femalenetwork.com

Motherhood is one of the most challenging and rewarding roles in life. How children are raised will determine in part what kind of adults they will grow into, and what kind of society they will create for themselves and their own children in the future. Each generation of parents faces similar basic challenges; they must feed, house, clothe, educate and protect their young. However, there are also unique obstacles and opportunities that change with the times.

In an attempt to better understand how contemporary mothers now think about their roles, hopes, fears, goals and attitudes to parenting, Huggies, a Kimberly-Clark brand, launched a global research initiative. Developed and conducted by TNS, a global leader in quantitative and qualitative research, surveyed more than 5,000 mothers around the world.

Dubbed ‘Motherhood Today,’ the study noted how parenting has expanded and fundamentally changed. Parents now have modern, active, and healthy views in childcare. Moreover, when it comes to early childhood experiences, today’s parents are more open to their kids getting into experiential and challenging activities.

The study further uncovered five new guiding principles in parenting. These include allowing kids more freedom to explore, more room to think, more opportunities to experience, more time to play and more chances to make their own choices.

Playtime has been recognized as the best way to boost a child’s total development in terms of motor skills, socialization, logic, creativity and imagination. Play is the way a child discovers the world and this is enhanced when parents are more involved in this area of their child’s development. Active play between parent and child encourages kids to explore and be active.

This was validated by Helen Castro-Limcaoco, CEO of Just For Kids, Inc. and franchise owner and manager of The Little Gym, an International fitness and development center for children, who firmly believes in the importance of active play. “By adopting a parenting style that considers the children’s integrated needs at a very young age, we will be able to create a generation of eager lifelong learners who will be better students than ourselves, and better educators than our generation,” Limcaoco said.

‘Playtime has been recognized as the best way to boost a child’s total development in terms of motor skills, socialization, logic, creativity and imagination’

She also added, “An active lifestyle enhances brain development at any age. Exercise, sports, dance or any other activity that encourages movement are great at keeping the brain active and engaged.”

Patricia Bermudez-Hizon, the first female anchor for the PBA and radyo PBA, and talk show host for In the Zone at Solar sports recognizes the importance of play in her sons’ development. “That’s how they can actually express their sentiments, the one time where our kids can be themselves and where we discover their true characters,” she said.

Hizon added that having a good brand of diaper helps a lot with uninterrupted play. “For example, diaper changes can be traumatic for children only because you’re taking them away from what they’re enjoying at the moment,” she explained. “Also, when there are too many nappy changes in a day and you’re already pressed for time, you don’t want to spend a quarter of that quality time with your kids by having to chase them around for a diaper change.”

“We at Huggies are encouraged by the results of this global study,” said Teye Sanchez, Baby & Child Care Senior Product Manager. “It has affirmed our commitment to provide babies with the comfort and protection, vital for a happier, uninterrupted play, learning, and discovery.”