Actress Dawn Zulueta recently returned to the small screen as Magda, the protagonist’s often-suffering mother, in the remake of the soap opera, Mula Sa Puso. PEP.ph reports that Dawn is back and set to star in two teleseryes with ABS-CBN, with which she signed a contract for the next two years.Dawn relates how she’s excited to be working again, although she’s still limiting her tapings to three days a week to spend time with her family. “Basta, I still have time for the kids at hindi ako masyadong napapagod (I don’t get too tired),” she is quoted as saying on PEP.ph.
The elegant actress has two children with her husband, Cong. Anton Lagdameo. Although her eldest son, five-year-old Jacobo, hasn’t shown signs of wanting to be an actor yet, Dawn is amused when he does dramatic antics to catch his parents’ attention. But while this makes her happy, she tells their helper to never let her two kids watch the teleserye she’s in.
“I gave instructions to the yaya na kapag um-ere ito, huwag itong ipapanood sa mga anak ko. They will not understand watching me na inaapi, na pinahihirapan ako. I don't want them to see that, kasi hindi pa nila magi-get yun (I told our helper that once my soap opera airs, my children aren’t allowed to watch it. They won’t understand seeing me getting hurt and being hurt by others. I don’t want them to see that because they won’t understand what it means yet),” she explains.
Dawn’s fears aren’t completely unfounded as children are susceptible to the actions they see on their TV screens. Myra, a former educator, shares that while watching soap operas is not necessarily a bad thing, young children need guidance, especially if some concepts are hard for them to understand. “They might also try to emulate what their favorite actors do onscreen,” she explains, “so parents need to explain to their kids that while there are actions that are permissible on TV, people just don’t do those in real life.”
A report on television violence and its effects on children on the Media Awareness Network relates how toddlers’ viewing habits stick with them for the rest of their lives. Young children also cannot place actions in context (meaning, for example, that they won’t understand violence is wrong), the report says, so it’s important to guide them as they grow older.
While some shows are kid-friendly and educational, not all teleseryes tackle the same concepts. “Parents should take great care in screening [teleseryes] for their kids to watch, as the show[s] might contain adult themes,” Myra says.
What wrong messages could teleseryes be teaching your children? Read on for five common scenarios.
1. Waiting for good things to happen instead of taking action reaps results.
A typical female teleserye protagonist has a good heart, but is often trapped in a series of bad situations. Her kindness makes her less likely to defend herself even when baddies constantly make her suffer. Eventually, an outside force saves her without her having to do anything. This way of thinking paints women as helpless and in constant need of other people to get her out of trouble. In reality, though, no matter how kind or smart you are, you'll never be much of a success if you just sit around and wait for opportunities to fall into your lap.
2. Marrying a rich man is a quick fix for all your problems.
How many times have you seen a female protagonist enduring suffering until she meets a rich man who takes her out of it and gives her a good life? This popular teleserye device looks at money as the quickest and easiest way of solving problem when in reality, this isn’t the entire story. Money can't buy happiness; in fact, it usually comes with its own set of complications.
3. Keeping company with the "wrong crowd" will get you the attention you need.
A common message teleseryes send when they show characters smoking and drinking, is that these vices are cool or the “in” thing to do. These images stay in children’s minds and could contribute to their taking up these vices in the future. For example, results from a study published in the Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine show that 90 percent of children who view positive images of smoking on TV and in film have a greater risk of turning into smokers. Remind your children that while hanging out with the “wrong crowd” might make you popular, it will never be for the right reasons. The reputation you create will be the one you carry with you through all your social and professional circles.
4. It's okay to use people as long as it gets you what you want.
From kidnapping to murder to framing innocent parties, every teleserye kontrabida has a complete arsenal of evil ideas. You might be a veteran when it comes to watching kontrabidas mistreat their counterparts onscreen, but your growing children might not be able to understand the implications of what these characters are doing. One of the most important values you can teach your kids is to treat other people the way they'd like to be treated, so remind them that what happens in soap operas shouldn’t be emulated in real life.
5. Changing your looks and your personality to make a guy notice you is perfectly all right.
There have been teleseryes where protagonists willingly go under the knife or get drastic makeovers for the sake of being noticed by the person they love. Some even go one step further and modify their personality to fit their guy’s ideal type. What you look like may be what attracts people to you initially, but once the guy you have your eye on sees that you've got the heart of a kontrabida underneath your designer duds, he's not going to want to be around you for very long. Teach your kids the value of being true to themselves—inside and out—because a person who loves them will accept them for who they are.
(Photo courtesy of PEP.ph)
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