Every mom gets asked the question: How do you balance work, family, and me-time? In her latest "Paano Ba Ito?" video series, mom of two Bianca Gonzalez-Intal asked fellow Pinoy Big Brother co-host Toni Gonzaga-Soriano how she does it.
"Lagi kong sinasabi na if my work gets five yeses, my family should get equal yeses," the mom of one shared of how she makes sure her family gets enough of her time. "Hindi pwede yung puro yes, yes, yes, sa work tapos yung family mo yung nakakakuha palagi ng no," Toni added.
"If you say yes to work ng five times, dapat as much as possible six yung makukuha [ng family mo] na yes," she added. That's yes to spending more time with them, yes to watching a movie with your husband, or yes to going out as a family to the mall.
But what about me-time? Bianca said that time for yourself is also essential for moms like her who may sometimes feel overwhelmed. Toni quipped that the only me-time she manages to squeeze into her schedule is when she gets her hair roots colored once every three months.
Toni shared that even privacy in the bathroom is impossible when you're a mom, because sometimes, her 2-year-old son Seve would ask to sit on her lap, or her husband would enter the room to brush his teeth. Thus, to get some me-time, she says she has taken up reading again.
"Pinagpalit ko na yung time ko sa social media na mag-stalk ng life ng other people. It doesn't add anything to my life," she explained. Her goal is to finish one book a week, though she admitted she's not yet done with this week's read.
For Toni, every day is a work in progress in terms of finding a balance in all aspects of her life. "Sa totoo lang, you're not able to do it all," Bianca chimed in. "Kasi the time na, kunwari ngayon andito tayo, time away ito from our family. Or kapag kunwari nagbakasyon tayo, [we said no] work," the mom of two explained.
"Every day, you just ask yourself, 'Naging okay ba ako na mommy today?'" Toni shared. Apart from consciously finding more time for family than work, she also gets feedback from her husband, director Paul Soriano, or from Seve, then makes adjustments accordingly.
"Gagawin mo lang yung best mo talaga," Bianca stressed. "You cannot also compare yourself to [other moms]," Toni added. "Just look at your own journey as a mom and what's important is you see that your husband is happy, your kid is happy," she explained, adding that her family is by far her greatest achievement. "I think that's what's more important than what other people are going to say about how you handle your family," she said.
Watch below the surprise Mother's Day greeting Paul and Seve sent Toni through Bianca:
This story originally appeared on Smartpareniting.com.ph.
* Minor edits have been made by the Femalenetwork.com editors.
