Sunshine Cruz said she's grateful for having an open and trusting relationship with her three daughters—Angelina, 19, Samantha, 16, and Francheska, 15.
Although the 43-year-old actress admitted, "It is very difficult to be a single mom, 'tapos nagtatrabaho pa ako," she has remained secure in the knowledge that her daughters have always listened to her.
She said, "Thank God, nakikinig naman sa akin ang mga anak ko.
"They respect me and they support me and they know that whatever I’m doing, kung ano man trabahong ginagawa ko, para rin naman sa kanila kasi yun.
"So I’m just blessed to have three girls na nakikinig at rumerespeto talaga sa sinasabi ko."
Angelina, for her part, recalled two lessons imparted by her mom that made a mark on her: "One would be, career-wise, to always work hard and, eventually you’ll get to where you’ll want to.
"You can’t go wrong with working hard and being committed to something.
"Second would be to always be myself and to love myself as well."
Sunshine and Angelina were interviewed by the press during their launch last Thursday, February 4, 2021, as endorsers of Silka.
Asked if she has also given her mom a piece of advice, Angelina told the press she has been keeping Sunshine up to date with the latest trends in fashion.
She said, "She’d always ask me like what’s in right now with the Gen-Z, yung mga trends, how you accessorize, how you dress.
"She’d always ask me that, and I introduced her to necklace layering. I showed her photos and she liked it and now she’s really into that.
"It’s usually mga trends now of people around my age, she wants to get into it din po."
Sunshine affirmed, "Kasi napaka-fashionista niyang si Angelina, I don’t usually wear necklaces, but ngayon nagle-layering na ako and it’s because of her talaga. Pagdating sa fashion, yes."
Angelina also revealed that their mom would sometimes ask all three of them to teach her the latest dances on TikTok.
Angelina said, "She’d also ask us for help with the dances and everything. Usually, the dances she’d want to learn, I don’t really know them.
"So she’d ask me like, ‘Can you teach me that?’ ‘I don’t know that.’ So she sometimes would teach herself, like her latest TikTok po with Tito Macky [Mathay]."
Sunshine, brimming with motherly love, segued, "Sa pag-uugali naman, napakababait naman ng mga anak ko.
"Siguro kapag mainit ang ulo ko at nakikita ko sila, nag-iiba yung mood ko.
"Yun ang naituturo nila sa akin, every time I see them, I realize how blessed I am.
"Na kasi andito yung tatlong anak ko na mahal na mahal din naman ako, kaya mahal na mahal ko din talaga at very proud ako sa kanila."
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A PARENT ABOVE ALL
The 43-year-old celebrity mom and actress said she has always relished having an easygoing relationship with her daughters.
But Sunshine also stressed she never lets them forget that above being a buddy, she is first of all their mom.
She explained, "Ang parenting style ko now is I treat them as my friends, but there are times that I would tell them, lalo na kapag pinapagalitan ko or meron akong sinasabi, you have to take me seriously as your mom.
"Pero kapag nagbibiruan tayo or we talk about crushes or things that worry you, then you treat me as a friend.
"Kesa, sabi ko nga, kesa sa mga kaibigan kayo magsabi, nandito ako and, of course, I only want what’s best for your, for the three of you.
"So mas magandang sa akin sabihin kasi whatever advice na ibibigay ko... will be for the best of my children and alam ko na makakabuti sa kanila.
"Wala naman talagang mom na gustong mapasama ang kids, so talagang nandun yung love and affection every time I would advise things to them."
