
Bettinna Carlos admits being a single parent can be both physically and emotionally exhausting.
So, instead of getting stressed about it, the TV host/celebrity influencer advises fellow single moms to always start the day with this powerful tip: a prayer.
“Prayer lang talaga. I just cover everything with prayer. I start my day with prayer. Everything I have to do, I pray for.
“Kasi, you know, if you're a single parent, you're the only one physically there to parent your child.
“You can't also be overwhelmed with fears, di ba?
“Siyempre, if you're a first-time mom, you tend to be paranoid over some of the things, di ba?
“Pero that fear will not help you, it will not do you any good.
“So, it's important that you lift up your child and your life to the one who can really protect you, which is God lang talaga,” Bettinna told GMAnetwork.com and other reporters before she and her daughter Gummy took on the Nido 3+/5+ City Challenge at KidZania Manila in Bonifacio Global City in Taguig last Saturday, October 27.
Bettinna also noted that it helped her when she taught Gummy about their family setup.
She said, “I'm able to manage because siguro my seven-year-old child, I have trained her since she was very little talaga and we are together in almost everything.
“She's with me when I work, when I'm in the kitchen.
“Now, when we home school, we're together also.
“So, she knows how to behave in different situations everywhere we are.
“When mommy's working, she's gonna help me or she's gonna have alone time.”
She further stressed, “It's communication also. I communicate with her that this is our schedule, what's gonna happen today, do you wanna go with me.”
Right now, Bettinna said her parenting style with her seven-year-old daughter has shifted “from being always there to taking a step back, asking her, and giving her choices.”
She added, “I'm letting her choose and be accountable to her choices, and just oversee of what she chooses.”
When asked what kind of parent she is to Gummy, Bettinna replied, “I'm a cross between lenient and authoritative.
“I'm the kind of mom who always believes in letting your children go.”
She said she's taking the lead from her parents, “Kasi, I was raised that way. Lahat ng interests ko, my parents supported.
“They weren't the kind na, 'O, you have to finish this first before you start another one.'
“Kasi, they wanted to expose me to more things, as many things as possible.
“Then, kung saan nila nakita yung interest ko, they encourage me to pursue.
“With Gummy, it's the same thing.”
Bettinna said it's important to note that, “As a parent, it's important that you don't limit the interest of your child.
“As much as possible, you expose them to a lot of things kasi you don't know yet what they're good at and what God has for them also.
“I have really learned to protect and let go. Let go, let them explore.”
For parents who have fear of letting their children explore on their own, Bettinna left this message, “Contrary to what you think, it really does them more good than harm. You're just there as a parent to oversee if they are doing well.”