As a mother of three beautiful children, host/socialite Divine Lee reveals that her friends now turn to her for parenting tips and motherhood advice.
Iza Calzado, who recently became a mother herself, has sought Divine's guidance on raising her baby.
Long-time friends since high school, these two celebrities share a deep fondness for each other and maintain an open and supportive relationship, especially when it comes to offering advice.
Iza revealed in an interview with PEP.ph (Philippine Entertainment Portal) that it was Divine who offered her one of the best mommy tips: "There is no advice."
READ Iza Calzado on motherhood: “The best advice is no advice.”
During an interview with PEP.ph on May 18, 2023, at the Southeast Asia launch of Elizabeth Arden's new Advanced Light Ceramide Capsules, Divine elaborated on why she gave this particular motherhood advice to Iza.
She recalled, “At one point when I had Baz, ang dami kong expectation sa sarili ko. I gave myself hell, my expectation of myself was too bad.
"So when Iza was having a hard time. Sabi ko, ‘Ito advice ko sa iyo girl, no advice.’"
Divine also pointed out that babies are too young to realize when their moms make mistakes, which can be a comforting thought to moms who feel the need to do things perfectly.
She said, "Magkakamali ka, hindi naman niya malalaman. Aaminin na lang natin pag matanda na siya. There are so many moms doing the wrong things.
"For me, it’s really you just do you. Alam naman natin na mahal ni Iza si Deia.
"I also said, 'Your children will be tougher kids because you are doing the journey together...'"
She also told Iza, "Wala akong [karapatang] magsabi because even with three kids, I am not better than you.
"Hanggang ngayon nanghuhula ako, walang manual ito. No advice, huwag ka lang makinig sa kanila."
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LEARNING FROM HER CHILDREN
Divine believes that the most effective way for parents to navigate and embrace parenthood is by learning from their own children's experiences.
"I feel like more than them learning from me—teaching them ABCs, teaching them to say ‘please’ and ‘thank you’—I learn more from them," she said.
Divine recounted an instance when Baz, her eldest son, inadvertently served as a reminder for her to appreciate the blessings in life.
"Like the other day, it was Baz’s birthday, but he chose to do a soccer tournament.
"Sabi ko napaka-weather dependent and kailangan madaming pumunta or else hindi tayo makapag-tournament.
"On the way there in the morning, umuulan na, so sabi ko, 'Paano ito?'
"In the car, it was still raining, so I said, 'Ay, naku, Baz, you better pray because it’s raining, we have no back-up.'
"He prayed talaga and then he sang, 'Thank you for sunshine, thank you for rain.'"
She continued, "This child unknowingly just taught me something. I was telling him na sana na huwag na umulan, but he just thanked the Lord for the sunshine and rain.
"I learn so much from my child more than what I teach them. It brings you back to basics. When you’re worrying about so many other things.
"Parang they are teaching you the basics."
Ultimately, Divine expresses her gratitude for the valuable lessons—even in the simplest of things—she learns from her own children.
"Sometimes, you get so jaded from event diyan, kilala ka ng mga tao, and then expectations ng social media. And then you are brought back to basics.
"And for me, that's why I stay humble... why our feet are on the ground ay dahil sa mga bata.
"When they teach me simple things na ganyan, sabi ko, 'Ay, nakalimot ako maniwala, nakalimot ako mag-surrender.'”
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