THE reality of today’s parenting life is multifaceted and demanding, to say the least. With information readily available and social media, we are pressured to study so many aspects of our child’s growth. Parents today cannot help but worry most of the time. Since 2018, my quest has been to seek and share advice on “simplifying parenting.” My hope is to allow each parent to have a calm, fulfilling and enjoyable parenting journey.
On November 13, I attended a parenting forum hosted by Abbott, a global health-care leader. The forum was called “When Mom and Dad Team Up, Amazing Learning Happens.” I learned further how the team parenting mindset can help simplify parenting.
For generations, moms and dads have had their differences when it comes to parenting styles and approaches. Raising a child requires cooperation from both parents; to put it simply, there must be teamwork. Celebrity couples Bianca Gonzalez and JC Intal, along with actor Patrick Garcia and his wife, Nikka Martinez highlighted the importance of team parenting. Guided by pediatrician and child psychologist Dr. Joseph Regalado, they shared the challenges encountered and the lessons learned firsthand with members of the audience. They also discussed the science behind team parenting, and how collaboration between parents makes a significant impact on a child—be it on discipline or the best nutrition.
Each parenting journey is unique. As such, there is no one-size-fits-all approach when it comes to raising a child. “Research suggests that the majority of parents display a certain parenting style that may or may not differ from that of his or her partner,” Dr. Joseph Regalado said at the forum. “Thus, team parenting is when these two different parenting styles work in harmony to achieve the common goal—raising their child to be the best he or she can be.”
“We all have our individual styles and approaches to being a mom or a dad because no two parents are alike,” Bianca Gonzalez said. Their game plan? “Team parenting isn’t about agreeing with each other all the time; it’s about communication, compromise and collaboration. JC and I have our differences, but we always try to meet halfway. Despite how different we are, we complement each other as we work together as a team, and seeing how Lucia is growing up to be smart and strong, we’re confident that we’re doing a good job.”
As experts in science-based nutrition, Abbot has adopted a dual approach in creating the breakthrough formula in Similac GainSchool. According to Dr. Jose Rodolfo Dimaano Jr., area medical director for Abbott’s Asia-Pacific region, “Similac GainSchool provides children with the dual benefit of 2’-FL HMO, which strengthens a child’s immunity, and 10 key brain nutrients for faster learning. With these ingredients working together to shape a smart brain and strong immunity, children are able to achieve a more well-rounded sense of growth and development.”
Proper nutrition establishes a strong foundation for a child to thrive. Similac GainSchool, with 2’-FL HMO and 10 key brain nutrients, provides preschool-aged children with proper nutrition. It also helps parents fulfill their team parenting game plan: to equip their children with good health for faster learning.
I was also lucky to be able to get real-life advice from the celebrity couples with regards to their view on simplifying parenting.
Patrick Garcia and Nikka Martinez
Patrick: “If you are enjoying what you do, it becomes really simple because it turns out to be fun. Whether nagkakagulo sa bahay, as long as your mindset is simple, you’re having fun because having a family is fun…having children is fun, everything becomes so much easier.”
Nikka: “I’d like to believe that you make a decision once and live by it. When we decided to be parents, we make the most out of it. We committed to it so we both wanted to do this; so we’re both going to do it…so it makes it simple. At the end of the day, we want to be the best parents we can be.”
JC Intal and Bianca Gonzalez
JC: “For me, based on my experience, as much as possible I want to be flexible. If I know my parenting style is not working, I try to do other things. Like Bianca, when I see how she communicates with my daughter, and if it’s working, I’m going to copy it. If it’s not working, then I will do my own thing.”
Bianca: “For me, in terms of guiding our child emotionally, I think the way to simplify it is, I read it in an article and it has worked for us… Acknowledge your feelings, so even us as adults whenever we feel sad or mad, it’s important to us that we are acknowledged, right? That our feelings are acknowledged. More so with our child. So whenever our child feels something, we always tell her, ‘I know you’re sad, but…’ then we try to explain. ‘It’s okay that you want to cry. We understand.’ So understanding the feelings of your child is so important just so they know it is okay to feel things.”
The Power of Two truly simplifies parenting.