It’s been a long time since Kristine Hermosa and I just had our last kwentuhan. It was only a few days ago when we finally got to see each other again and, of course, we did some reminiscing.
Kristine is an actress, daughter, wife and mother all rolled into one. Her very seldom onscreen appearances already make obvious that Kristine prioritizes her being a mother to her five children namely, Kiel, Ondrea, Kaleb, Vin and Vittorio, with husband Oyo Sotto. The last time I saw her on TV, if my memory serves me right, was on her father-in-law Vic Sotto’s sitcom Daddy’s Gurl.
“Actually, Tito Boy, it was really my choice, kumbaga nabigyan na ako ng chance to experience that (acting) so here I am now,” said Kristine during our one-on-one for The Interviewer Presents on the Boy Abunda Talk Channel on YouTube.
Even when she can have her plate full with showbiz commitments like other celebrity moms do, Kristine prefers to focus on her family.
“Well, ngayon na maliliit pa ang mga anak ko, masasabi ko na hindi ko s’ya pwedeng gawing hati-hati. I mean, I could do that if I wanted to but I choose to stay with my kids to support them because they’re still young.”
However, Kristine is not completely shutting the door on acting again in the future.
“Na-mi-miss ko rin naman ang showbiz s’yempre, pero siguro ‘pag malalaki na sila, that’s the time that I will slowly go back to acting.
“Being a mom, to be honest, is not easy. There are so many challenges, but when you know exactly what you like and truly love what you do, like me, I love being a mom and a wife, everything becomes easy, especially when your heart is into it.”
Part of her and Oyo’s parenting approach is monitoring their children’s activities. Kristine revealed that they do not allow them to watch television for fear that their kids might be exposed to shows with inappropriate content or violence.
“TV wala talaga, kinakabahan kami sa TV kasi malingat ka lang baka kung ano na ‘yung makita nila so mahirap,” she remarked. “It’s too early for their minds to be polluted, although the time will come when we will let them go out and explore the world but at this point, we want to make sure that their foundation is strong.”
She furthered, “If there is a show that they want to watch, we need to check first if it is okay before allowing them to watch it. There are only certain days when they are allowed to watch, for example on weekends, but not during weekdays. They need to finish their home schooling first. When we allow them, we make sure that we know what they are watching and that they have a time limit.”
Below are excerpts from our conversation. Read on.
You are a daughter, a mother and a wife. Who are you first?
“Kahit na pilitin kong maging wife muna, hindi ko magagawa ‘yun sa lima kong anak. Mag-pro-protesta silang lahat (laughs). So, definitely, (I am) a mother first.”
May panahon na nag-seselos si Oyo?
“Hindi naman, Tito Boy, kasi alam naman namin ‘yung pinasok namin na once na magka-anak kami, ito talaga ‘yun. It’s a commitment. So, we just find time like, for example, if there’s nothing much to do then, we can go out.”
Paano ka binago ng pagiging isang ina?
“Ngayon ko na-realize na ganun pala ang sakripisyo ng mga ina. So, mas na-appreciate ko ‘yung nanay ko, nanay ni Oyo, lahat ng nanay sa mundo. Sabi ko grabe pala ‘yung pinag-dadaanan nila so eto pala ‘yun. This is what it means kumbaga, they are very selfless. ‘Yung pagmamahal nila, di bale na mawalan sila ng oras for themselves just to serve their children.”
So, there’s truth to what they’re saying that the moment you become a mother, you are no longer the center of your own universe. It’s not about you anymore, it’s about your children.
“Yeah, and your perspective in life will also change. ‘Yung fashion mo mag-iiba, ‘yung oras ng gising mo mag-iiba, ‘yung katawan mo mag-iiba. Everything will change including your hormones (laughs).”
Do you pray together as a family?
“Of course, Tito Boy, ‘yan ang No. 1 sa amin kumbaga, it’s hard to go through your day without starting with a prayer. We teach them to pray first.”
Let’s talk about your parenting style, kayo ni Oyo.
“We’re both disciplinarians. We take turns like kung sino ang mas mahaba ang pasensya today because you really need to have patience in order to deal with them.”
Is this something you talk about like kunwari, hindi ako okay ngayon, ikaw muna?
“For example, I’m not feeling well today or I didn’t have enough sleep because you know when you lack sleep, you snap easily so, I’ll tell him to handle the kids or if he’s not okay, I take charge, palitan kami.”
How do you discipline the children?
“First of all, we explain to them that discipline is good. So, we would tell them that when we correct you, it’s for your own good and they understand that. They know that they should obey their Mama and Dada.”
Namamalo kayo?
“Kailangan, Tito Boy, but only until a certain age kumbaga, si Caleb and Vin, may rod pa sila but when it comes to Kiel and Ondrea, wala na.”
Do you explain to them why?
“Yes, kumbaga ‘pag pinalo mo sila, you have to explain to them why or what they did is wrong, so we need to correct that. But we also make sure to explain to them that they are not bad but the thing they did.”
Let’s talk about the challenges of being a parent, especially that you are raising very different kids or one is extremely different from the other, how is that?
“For example, Kiel is already a teenager and sometimes it’s a bit hard for him to express himself. So, we always remind him that he can talk to us and tell us what’s on his mind. We would tell him to share what he’s thinking for us to guide him.
“With Ondrea, she has many questions about changes in the body and we have to explain to her one by one (laughs). What’s nice is that they listen and they trust us na kapag sinabi ni Mama or ni Dada, totoo ‘yun. So, trust is really important in any relationship.”
May nakikitaan ka bang mahilig mag artista?
“Si Kiel gusto daw nya mag artista. Si Ondrea naman gusto mag singer kasi siguro nakikita na ginagawa namin so gusto rin nila although they have other things that they wish to do like to be a motocross rider o to be a pilot. We will support them to whatever it is they want to be.”
You have five kids and some mothers are competitive in arts, drama club, medals, etc. Are you that kind of a mother?
“I’m not like that. Hindi kami ganun ni Oyo. We would always remind them that in everything that you do, do your best. Pero kumbaga hindi naman nila kailangan makipag-compete. I mean, it’s okay to be competitive because it motivates you to do your best but it’s not good when you hurt your confidence, ‘yung nawalan ka ng loob dahil lang hindi ka nagka medal. Hindi kami ganun ni Oyo kumbaga, maliliit na developments nila, maliliit na milestones sine-celebrate namin, happy na kami doon.”
(To watch the full interview, visit the Boy Abunda Talk Channel or batalk channel on YouTube.)