Marian Rivera: Being a mother is priceless

MARIAN Rivera with husband Dingdong Dantes and baby Zia

At only 9 months, Baby Zia is already quite the little entertainer. When she starts hearing music, her first impulse is to bounce, dance and headbang. She isn’t shy around other people, too.

Of course, there’s no telling if Zia’s spunk and tendency to gravitate toward music would actually lead to her wanting to pursue show biz in the future, and follow in the footsteps of her parents, Marian Rivera and Dingdong Dantes.

But if it does happen, Marian said, she wouldn’t have qualms about it—provided that her daughter prioritizes school.

“If I could have it my way, I would love for her to get a college degree first. Education is important…a gift that should be treasured,” Marian told the press at her launch as the endorser of Avon’s new lipstick line Ultra Color Indulgence.

But at the end of the day, Marian said, it would be up to Zia to decide for herself. “It’s hard to predict what she would end up becoming later on in life. She will develop her own interests as she grows up,” the 32-year-old actress pointed out. “My job as a parent is to support her.”

Marian related that she currently brings Zia to a play school twice a week. “She’s very observant, sweet and makulit! And she’s not afraid to mingle with other kids,” she said of her first child. (She and Dingdong plan to give Zia a little brother or sister in a year or two.)

“I want a two-year gap, at least. I want to devote my time to Zia at the moment,” Marian said, adding that her family is bound for the United States later this month. “I’ll do shows with Dong, then go on vacation.”

Though she’s admittedly “not a perfect mother,” Marian said that what she’s sure of is that she will do everything for her child. “Different women make different choices,” she said. “But for me, being a mother is priceless.”