Lotlot de Leon loves being a mother

For Lotlot de Leon and her family, weekends are sacred because that’s when they spend time together. She shares, “We make it a point to get together on weekends because we’re all busy these days. Sometimes, Maxine, my youngest, is the only one with me.”

She recalls how difficult it was to break the news of her separation from ex-husband, Ramon Christopher, to their children: “Monching and I legally separated in 2008. I took my kids to the mall to break the news to them. Jessica was close to me, while Diego was close to his dad.”

The kids had to adjust to their new living arrangements. Maxine and Jessica were under Lotlot’s care, while Janine and Diego lived with Monching. “Then, one day, I decided it was time for all of them to stay under one roof, so I made the sacrifice of living away from them,” she recalls. “I was working and was totally on my own then. I felt it would be safer if they were all together.”

Her children’s needs

Lotlot still attends to her children’s needs: “Janine was only 14 then. The setup was, they’d live with Monching, but they would come to my house to do their homework. When they had exams, I studied with them. I enjoy being a mother. Every year that passes, I see my kids mature, which makes me feel that I’m doing something right.”

She lives by example, too. She’s open to her kids and allows them to be independent. She points out, “I don’t want to restrain them. What’s important is for them to be happy—and become good human beings! My Mama (Nora Aunor) taught me to be a good mom. I come from a traditional family—there were a lot of rules, even superstitions. Mama allowed me to make my own decisions, so I would know right from wrong!”