Lea Salonga and Nino Alejandro take parenting seriously

SALONGA. Motherhood doesn’t come with a script.

Lea Salonga and Nino Alejandro take parenting seriously. “I keep my schedule full enough that I’m fulfilled with my career, but free enough to attend to my daughter Nicole’s needs. I don’t sacrifice my time with her, because she’s growing up fast,” Lea shares.

While parenting takes a lot of work, it’s also very rewarding: “Motherhood doesn’t come with a script,” she muses. “For example, when your child gets sick, it throws everything else off. All your attention goes to making her feel better. You forget your other plans for the day and stay home with her.”

For Lea, one of the challenges of being a parent is being away from Nicole when she travels.

She does her best to prepare for Nicole’s future. She explains, “You have to be discerning enough to mold your kid into how God created her. I don’t want to force her into something she’s not. I want to help her figure out where she fits.”

Challenge

For his part, Nino shares, “Being a parent is a challenge. My work takes me away from my family, so I make my moments with them extra special.

“I’m an enabler. I let my daughter Bella get away with anything. I seldom get mad, but when I do, it means she’s done something really bad—and that’s when she knows I mean business.”

Nino and Bella have various bonding activities: “We play in front of the mirror. At night, I tell her bedtime stories that I invent myself. And, we watch cartoons together!”