipino values and traits that I want to work with that. Positive traits speed up progress. I believe we should all step up and and ask ourselves , what can I do for my country? We are all doing our part and beyond our duty as citizens of this beloved country through our advocacies. Consistent, committed courageous people have changed the world as Mae Paner, my fellow advocate says.

Shall we?

Bukas ay Araw ng Kalayaan, ipagmamalaki natin kung bakit ang sarap maging Pilipino.

01Jun 2014

QualiMed: affordable & quality healthcare services for all

by Noemi Lardizabal-Dado ⋅ Leave a Comment

I still remember those sleepless nights filled with anxiety whenever one of my kids fell ill. This particular child was often sick every month. Driving to the Emergency room at least once a month was routine already.

Getting hospitalized is another thing. On one occasion, my toddler got struck with broncho-pneumonia which I knew to be deadly even during those days. Fortunately she got well and we were so grateful to the doctors and the hospital. Though we were happy at her recovery, the bill of 25,000 pesos in 1989 was more than our monthly income. Borrowing money from relatives was our only option to pay the hospital.

My husband was not yet a lawyer and our source of income was his part time job. To give you perspective, he was only earning 5,000 a month while I had a monthly income of at least 2,000. I resolved to get coverage from a Health Maintenance organization (HMO) for the family instead of a college plan. It’s been over 25 years now and it has served us well.

Not everyone has an HMO plan unless one gets these benefits from an employer. I am always in the lookout for an affordable HMO. Twenty five years later, my HMO is charging me 15,000 pesos a quarter. I guess as one gets older, the premium gets higher.

Enter QualiMed, offering affordable healthcare services for all. It is not a full-pledged HMO at this point but it can tie up with your HMO.

When I received the mommy blogger invite, I was impressed that QualiMed is a network of healthcare facilities owned and operated by Mercado General Hospital, Inc. (MGHI) in partnership with Ayala Land, Inc. (ALI). Dr. Edwin Mercado, is a close friend of my brother-in-law, a surgeon and my sister, a dermatologist. Even before QualiMed, Dr. Mercado was already serving affordable health care in their hospital in Tanuan, Batangas. I can tell you with confidence that you are in good hands with QualiMed only because I know the doctors behind this.

The first question that comes to mind is …Eh Ayala kayo, di mahal kayo? . I guess that is the first impression but what comes to my mind is quality service. There is a promise of “Integrated care delivery with strong focus on primary care”. With “Alagang Abot-Kaya” as brand promise, the healthcare facilities are intended to cater to the needs of the broad C market. QualiMed Health Network is devoted to fulfilling a commitment to 3As – Accessibility (ease of financial and physical access), Affordability (price predictability and competitiveness), and Appropriateness (quality service and genuine care).

Mommy bloggers got to tour the main QualiMed healthcare facility along Taft Avenue (formerly University Physicians Medical Center) which has the capabilities and services ranging from a multi-specialty medical clinic, an ambulatory or day surgery center, to a full-service general hospital. It is quite impressive.

Lorna Lardizabal-Dietz , my balikbayan sister already used the laboratory facilities in the main clinic along Taft Avenue in her two visits to the country. She says “state-of-the-arts services with great customer service and affordable rates.” As a happy customer , she availed of these services: CT scan, mammography, 2D echo, opthalmology exam, complete laboratory workup, colonoscopy, EKG and visited endocrinologist for her diabetes. I am planning to use their digital mammography service since they have a promo price of 999 pesos till mid-June. Dr. Mercado told me that this is less painful than the usual mammography.

Each hospital or clinic under QualiMed is strategically located in mixed-use developments that have commercial, office, and residential areas, making QualiMed services physically accessible to all.

There are plans to develop an HMO plan starting at 250 to 300 a month which I believe is affordable. PhilHealth only pays for hospital benefits. The key to good health is preventive health care. Filipinos need this accessibility . QualiMed’s advocacy of providing affordable healthcare services for all, is attained by a well-established procurement system and operational efficiencies. Every Filipino – regardless of socioeconomic status – deserves access to quality healthcare whenever and wherever a need arises. Prices are 30-40% lower than the market.

I am confident that the QualiMed healthcare services are provided by a competent medical team. My sister who practices dermatology has clinic here too. Dr. Mercado told me doctors are governed by clinical practice guidelines, duly credentialed by MGHI’s Office for Quality and Safety, and evaluated using performance metrics focused on output and patient outcomes.

Because of these, patients can expect to receive only the appropriate procedures and diagnostics corresponding to what they actually need. Here are the rates at their Trinoma Health clinic . Just click image to view the bigger file.

Click image for a bigger file

The health network’s operational facilities are QualiMed Manila (Taft Avenue, Manila), Daniel O. Mercado Medical Center (Tanauan, Batangas), and QualiMed Clinic in TriNoma (North Avenue, Quezon City). More facilities will open in various locations around the country. These are QualiMed Clinic in Fairview Terraces in Novaliches, Quezon City (opening in 3Q 2014), QualiMed Hospital in Sta. Rosa, Laguna (opening in 4Q 2015), QualiMed Hospital in San Jose Del Monte, Bulacan (opening in 4Q 2015) and QualiMed Hospital in Iloilo (opening in 3Q 2014). QualiMed Hospital in Iloilo is a women and children’s center. You can visit their facebook page at facebook.com/QualiMedPH or twitter and instagram account : @QualiMedPH.

More about QualiMed

MGHI is the parent company behind QualiMed Manila (formerly University Physicians Medical Center), the only advanced multi-specialty outpatient diagnostic and surgical center in Taft Avenue, Manila. MGHI also owns and operates the Daniel O. Mercado Medical Center (DMMC), a tertiary hospital in Tanauan, Batangas, recognized as a Center of Excellence by PhilHealth. MGHI also founded the DMMC Institute of Health Sciences (DMMC-IHS), a tertiary healthcare education institution, which also houses the Newborn Screening Reference Center for Southern Luzon.

ALI is the real estate arm of Ayala Corporation, one of the largest and most respected business houses in the Philippines. With its promise of “Enhancing Land, Enriching Lives for More People”, Ayala Land has a legacy of building large-scale, fully-integrated, mixed use communities that are sustainable and increase in value over time. Ayala Land’s product lines range from residential, malls, offices, hotels and resorts to new product lines such as convenience stores, supermarkets, and department stores.

ALI’s partnership with MGHI is its first healthcare venture. This would further complete and enhance the experience in ALI’s mixed-use communities. You can visit their facebook page at facebook.com/QualiMedPH or twitter and instagram account : @QualiMedPH.

20May 2014

Let #AndreaRosal bury her child

by Noemi Lardizabal-Dado ⋅ Leave a Comment

Originally posted at Compassionate justice is allowing #AndreaRosal to bury her child

“Malungkot na malungkot ako. Hindi na nga ako pinayagang makasama sa libing ng anak ko, sobrang iksi pa ng oras para makita ko siya sa burol,” – Andrea Rosal

Andrea is heartbroken that she will only be allowed three hours to attend the wake of her beloved daughter Diona Andrea. Her two day old daughter died due to persistent pulmonary hypertension.

“If my baby were still alive, I would not mind even if I just had a little time with her. I know that once I am free, I would be with her. Three hours is not enough for our last time together.”

My heart goes out to Andrea.

The Pasig City Regional Trial Court (RTC) Branch 266 denied the petition of Andrea Rosal to attend the funeral of her newborn daughter. She is only allowed to attend the wake at the Iglesia Filipina Independiente on May 21, 2014, 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. I find it insensitive that the RTC won’t allow Andrea to bury her child.

I first saw the reactions to the Court’s decision on twitter. @ChiliMedley, a lawyer and a mother herself, asked “What kind of lawyer would oppose a mother’s attendance at her child’s burial, in the face of all the leniency for Mrs. Napoles?”

I know how it is to lose a child. Do you know what it feels like? It feels like being thrown into a pit of darkness. The death of a child is the most devastating and debilitating pain that anyone will ever know. The news that our child is dead thrusts us into an experience that is horrendous beyond our wildest imagination. The pain is beyond comprehension. “Grief consumes us. It takes us over so completely that we feel we are the epitomy of pain and anguish”. There are things one can do to ease the pain. I believe one of the most helpful ways to ease the grief journey is to engage in rituals.

The grief ritual starts with the funeral. Burying one’s child is part of this ritual to move forward with the grieving process. Other rituals come along the way like : Lighting a candle at certain, special times of the day or week ; Planting a tree or flowers in your loved one’s memory; Making a donation to a charity that your loved one supported; Visiting your loved one’s burial site and many more.

I’d like to think that our government is ignorant of these rituals. It is too concerned about the “high risk detainee” category because she is allegedly a top official of the New People’s Army (NPA) in Southern Tagalog region. @Chilimedley adds “If they can set up security to move around a woman accused of stealing P10Bn, there is no reason why they cannot do it for”Andrea Rosal. Hazel aka @1nutty_hazel believes that even if Andrea “is so “high-risk”, I wouldn’t protest to additional security so she can attend her child’s burial.” Hazel says that with the huge amount of money we spend daily for the detention of Janet Napoles “why not spend a bit more for Andrea Rosal?” Andrea Lim points out that “GMA was allowed to spend her birthday w family in her hometown while #AndreaRosal isn’t even allowed an extra few days to bury her daughter.”

” sobrang iksi pa nang oras para makita ko siya sa burol. Hindi ba sapat na nawalan ako ng anak?”

Andrea Rosal is a mother. There is nothing more devastating than the death of a child. As a mother who lost a precious son 14 years ago, I know the pain Andrea is going through. Let Andrea Rosal bury her child.

This is compassionate justice.

Here are some of the reactions on twitter.

View the story “Reactions on Court’s compassionate justice #andrearosal” on Storify

Photo via Renato Reyes and Andrea Lim. Some rights reserved.

18May 2014

A mom’s ultimate wish: To be remembered laughing

by Noemi Lardizabal-Dado ⋅ Leave a Comment

by Minehaha

I do not really brood about dying. But it crosses my mind, now and again. It makes sense to think about it, death being one of life’s few certainties, the others being taxes and change.

Thus have I made a living will – simply a dos-and-don’ts list for when or just in case – God forbid – I could no longer express my will as to advance health care I get to receive. (Example Do feed me by nasal tube if I temporarily couldn’t swallow my food; don’t and I mean doncha ever slash my windpipe just to ease my breathing.)

Thus have I composed my own (tentative because a bit too mushy) epitaph – “She looked for the meaning of life… and found love.”

And now I want to make sure I am making memories. Happy, funny, delicious memories that would be the stuff of family conversations long after I’d have gone.

In other words, I want to be remembered laughing.

No, silly, I don’t mean a remembrance of laughing me or me laughing. A laughing image of me would be hard to conjure.My smile is really a smirk.And I have this annoying habit of suppressing laughter, no thanks to an early blemish on a front tooth, which though long ago corrected has left an incorrigible tendency to avoid showing teeth at all cost.

More to the point, I want my family and friends to laugh laugh laugh when they think of me.

I want to be associated with things funny and happy and quirky.

Like my penchant for getting lost.

I want them to chuckle when they say: “Remember when mom got lost when we went on pilgrimages to Antipolo, to Agoo? Remember how she spent the night in a stranger’s house in Agoo, sleeping on the floor, and then taking the first bus to Manila the next morning?” And someone would probably add, giggling: “She got lost, too, shopping in Mega Mall.” Hopefully they will forget their mom had the temerity to get angry and scold them and insist THEY were the ones who strayed.

I want them to roll on the floor laughing when they recall my fashion style that dotes on shoulder pads, blouses worn back side front, stirruped pants, buttoned up collars, passionate-red lipstick, and a fluffy “banged” hairdo. Surely, someone would remark how I’d get pikon if anyone so much as snickered at the piquancy of my wardrobe. They had no way of knowing then — had they — that they could laugh their butts off, with permission, when the time comes.

They should also remember, smiling and with matching lip-smacking, my lengua, kare-kare and embutido – rated the best in the world by a six-person, panel of tasters, never mind that they are biased and possibly intimidated by sharp looks from the cook.If I get lucky, they would also drool for my deep, dark, mmmmmoist chocolate cake, never mind that it is unevenly layered, sloppily glazed and iced and always in danger of toppling over.

I am sure they would get hysterical recalling how on one occasion, while intending to replenish kare-kare in a foodwarmer at a party held at home, I poured a bowlful of lengua instead. Thus was born a “fusion dish” that would forever be associated exclusively with my cooking: “Karengua.”

A quick survey of my children’s memories told me they remember the mom of their youth:for unfailing Friday night pasalubongs (that could vary from hopia to belekoy to doughnuts to siopao depending on the state of her temperament and wallet); for shopping trips that usually ended at Goldilocks; for Christmas gifts that usually overreached her capacity to buy.

And wouldn’t they guffaw when they remember one Christmas I got remote-control cars months ahead of the holidays. How I kept them in what I thought was the most out-of-reach hiding place. How they discovered the toys and then stealthily played with them weeks before Christmas, with mom in the office blissfully ignorant that the surprise gifts have been prematurely found and pre-empted.

They would, of course, also remember unsavory things, like her being pikon when corrected, her tendency not to listen to explanations, and her uninspired housekeeping– but these are of course to be glossed over.

These days, I try (and often succeed) not to impulsively vent out when I get pissed out. I put brakes on my tendency to nag, scold, criticize, complain, whine.

I have come to realize – I hope not too late — that motherhood is all about building memories. Memories not of a perfect mother, but of a fallible, all-too-human, funny-without-trying mom.

14May 2014

Why “Glam moms” is an elitist, misleading concept

by Noemi Lardizabal-Dado ⋅ 1 Comment

Written By Alina Co

A little over two years ago, I shot a promotional video where the TV host/glam mom was telling us all about her new TV show.katie But what she said sort of disturbed me. She said, “I want moms to know they can have it all.”

By saying “having it all”, she meant that moms can do everything: care for your family, maintain a flourishing career and stay beautiful and fit all at the same time.

Really now? If only she could have read the subtitle in my head.

For moms, “having it all” can be easy if your husband earns a living, high enough to sustain you whole family. It’s easy if you and your husband were born from rich families, and you have all the support you need: yayas you can hire, a grand mom who’s eager to babysit the kids anytime, a driver who can ease Manila’s traffic woes. “Having it all” means mommy can take a part-time or consulting job, and have time to sweat it out at the gym and get pampered in a spa.

The concept of a “glam mom”, as what the TV host and her show espoused, remains elitist, an ideal that upper-class women uphold so they can claim their superiority.

I am not a mom myself, but I couldn’t help but cringe when magazines present these women as picture-perfect ladies who live their happy endings everyday. Sure, I don’t think what they’re presenting are lies. But I hope the writer won’t forget to add that these women have high disposable incomes.

I cringe because there’s Telly, a single mom who struggles with a high-paying yet stress-inducing advertising job to give her child a good future. I roll my eyes because Nina, a bank manager, works full-time so that she and her husband can have enough money to buy a house and an educational plan for their daughter. She takes on the “mom” hat in the morning before she commutes to the office and in the evening, takes it off, because her little darling is already asleep. This “perfect mom” misrepresentation can make moms like Krisel feel inadequate because she’s gotten overweight and she hasn’t found time to shed the pregnancy pounds since she went back to work.

“Glam moms” can be too shiny and sparkling that people cannot see what’s behind those pearly white teeth. I just think it’s about time people spoke the truth.

Because the truth is, it shouldn’t be about “having it all.” Magazines and glossies should show real women and their real struggles. Women who try, despite the obstacles, should be the ones celebrated.

For these are the moms who really had a lot to sacrifice. Being “glam” is just the package. Tear that up and you’ll see beauty in the half-blow dried hair, the frazzled commute to make it from the office to the family day, her tearful smile when the sleepy toddler, half-awake on a weekday evening, whispers “Mama, I love you.”

* This piece is dedicated to my mommy, who didn’t have it all, but instead gave us her all.

10May 2014

Your mother is always with you

by Noemi Lardizabal-Dado ⋅ Leave a Comment

A mother will always be a mother. Somewhere in my kitchen is a cross-stitched frame “The mother’s heart is the child’s schoolroom. ”

I tear as I write this blog post. I teared when I recorded my bubbly audio post that I had to retake it three times. I ‘m not too good with words . I only know what is in my heart. Though I don’t get to see or talk to my two girls that often, I pray everyday that they are healthy, safe and happy.

There are many mothers like me who can’t be with their children and many children who can’t be with their mothers on Mother’s day. You can listen to my audio post below:

The text of the poem is as follows:

Your Mother is always with you.
She’s the whisper of the leaves as you walk down the street.
She’s the smell of certain foods you remember, flowers you pick and
perfume that she wore.
She’s the cool hand on your brow when you’re not feeling well.
She’s your breath in the air on a cold winter’s day.
She is the sound of the rain that lulls you to sleep, the colors of a
rainbow. She is Christmas morning.
Your Mother lives inside your laughter.
She’s crystallized in every teardrop.
A mother shows every emotion ………. happiness, sadness, fear,
jealousy, love, hate, anger, helplessness, excitement, joy,
sorrow… and all the while, hoping and praying you will only know the good
feelings in life. She’s the place you came from, your first home, and she’s
the map you follow with every step you take.
She’s your first love; your first friend, even your first enemy, but
nothing on earth can separate you. Not time, not space…not
even death!

Author: unknown

Maybe I tear because I have parenting regrets that I cannot undo . Perhaps, it is because I miss shopping with them or having them curl up in bed. There are no regrets that I gave up my career to be their full-time mother , watching them grow to be beautiful, compassionate and smart girls. My proudest mom moment was when my children taught me to be a better mom. There is so much joy in being a mother from the time my kids grew up from being a baby to their adult twenty-something years of age.

I love being the new me because of my children.

I often ask myself if I have loved my children enough and done the best job that I possibly can. Then as human nature goes, I remember the mistakes that I made and how they might have hurt my children. I did pick up the pieces and tried to be better. Yet I never stopped loving my children even in the times when I seemed distant. My children have been a witness to my struggle and the new me. I am so proud that they taught me a lot. I am proud that they are my children. When I think of them, tears roll down because they make me happy.

I wish they will always be with me to love and to hold but I know at the same time, I should just step back and watch then fly high and free.

My mom died when I was only 19 years old but throughout the years, she has always been with me… Mom will always be with me. My girls also know that their mom will always be with them. Wherever they may be, their mother is always be with them.

09May 2014

A Cherie Blair Foundation Mentee in the May 2014 group of the Mentoring Women in Business Programme

by Noemi Lardizabal-Dado ⋅ Leave a Comment

Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever.
Mahatma Gandhi

One is never too old to learn. At 56 years old, I continually challenge myself to learn new things because I want to enjoy every minute of my life. I am honored to be one of the 17 Filipinas nominated for the May 2014 group of the Mentoring Women in Business Programme which is a one year mentoring program of the Cherie Blair Foundation.

The Cherie Blair Foundation matched me with a mentor who lives in the UK based on the goals and interests I outlined in the application forms. I met my mentor for the first time last night and we had a great time, chatting over Skype. I believe we are great match and look forward to working with him over the next year.

There are a suite of free, online tools for our meetings –Gchat, Skype, Google Hangouts, Viber, etc that will be quite useful. This mentoring program is really exciting for women around the world.

We match women in developing and emerging countries with male and female mentors around the world. Using our online platform, they spend 12 months working one-on-one to achieve key business goals. Participants build their business skills and digital literacy through our trainings, and become part of a global community of committed, ambitious entrepreneurs who are invested in each other’s success.

Many women in developing and emerging markets have the ideas and ambition to become successful entrepreneurs but are held back by barriers such as lack of access to business skills, technology, networks and finance. In response, the Foundation has developed an innovative solution that combines mentoring with technology to offer cross-border support to women entrepreneurs.

The programme boosts confidence, improves business performance and ultimately creates wealth for the entrepreneurs we support.

Mentoring is a great opportunity to help both the mentee and mentor grow. This is an exciting year and I am challenged to meet my goals.

“Encouraging women to become entrepreneurs has the positive effect of helping more women participate in the workforce”

08May 2014

Hey Mom! portal : an online sisterhood for moms

by Noemi Lardizabal-Dado ⋅ Leave a Comment

I am quite honored to be selected as one of the mom contributors for Unilab’s Hey Mom! portal. Most mom-oriented brands prefer the younger moms to engage with their products or services. I believe I have a lot to share about parenting and am grateful for being given this opportunity to share these stories outside my blog. Aside from myself, former international model and VJ Amanda Griffin Jacob is one of the celebrity contributors. Her projects revolve around motherhood which has proven to be Amanda’s passion. Actress Mylene Dizon is another contributor as a single and playful mom.

Unilab prepared this very special gift for moms just in time for Mothers’ Day—an online community made by Filipino mothers for Filipino mothers. Hey Mom! is an online portal specifically designed to be a resource for moms to access and exchange relevant information that will help in their everyday parenting tasks.

Hey Mom! provides mothers with knowledge on a wide variety of topics: pregnancy, childbirth, nutrition, raising kids, taking care of themselves, and more. It contains stories from friends—Filipino moms who speak from experience who are sincerely there to help. It is a community so diverse that moms are bound to find a friend who they can share different parenting techniques with, parenting statuses, and many other parenting stories.

Here is what I shared during the May 8 website launch:

For Moms, By Moms

Moms are very blessed in this day of the information highway. During the eighties, I relied on books and some friends for tips. My mom died when I was a teen so she was not there to guide me. The Hey Mom! Portal will certainly be useful for first-time moms who may need some guidance.

Mothers are naturally hungry for information when it comes to parenting and their children but because information is readily available on the internet, it can get confusing for moms. The Hey Mom! portal also wants to acknowledge that there is no single rule when it comes to parenting. What worked for one mom may not necessarily work for another and this where Hey Mom! can help.

Simplifying Information

To further help moms simplify the information that they get, the Hey Mom! portal is customizable to the needs of the members. Upon sign-up, information about the moms and their children will be collected and will be used to tailor fit the topics that will appear on the homepage.

Hey Mom! does not offer one point of view but explores different opinions and parenting styles. The portal encourages conversations between our members in our portal as we know that moms usually listen to other moms. Articles for all types of moms—expecting, new and experienced—will be available in the portal. Moms are free to express their own opinions on the topics and share their experiences in the website through the comment boxes.

To register and find out more details about Hey Mom, users can visit heymom.com.ph or join us on www.facebook.com/heymomph.

06May 2014

The joys of being a mother #YouTheMom

by Noemi Lardizabal-Dado ⋅ Leave a Comment

“Raising a kid is part joy and part guerilla warfare.” – Ed Asner

My proudest mom moment was when my children taught me to be a better mom. Today I will take the task of listing down the joys of motherhood from the time my kids grew up from being a baby to their adult twenty-something years of age.

1. I loved being their primary caregiver.

I recall how I stared at all my three babies when they were born. I recall the same beautiful eyes that looked back at me with love. I look at them today and see the same beautiful mouth that made me cry when they first smiled at me. It was not long ago that I held them in my arms long after they fell asleep and I just kept rocking them all night long, kissing their soft hair and basking in their baby-sweet fragrance.

2. I loved being their first teacher.

When they were babies, I thought of their future lives. Perhaps, they would fly to the moon or if not at least land on a star. Whatever their future held, I made sure I nurtured their God-given talent during their first six years of life. Experts say children are like a sponge in those early years and I need to take advantage of that huge window of learning. I taught my children to read and write even before they reached pre-school. I taught them how to sing even if I was out of pitch. I taught basic piano lessons, which they needed if they wanted to pursue their singing talents. I taught them to pray that God lives in their hearts. I taught them that they needed to study on their own without my help once they reached third grade. I taught them that their grades were their responsibility and not mine. That their education belonged to them and my responsibility is to ensure they finish a college education. I taught them basic foundation of life and if they don’t believe or pursue my beliefs; that is their choice, not mine.

I believe mothers can only teach so much, and other factors like peer pressure, media exposure and school education come into play.

3. I loved being their ““almost best friend.”

So many times they ask me questions while their beautiful eyes look at me with trust, confusion and innocence. I have often prayed that my answers guide them. Even though I always want to protect them and step in for them when they make a difficult decision, it is very important that I do not interfere so that they will learn from their own experiences and develop confidence in their own judgment. As their ““almost best friend,” I listen patiently as they whine, roar, cheer and rant.

There is a fine line between telling our kids too much or too little. I hope I struck a proper balance somehow.

4. I love how they bring up their mom.

I recall the time when I first looked up at M. She suddenly grew taller. Instead of looking down to a little girl, I was staring and arguing with a much taller girl. “Look at you”. These words spilled out when she surprised me, standing there looking so grown-up and lovely. These same words spill out when they catch me off-guard. Gone are the days, when my rule was law. I learned to give and take. They awe me with their unexpected strength of heart and wisdom far beyond their years.

“Mom, look at me.” This often wakes me up from my controlled parenting as I learn to adjust to their moods and idiosyncracies.

“Look at you” are words that come out when I talk to myself telling the parent in me to wake up and see the amazing young women standing where I left my baby girls. I remind myself to look and know how special each child is, to see their value, their true worth that is reflected in their eyes.

5. I love being the new me because of them

I wish they will always be with me to love and to hold but I know at the same time, I should just step back and watch then fly high and free.

04May 2014

“Look Up” – A spoken word film for an online generation

by Noemi Lardizabal-Dado ⋅ Leave a Comment

‘Look Up’ is a lesson taught to us through a love story, in a world where we continue to find ways to make it easier for us to connect with one another, but always results in us spending more time alone

How true this is! When we asked the panelists on what their wishlist is for the Future of Media, some of the panelists gave some interesting points on real people outside our gadgets.

1.” Spend time with your loved ones, friends – with real people in the real world.” – Yves Gonzles

2. No one in his deathbed wished that he spent more time on social media.” – Yves Gonzales

3. “It’s not about the technology or the tools, it’s about the people. Have real human relationships. ” Ros Juan

4. “Make sure to live a full, offline life.” Tim Yap

5. “Go out there and get the information yourself. Make the conscious effort to educate yourself. ” Erwan Heussaff

6. “I sense digital loneliness in some people. ” Jim Paredes

I definitely agree that the connected consumers or connected citizens (Generation C) need to disconnect and go on a digital detox and connect in real life. That is what we, citizen advocates do with our social media tools.

Using social media to effect social good is my dream for the future and it needs connecting to real people outside. In the Philippines, internet penetration is only 30%. The rest of the population do not have the opportunity to listen to the information that the online generation have. It is one reason I reach out to the masses through the Bubbly audio app because my content is heard on ordinary phones.

While the “Look up” video does have value, it forgets the many good things about using social media for social good. Here are the thoughts of the advocates:

1. “Social media is at its most meaningful if we use it to help those without access” – Inday Varona

2. “It’s easy to be popular. But it’s different to be able to influence agenda & change. Choose the ‘underadvocated’ issues – Amor Maclang

3. “The internet is also platform for fostering accountability and good governance -Malou Mangahas

4. The next big advocacy for us is the 2016 PH elections. We must make a river of change – Malou Mangahas

5. “If we are comfortable with a revolution, change will be easier” – Mae Paner

Jim Paredes predicts the future of media as devices becoming extensions of ourselves ; extended neuro system . That can be good or bad. Good -if it does bridge the digital divide…bad if it disconnects people from communicating with each other.

The message of the “Look up” video is significant to the online generation, the digital natives who started with playing the iPad as babies. Some children “are growing up in a world where they don’t play outside or communicate with their friends. It seems today everything is done via text message or over the internet. It’s heartbreaking”.

When the internet was still so new to me in 1996, many relatives frowned on exposing my children online. I was also just as anxious but I made sure the kids had balance in their play time, extra-curricular activities and studies. Pia Hontiveros brings up the digital divide in this question: “If the World Wide Web made the world a smaller place, why can’t we dream the same thing for our 7,100-plus islands?”

“Technology is not bad if used the right way, do not abuse it and do not get too attached to it. doing something is good, doing something too much is not good. this relates to everything” . This comment in the video sums up the message of “Look up”.

Allow me to make the “Look up” video statement more positive. Let’s not overuse social media that it defeats the goal of being social… We live in “a world where we continue to find ways to make it easier for us to connect with one another” and we know how to balance our digital and offline life for social good.

That means being really social and doing good to others.

« Previous 1 … 40 41 42 43 44 … 159 Next »

Post Navigation